Secretary of State: 'Despicable and evil act'

He said the Ombudsman's remit was to investigate evidence relating to the conduct of the RUC, and commenting on the role of the Government of the day, he said: "The Claudy bombing was a terrible atrocity carried out by terrorists during the bloodiest year of the Troubles.

"I absolutely condemn the actions of the terrorists who were responsible. It was a despicable and evil act carried out by despicable and evil people," he said.

"My anger at the actions of those responsible for the attack is matched in strength by my sorrow that the survivors of the atrocity and the relatives of the dead did not see those responsible brought to justice for their crimes. I recognise, of course, that all those involved in combating terrorism at the time were making decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances and under extreme pressure.

"For my part, on behalf of the Government, I am profoundly sorry that Father Chesney was not properly investigated for his suspected involvement in this hideous crime, and that the victims and their families have been denied justice. In the course of their investigations both thePSNI and the Police Ombudsmanhaveconducted enquiries with the Department. I can confirm that the Department's files have been extensively searched and that all relevant documents were provided to the Ombudsman.

"The onlydocument referring to discussions about Father Chesney is the letter of December 6, 1972, quoted in the Ombudsman's report. In the interests of transparency I am today publishing the document andwill senda copy to the Public Record Office in Northern Ireland, the National Archives and the Linenhall Library."

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