Nuala O'Loan
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Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, (born 20 December 1951), is a
public figure A public figure is a person who has achieved fame, prominence or notoriety within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own. In the context of defamation actions (libel and ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. From 1999 to 2007, she was the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed to the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
and she was so appointed in September 2009. In December 2010, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, appointed her as the chairman of its governing authority. She is a columnist with '' The Irish Catholic''.


Background

O'Loan was born and educated in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, England, one of eight siblings. She studied law at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, graduating in 1973, and became a law
lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
in Northern Ireland. In 1977 she survived an IRA
bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
at
Ulster Polytechnic Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
, Jordanstown, while pregnant; she lost the baby as a result. She is married to
Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (M ...
(SDLP) councillor and former North Antrim MLA, Declan O'Loan; they have five sons. In June 2006, one of her sons, Damian, was seriously wounded in the Oldpark section of North Belfast. The 23-year-old was left with serious head injuries and a broken arm after being attacked with an iron bar by a gang of four youths. The motive for the attack has not yet been established. She was a voluntary marriage counsellor, working particularly to prepare young people from different religions who are getting married. Baroness O'Loan was appointed as latest chair of the
Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...
inquiry in July 2014. Following the long gap after Stanley Burnton was forced to quit, Baroness O'Loan was made the new head of a long-running series of inquiries into the murder of the ex-private investigator and the subsequent police cover up.


Previous career

O'Loan is a qualified
solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
and was a law lecturer at the Ulster Polytechnic and
University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
from 1974 to 1992. She was then a Senior Lecturer holding the Jean Monnet Chair in European Law at the University of Ulster from 1992 until her appointment as
Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...
. She has also been: * Chairman of the Northern Ireland Consumer Committee for Electricity * Member of the Police Authority ** Vice-chair of the Police Authority's Community Relation Committee; * Member of the Northern Health and Social Services Board ** Convenor for Complaints for the Northern Health and Social Services Board * Member of the General Consumer Council, and Convenor of the Transport and Energy Group of that Council * Legal expert member of the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
's Consumers Consultative Council * Member of the Green Economy Working Group * Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Human Rights Enquiry


Independent custody visitor (formerly known as "lay visitor")

For seven years, she was an independent custody visitor ("lay visitor") to
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
stations, which meant she could speak to people being detained, at any time of the day or night.


Career as ombudsman

O'Loan was appointed by
Her Majesty's Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
to the post of Police Ombudsman designate in 1999. The Ombudsman's Office was created by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 (c. 32). This reform came into force some two weeks prior to the
Belfast Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
and the office's existence and practice has been the subject of continued controversy since. In August 2001, she was tasked with looking into police handling of the Omagh bombing in 1998. This attack killed 29 people (and 2 unborn children). Her report, published in December 2001, found that the
Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
had prior knowledge of some form of attack planned for that area and it questioned the leadership of Northern Ireland's then Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan. Responding to the report, Flanagan said he considered the report to represent neither a "fair, thorough or rigorous investigation"."Omagh bomb report 'grossly unfair'"
BBC News website, 12 December 2001
He said he was considering legal action on a "personal and organisational basis". An application for a High Court
judicial review Judicial review is a process under which a government's executive, legislative, or administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. In a judicial review, a court may invalidate laws, acts, or governmental actions that are in ...
of the report was made by the Police Association trade union in 2002 and withdrawn in 2003. He further added: "I consider it to be a report of an erroneous conclusion reached in advance and then a desperate attempt to find anything that might happen to fit in with that, and a determination to exclude anything which does not fit that erroneous conclusion". Flanagan said that if he believed the allegations in the report had been true "I would not only resign, I would publicly commit suicide." O'Loan attracted both praise and criticism for her robust activity in investigating alleged abuses by officers in the
Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ; Ulster-Scots: '), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it ...
(PSNI). She has also served as a trusted
intermediary An intermediary, also known as a middleman or go-between, is defined differently by context. In law or diplomacy, an intermediary is a third-party beneficiary, third party who offers intermediation services between two parties. In trade or barte ...
in controversial cases involving alleged criminal activity by Irish Republicans. This role came about because many Republicans did not yet recognise the PSNI as a legitimate and unbiased police service, and so refused to co-operate in its investigations. This role has largely disappeared as
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
have now called upon republicans to assist the PSNI. A UK
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
Committee reported on the Police Ombudsman in 2005 and praised O'Loan, recommending that she be given wider powers. The same committee acknowledged that the Office was not seen as impartial by the PSNI and its officers and urged that these concerns be addressed. In December 2006, an independent survey by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency found that Protestants and Catholics are equally supportive of the Police Ombudsman. More than four out of five people questioned from both communities also believed that police officers and complainants would be treated fairly. In addition, a survey of police officers investigated by the Police Ombudsman's Office, suggests 85% believe they have been treated fairly by the office. On 26 June 2007 former
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
Assistant Commissioner
Al Hutchinson Al Hutchinson is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP Assistant Commissioner, who served as the Office of the Oversight Commissioner (Northern Ireland), Police Oversight Commissioner in Northern Ireland, who in November 2007 became the se ...
was announced as the successor to O'Loan as Police Ombudsman, and he took up the office on 5 November 2007.


