Ford to meet Bloody Sunday families in email row

The North's would-be Justice Minister pledged today to meet families of those bereaved at Bloody Sunday to explain why he called the inquiry into the killings “pointless”.

Alliance leader David Ford has been criticised by relatives of those shot dead by the British Army in Londonderry 38 years ago after a private email containing his views on the Saville Inquiry was leaked.

The South Antrim Assembly member said he would re-consider his choice of words if the families felt it necessary.

“If it becomes apparent that that particular word should be withdrawn, then I will certainly consider doing that,” he said.

Mr Ford was favourite to be Stormont’s law and order minister when justice powers are devolved to the power-sharing administration because it was felt he was the only candidate who could command the required cross-community support within the Assembly.

But the contents of the email sent to the Alliance’s sister party – the Liberal Democrats – last November has seen him criticised by Sinn Féin and the nationalist SDLP.

In the briefing note on potential Lib Dem parliamentary questions to Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward, Mr Ford said the Saville Inquiry was “pointless” and so were any questions on it.

Lord Saville’s inquiry was set up in 1998 to re-examine the events of January 1972, when soldiers from the Parachute Regiment shot dead 14 people in the Bogside area of Derry.

His long-awaiting findings, which have cost upwards of £200m (€220m) to reach, are due to be published in the coming months. While Mr Ford insisted he had never criticised the families’ desire to find out what happened, he said he did have concerns about the inquiry process the Government used to do it.

“It seems to me, in terms of achieving justice for the families, that the Saville Inquiry has taken an inordinate length of time, enriched a number of lawyers extremely well, and not necessarily achieved anything for the families,” he told the BBC.