The British government has pledged to re-examine legal aid awards to some of the five men suspected of carrying out the Omagh bomb atrocity.
Victims' families were assured of a top-level inquiry during talks with the minister overseeing an £800,000 sterling grant to bring the suspected terrorists to court.
Constitutional affairs minister Lord Filkin was challenged about the decision to foot the legal bills of two top dissident republicans named in the civil action: convicted 'Real IRA' leader Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell.
Mr Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was among 29 people killed in the explosion, insisted the legal aid decision could not be justified.
"These men have substantial assets so we have to know what level of co-operation there was between the British and Irish governments before legal aid was awarded," he said.
Just days before the fifth anniversary of the attack, Lord Filkin travelled to Omagh to tell families that the government money would be handed over by November. He also revealed cash could be made available to allow other victims of terrorism to mount civil cases. His main aim, however, was to outline his government's commitment to the Omagh lawsuit.
The £800,000 has been funded as an exceptional grant and once changes to the legal aid system in Northern Ireland are brought in, it will be added to the £1.2 million already raised by the victims.
In January 2002, father-of-four Colm Murphy became the only person to be convicted of plotting the attack. The Special Criminal Court in Dublin sentenced the Dundalk-based builder and publican to 14 years in jail.
Last summer solicitors acting on behalf of the Omagh Victims' Civil Action Group served writs on five people suspected of involvement in the bombing. The legal documents were given to McKevitt, Campbell, and Murphy in Portlaoise Jail. Two other people, Mr Seamus Daly and Mr Seamus McKenna, were served writs in Dundalk.
Omagh relatives now hope to have their case heard at the Belfast High Court early next year.