Controversy

Former Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis said, in relation to her handling of the Omagh Bomb Inquiry, that it was as though she had walked through "police interests and community interests like a suicide bomber". Former Secretary of State
Peter Mandelson Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, (born 21 October 1953) is a British politician, lobbyist and diplomat who has served as British Ambassador to the United States since February 2025. A member of the Labour Party, Mandelson serve ...
said she has displayed a "certain lack of experience and possibly gullibility" in relation to the same affair. During the summer of 2006 her youngest son Ciarán, 18, was allegedly involved in an altercation with police in his home town. The PSNI officers involved were alleged to have manufactured false statements in relation to the matter, and later reversed the decision without comment. In October 2006 she was involved in a public row with Ian Paisley Jr. The incident happened in a Belfast coffee shop when Paisley was approached by O'Loan. She voiced her concerns on alleged comments made by Paisley about her children. Her marriage to a nationalist
Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (M ...
(SDLP)
councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
has, in the past, caused Paisley to question her ability to remain independent. Upon her retirement, a farewell party was organised, to which all political parties were invited. However, no representatives from the
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
,
Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...
or
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
attended. In August 2008 O'Loan while being interviewed on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's ''
Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...
'' caused controversy by reportedly claiming that Protestants in Northern Ireland were brought up not to trust Catholics.


Awards

In 2003, the Annual Conference of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (a US organisation) presented O'Loan with an award for her contribution to police accountability. In 2008 Dame Nuala was made Person of the Year at Ireland's Annual People of the Year Awards. On 3 July 2008, Dame Nuala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the
University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
in recognition of her work as Police Ombudsman and for her contribution to the social development of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. In 2008 O'Loan was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the Higher Education and Technical Awards Council, Ireland. That same year, she was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. In 2010, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by
Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
. In 2012, she was elected a member of the
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
(MRIA).


Operation Ballast investigation into collusion

On 22 January 2007 she published the results of Operation Ballast, an investigation into collusion between the
Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
and the
Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from North ...
in relation to the murder of Raymond McCord Jr., in 1997. Several crimes committed by informants working for
Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...
were investigated, including the killings of: * Raymond McCord, Junior * Peter McTasney * Sharon McKenna * Sean McParland * Gary Convie * Eamon Fox * Gerard Brady * John Harbinson


Damehood

She was appointed
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(DBE) on 29 December 2007 in the 2008 New Year Honours. She, along with the other recipients of 2008 New Year's Honours, were congratulated by
First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...
.


Appointment to Timor-Leste

On 19 February 2008, O'Loan was appointed by the Irish Government as special envoy in Timor-Leste (
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
). Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern announced the appointment of O'Loan during a two-day visit to the country.


Peerage

On 11 September 2009, she was created a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
as Baroness O'Loan, of Kirkinriola in the County of Antrim, and she was introduced in the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
on 27 October 2009, where she sits on the crossbenches.


National University of Ireland

In December 2010 it was announced that she was to be immediately appointed to Chairman of the Governing Authority by National University of Ireland, Maynooth.


Daniel Morgan inquiry

In July 2014, it was announced that Baroness O'Loan would chair the inquiry into the 1987 murder of a private investigator
Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...
. This followed the withdrawal of the previous chair Sir Stanley Burnton.


See also

* List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords


References


External links


Ombudsman website

Report on Police Ombudsman by House of Commons Committee 2005

BBC News report on Commons Committee
accessed 29 June 2006
Interview on the BBC Radio 4 from 2002

BBC News on Operation Ballast investigation

Public statement on Operation Ballast from the Police Ombudsman's website

Official website of Baroness Nuala O'Loan
{{DEFAULTSORT:OLoan, Nuala OLoan, Baroness 1951 births Living people Alumni of King's College London Academics of Ulster University British legal scholars Crossbench life peers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Solicitors from Northern Ireland People from Hertfordshire People from County Antrim Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Ombudsmen in Northern Ireland Members of the Royal Irish Academy Women lawyers from Northern Ireland 20th-century lawyers from Northern Ireland Women legal scholars Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission 21st-century lawyers from Northern Ireland 20th-century women lawyers from Northern Ireland 21st-century women lawyers from Northern Ireland 20th-century British women civil servants 20th-century British civil servants 21st-century British women civil servants 21st-century British civil servants Women civil servants from Northern Ireland Lawyers awarded damehoods ]