PRIME Minister David Cameron has said that any investigation into the 1987 Enniskillen bombing would be a matter for the Historical Investigations Unit, a body that has not yet been established.

The independent body which was proposed under the Stormont House Agreement would take on a criminal justice element of investigating murders during the Troubles if and when it is set up.

Mr. Cameron said criminal investigations and prosecutions around the IRA bombing which killed 11 and injured 64 almost 30 years ago “are, of course, an independent matter for the police and the prosecuting authorities, and it would not therefore be appropriate for me to comment.”

The prime minister made his comments in a letter to Ulster Unionist MP Tom Elliott last week, a copy of which has been seen by The Impartial Reporter.

Mr. Cameron was responding to the Fermanagh-south Tyrone representative who challenged him in the House of Commons recently to “ensure” that there is an investigation into the Enniskillen bombing just as there will be into ‘Stakeknife’.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is to bring in detectives from across the UK to investigate the activities of a west Belfast man alleged to have been the Army’s most high ranking agent in the IRA. The investigation into ‘Stakeknife’, the alleged agent’s codename, could cost millions of pounds.

In his letter, Mr. Cameron went on to state that “it is right” that his Government “recognise the terrible loss suffered by so many people during Northern Ireland’s troubled past.”

“The victims and their families, such as those who lost loved ones in the terrorist atrocities at Enniskillen, the Shankill and Teeban, are our first priority,” he said.

“As you know, the Historical Investigations Unit, proposed under the Stormont House Agreement, would take forward outstanding investigations into Troubles-related deaths. Any legislation to establish them would ensure they have to carry out their functions in ways that are balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable,” said Mr. Cameron.

He reiterated that his Government “will not be party to a re-writing of the past that seeks to legitimise terrorism” and added: “Politically motivated violence wherever it came from was never justified.”

“The vast majority of those who have served in the security services in Northern Ireland, including you, did so with great bravery and distinction, upholding democracy and the rule of law. Many made the supreme sacrifice; many more were injured or traumatised by what they experienced. Without their commitment, the peace process would not have happened,” said Mr. Cameron, in his letter to Mr. Elliott. “This Government will not forget the debt that we owe them.”

“The Government will continue to work with the parties in Northern Ireland to see whether it is possible to reach a consensus amongst the parties of dealing with the past and establishing the new legacy institutions,” he said.