Source: Telegraph
Hillsborough disaster documents to be made public after Jacqui Smith request
Jacqui Smith said she would seek to release into the public domain any information that exists that could shed light on the tragedy and its aftermath "as soon as possible".
It comes days after the 20th anniversary of the tragedy at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989, when 96 Liverpool supporters died at their team's FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest.
The anniversary, which was marked with memorial services in all three cities on Wednesday, saw renewed calls by victims' families for a new inquiry into the deaths.
They believe a major incident plan was never initiated by South Yorkshire police and fans in the Leppings Lane end were denied emergency medical attention.
The families also dispute the findings of the single inquest into all 96 deaths, which ruled the victims were all dead, or brain-dead, by 3.15pm and subsequently recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Trevor Hicks, of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, said it was an injustice that nobody had every been held fully to account for the disaster.
He added: "I am pleased, it's better late than never. This will enable us to see the full picture of events in a way that we have been denied for 20 years.
"It is vital that these files are released in full and not sanitised in any way."
He added that he was also hoping to find out who gave permission for certain police officers to retire on the grounds of ill health "before they could be prosecuted for negligence of duty".
The documents covered by the 30-year-rule could include police files and the records of other emergency services, government departments and the local authorities.
The families say they are particularly keen to see the minutes of a meeting between then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and senior South Yorkshire police officers which they say took place on the Sunday morning after the disaster.
They believe a decision was made during the meeting that the police would not be blamed for the tragedy.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "The Government is committed to helping those who lost loved ones in the Hillsborough tragedy.
"That is why I will be working with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Attorney General's Office to put out any information that exists that could shed light on the disaster and its aftermath in the public domain as soon as possible."
But a South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said that the force had sought to find out before the intervention of the Home Secretary which information could be released.
She said: "The chief constable, prior to the anniversary, independently offered to review all material held by South Yorkshire Police to establish what could lawfully be released given that the force has already made public so much of its archive information."
