Ongoing · Chair: Lord Turnbull · Established February 2024 · Commissioned by Northern Ireland Office
Statutory inquiry into whether the 15 August 1998 Real IRA bombing in Omagh — which killed 29 people and unborn twins — could reasonably have been prevented, focusing on intelligence sharing between UK and Irish state bodies.
Statutory inquiry into whether the 15 August 1998 Real IRA bombing in Omagh — which killed 29 people and unborn twins — could reasonably have been prevented, focusing on intelligence sharing between UK and Irish state bodies. Chapter 3 substantive evidence hearings delayed as of January 2026. Irish government drafting legislation to allow Garda officers to give oral testimony.
Inquiry website ↗ Terms of reference ↗
Public hearings have been held on 44 days, most recently on 15 October 2026.
No report has been published yet.
£12,206,267
Total reported cost to December 2025 Costs in detail8
mentions in Parliament Parliamentary activityNo reports listed.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced an independent statutory inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Lord Turnbull was appointed as Chair of the inquiry.
The UK Government published the inquiry's Terms of Reference.
The inquiry held its first preliminary hearing at the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh.
The inquiry began four weeks of commemorative and personal statement hearings, its first oral hearings.
The inquiry heard opening statements from core participants over two days; it stated these were not evidential hearings.
| Period | Total | Inquiry legal | CP legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | £2,744,491 | £1,381,148 | £824,955 | Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 October 2025 – 31 December 2025 Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Oct 2025 to 31 Dec 2025. Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 October 2025 – 31 December 2025 |
| Dec 2025 (cum.) | £12,206,267 | £5,916,145 | £2,985,932 | Cumulative expenditure Apr 2024 – Dec 2025 Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Dec 2025. Cumulative total calculated from FY2024-25 annual report plus Q1-Q3 FY2025-26 quarterly reports. Inquiry established Feb 2024; first financial data from April 2024 (FY24/25). Statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 into the Omagh bombing of 15 August 1998 (29 killed plus unborn twins). Sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office. Inquiry legal costs cover counsel (11 appointed) and solicitors (Burges Salmon/Fieldfisher). Core participant costs are s.40 Inquiries Act 2005 legal representation at public expense. All figures inclusive of VAT (per FY25/26 quarterly reports; VAT treatment not stated in FY24/25 report). Q4 FY25/26 data not yet published; figures current to 31 December 2025.
|
| Sep 2025 | £2,058,059 | £1,043,390 | £530,650 | Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 July – 30 September 2025 Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Jul 2025 to 30 Sep 2025. Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 July – 30 September 2025 |
| Jun 2025 | £2,032,751 | £939,573 | £614,000 | Q1 FY25/26 (21 Apr – 30 Jun 2025) Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 21 Apr 2025 to 30 Jun 2025. First quarterly report for FY25/26. Covers 21 April to 30 June 2025 (note: starts mid-month). Inclusive of VAT. Seven counsel appointed including two KCs.
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| Jun 2025 | £2,032,751 | £939,573 | £614,000 | Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 April 2025 – 30 June 2025 Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2025 to 30 Jun 2025. Omagh Bombing Inquiry Financial Report 1 April 2025 – 30 June 2025 |
| Mar 2025 | £5,370,966 | £2,552,034 | £1,016,327 | Omagh Bombing Inquiry: 2024-25 Financial Report Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Mar 2025. |
Cumulative expenditure Apr 2024 – Dec 2025
Accounting period: 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Dec 2025.
Said: That this House notes the 34th anniversary of The Teebane Massacre which took place on 17 January 1992 at a rural crossroads between Omagh and Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland; remembers that a roadside bomb detonated and destroyed a van carrying 14 construction workers …
Said: That this House notes the 50th anniversary of the Blair Memorial Flute Band, founded in 1975 in Omagh in memory of Drew and John Blair and Heather Birney, whose lives were tragically lost in a drowning accident that same year; further notes that the band …
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions if any they had with the government of Ireland about the Omagh Bombing Inquiry at the British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 24 April.
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: The Government has the deepest sympathy for all of those affected by the Omagh bomb in August 1998. It was a terrible atrocity committed by the Real IRA at a time when the people of Northern Ireland were looking to a future without violence, and it caused...
Said: That this House notes that the Omagh Bomb Inquiry will examine only alleged failings in respect of agencies in the United Kingdom; regrets that there is no parallel inquiry established by the Dublin Government to investigate failings within that state, having regard to the fact …
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 February 2025, Official Report, column 763, by when he plans to have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Irish government on their co-operation wit
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: The Government has the deepest sympathy for all of those affected by the Omagh bomb in August 1998. It was a terrible atrocity committed by the Real IRA at a time when the people of Northern Ireland were looking to a future without violence, causing immea...
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland to encourage them to hold a public inquiry into the Omagh Bombing.
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: We all remember vividly where we were when we heard the news of that awful atrocity in August 1998, and I pay tribute to Michael Gallagher and the other Omagh families who have pursued their case with great dignity and tenacity. The Government is doing ev...
Said: That this House marks the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Omagh bombing, the bomb planted by the Real IRA that killed 29 people including a pregnant woman with twins; remembers that a large car bomb exploded on a Saturday afternoon in the centre of Omagh, …
Said: That this House celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Ulster American Folk Park and Museum and the strong relationship between the United States (US) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; notes that this anniversary underlines the special relationship between Northern Ireland …