Her letter was sent on the 49th anniversary of the atrocity. In October, Ms Bunting joined families of those murdered by the Provisional IRA at Kingsmill as they announced their intention to take legal action against the Ombudsman’s office to force publication of the report.
The East Belfast MLA said, “The families of those murdered at Kingsmills have demonstrated huge bravery and determination and I pay tribute to them. Whilst the Ombudsman’s report will not deliver either justice or the full truth they deserve, they should not be forced to battle for its publication.
If it is the intention and policy of the Police Ombudsman's Office to run down the clock on legacy reports, then they should explicitly admit it. If this is indeed the case, they should be honest with the families and the general public.
If it is not the policy, then the Kingsmills families deserve an explanation for this inordinate delay when they were previously told the report was ready. We are now 9 months on from the conclusion of the inquest. They should have received this report long ago and it should be published forthwith.
If the Investigating Officer is determining the timescale for release and cannot or will not proffer a valid explanation for the delay, then the task should be removed from him and allocated to another official who will address the matter more expeditiously and with greater compassion, empathy and courtesy than has thus far been shown to those who have already suffered so much for so long.
The Police Ombudsman is now back at her desk and I expect her to intervene directly and take action to secure the release of this report immediately.”