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Hillsborough tragedy documents panel named
Members of a group set up to study secret documents from the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy in Sheffield have been named.
The panel, chaired by the Right Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, will meet for the first time on February 4 in Liverpool.
It will begin a process of making public key documents - from the police, fire and ambulance services, coroner and Sheffield City Council - about the deaths of 96 Liverpool football fans.
The seven members of the Hillsborough Independent Panel are: public information expert Christine Gifford; TV producer and researcher Katy Jones; Paul Leighton, former deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; academic criminologist Professor Phil Scraton; Dr Bill Kirkup, former associate medical director at the Department of Health; broadcaster Peter Sissons; and archivist Sarah Tyacke.
Announcing the line-up, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "The new panellists are all experts in their field and will bring a range of vital skills to the work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
"I am delighted they have accepted the responsibility of assisting Bishop James in releasing papers surrounding the terrible tragedy."
The Hillsborough Independent Panel and its terms of reference were established last month. The panel's job is to oversee public disclosure of the documents, letting the victims' families know their content first.
However, there is a question mark over precisely how much information will be publicised, with one point of reference stating: "The fundamental principles will be full disclosure and no redaction of content, except in the limited legal and other circumstances outlined in the protocol."
Bishop James said: "Great thought has been given to the set of skills needed to do this important work. I am so pleased that my colleagues have agreed to join the panel and dedicate themselves to this major task. Together they provide excellent skills for the serious work of overseeing the disclosure of the documents."
The Hillsborough families have been consulted throughout the process of establishing the panel and in the appointments announced on Tuesday.
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Friday 18 May 2012
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