Guildhall requested as venue for Bloody Sunday families

LONDONDERRY'S Guildhall has been requested as a venue to facilitate what appears to be the imminent publication of the report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward wrote to Town Clerk Valerie Watts last month asking that relatives of the 14 people killed by paratroopers on January 30, 1972, be allowed advance sighting of the document in the Guildhall on the day it is published.

This would mean other groups' bookings on that day would be cancelled.

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Mr Woodward stated: "It is my intention to facilitate advance sight on the day of its publication to Parliament, under controlled conditions for certain groups, including nominated representatives of the families and their legal teams and a small number of MPs."

The letter was also forwarded to the families' legal representatives, William Nash's family, the Bloody Sunday Trust and PSNI Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin.

The erstwhile Secretary of State wrote the publication of the report would be an emotional and historic time and stated it was vitally important to ensure the families had a familiar and accessible venue for their use on the day.

"I would be very grateful if the Council would permit the use of the Guildhall, for the purposes of advance sight, and to allow the wider group of family members to view the proceedings in Parliament in privacy," he wrote.

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The arrangement envisaged by the former cabinet minister would involve a large portion of the Guildhall being secured and access restricted only to those viewing the report in advance, or to NIO representatives and contractors facilitating the viewing.

"The families have indicated to me their belief that the Council would be willing to waive the normal hire costs for these facilities for the event and I would be grateful if you could confirm that this is the case," stated Mr Woodward.

Whilst Mr Woodward's letter predated the General Election and his removal from Government, new Secretary of State Owen Patterson's public statements on the report have not veered from his predecessor's line.

Mr Woodward's letter - dated April 26 - continued: "Subject to the Council's approval to use the Guildhall, I will ask my officials to liaise with Council staff about the possible timescales.

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"In broad terms, I believe that we will need to secure exclusive access to the premises from at least one day before the date of publication until the Ministerial statement is delivered to Parliament.

"After the statement is delivered, the Guildhall would then be retained for the exclusive use of the families for a period to prepare for a press conference."

Derry City Council also received a letter from the Bloody Sunday Family Support Centre asking for use of the Tower Museum as a temporary media centre on the day the report is released.

A meeting of Derry city council was due to decide on the matter as the Sentinel went to press yesterday afternoon.

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A report presented to the Council yesterday noted that the Guildhall was sought free of charge and that it would be necessary as a contingency to cancel a number of existing bookings over a period to facilitate the use of the Guildhall.