NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A woman who wants to testify at the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) is not entitled to legal representation at public expense, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

The decision overturned an earlier ruling by the High Court.

The inquiry had said witnesses did not need legal representation, nor should it be met by public funding.

In January, the High Court said that decision was wrong, but on Friday the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling.

The inquiry is examining allegations of child abuse in children’s homes and other residential institutions in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1995.