Inquiry hears from McAliskey

Fourteen civilians died after being shot on Bloody Sunday

The former Mid-Ulster MP, Bernadette McAliskey has been giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

There was speculation that she might not go into the witness box after it emerged that lawyers for the soldiers had asked the tribunal to get intelligence material on civilian witnesses.

The inquiry is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 13 civilians shot dead at a civil rights march by British paratroopers in Londonderry on 30 January 1972.

Another man died later from his injuries.

The then Bernadette Devlin narrowly escaped the gunfire of January in 1972, according to evidence already heard by the tribunal.

Bernadette McAliskey: Pictured in the 1960s

Several witnesses have described seeing bullets hitting the wall behind her that day as she stood on a platform and addressed the crowd assembled at Free Derry Corner in the city's Bogside district.

Mrs McAliskey survived a loyalist bid on her life in 1981, when she and her husband, Michael, were shot at their home near Coalisland, County Tyrone,

Earlier on Tuesday, the Tribunal Chairman, Lord Saville, said witnesses concerned about the matter did not have to give their evidence until he decides whether or not to make use of intelligence files.

Lord Saville of Newdigate said there was no question of "springing" intelligence material on witnesses called to give evidence at the hearing.

He also agreed to let witnesses postpone giving evidence if they were concerned about disclosures that the tribunal was considering gathering intelligence summaries on people testifying at the inquiry.

Lord Saville: Heading the inquiry

The subject is to be discussed at special hearings in the Guildhall in Londonderry on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

The public hearings resumed in the Guildhall with an application from one of the witnesses, Sean Collins, to put off giving evidence "in the climate of uncertainty" currently surrounding the issue.

Last Thursday it emerged that the tribunal was considering a request from lawyers acting for the soldiers for Ministry of Defence and MI5 intelligence summaries on witnesses.

Lord Saville said he understood the concerns of Mr Collins and other witnesses to centre on fears that when they came along to give evidence they might "suddenly have a lot of what they may doubtless regard as scurrilous allegations made in public against them".

He thought it unlikely that material relating to Mr Collins would exist, given that he was 10-years-old on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

But granting the application, he said: "Be that as it may, I can understand the concern of witnesses.

"What I can say is there is absolutely no question of anyone who is going to give evidence at the moment suddenly being faced with any material of this kind. That would be quite unfair in my view."

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was established in 1998 with Lord Saville of Newdigate in the chair.

It has been sitting in public for the past year and is expected to run for another two years.