The British government was yesterday accused of a "negligent" and "deliberate failure" to co-operate with the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
Lord Gifford QC, representing the family of Mr Jim Wray, who was one of 13 men killed by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday, said vital information had only been released after 4½ years and several unanswered submissions and requests.
Yesterday he made a written submission to the inquiry, sitting in London, protesting about the lateness of the information and accusing the cabinet office of suppressing information. He also issued a press release.
The missing documents included some ministerial briefings, notes of the Northern Ireland cabinet committees chaired by former prime minister Sir Edward Heath in 1972, and transcripts of conversations between Sir Edward and Northern Ireland prime minister Mr Brian Faulkner.
Some of the missing documents could throw light on Sir Edward's prior knowledge of the fatal army arrest operation at the Derry civil rights march on January 30th, 1972, he said.
Within hours of making the submission, some of the documents were circulated to the inquiry. They had been supplied by the cabinet office last month but were unavailable for circulation because they were being examined.
Lord Gifford told the inquiry he was withdrawing the suppression allegation.
He said: "We maintain there has been a culpable failure to co-operate and to respond to the many requests made by your team (the inquiry staff) who have done their best. We would wish an opportunity, as we say in the submission, to pursue this in greater detail at an appropriate time."
Pointing out that Lord Gifford had requested some of the information back in March, Mr Christopher Clarke QC, counsel for the inquiry, said: "This all seems to have taken an unconscionable time."
Inquiries are being made with the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence to see if there are any relevant briefs that have not been disclosed.
No formal transcripts of conversations between the two prime ministers between October 1971 and February 1972 could be located.
Mr Clarke said: "All of the documents that my learned friend originally sought have been received and those that are referred to in their latest submission of yesterday have been asked for, if they exist."
Lord Saville, the inquiry chairman, suggested that keeping closer contact with the tribunal would be the best way to avoid future "misunderstandings".
It would also enable the hearing to stick to its aim of providing a "full, thorough and fair" investigation of the shootings.
Mr Gerard Elias QC, representing many of the soldiers, said the inquiry had been dragged into "advocacy by press release into the public domain".
This is something that is to be "deprecated if it is professionally correct", he said. Mr Elias told the hearing: "If there is to be debate through the press and submissions are to be put in, accompanied by comment through press release, then, we simply ask, where is the tribunal going?" - (PA)