'Independent' pledge on job probe

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith pledged an independent probe

An independent person will investigate if Secretary of State Peter Hain and his officials deliberately misled the High Court, peers have been told.

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith told the House of Lords he hoped to make a report into the matter public.

A judge ruled the appointment of the NI Victims' Commissioner was motivated by an improper political purpose.

The judge said government departments had provided "partial, misleading and incorrect information".

Speaking at question time in the House of Lords on Thursday in response to a question from Lord Trimble, the Attorney General said he had yet to appoint anyone.

But he said that he would also write to senior civil servants to remind them of the "duty of candour" required during court cases.

Mr Hain has denied there was any deliberate attempt to mislead the court and has pledged to co-operate with the inquiry.

Earlier this month, Mr Justice Girvan ruled that Mr Hain had failed to take account of the fact that there was no evidential basis for concluding that interim Victims' Commissioner Bertha McDougall - the widow of a police reservist murdered by the INLA - would command cross-community support.

Bertha McDougall's RUC Reservist husband was killed by the INLA

He also criticised civil servants who had been advising Mr Hain in connection with the appointment.

He said they "provided partial, misleading and incorrect information" as to the manner of the appointment".

In his judgement, Mr Justice Girvan ruled that if the inquiry was to be fair and meaningful it could not be conducted by those directly involved in handling this case.

The judicial review was taken by Brenda Downes, whose husband was killed by a RUC plastic bullet in 1984.

Mrs McDougall, 59, a former school teacher, helped set up the victims' group, Forgotten Families.