Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) chairwoman Margaret Aspinall last night said: “The HFSG is extremelyŠ pleased that the panel announced today is now complete and that the archive and review work can soon begin in earnest.

“We welcome the panel, which has the confidence of all interested parties and is felt capable of executing this very important task. We look forward to working with them over the coming months and hope that the outcome is satisfactory.”

Professor Scraton said: “'The establishment of the Hillsborough Archive and the panel is a clear recognition that the families and survivors have had neither the full story nor appropriate acknowledgement of the circumstances in which 96 men, women and children died and hundreds were injured.”

TV producer Katy Jones said: “It is hugely important that the Hillsborough families will at last have access to all of the information surrounding this tragedy.ŠOpening up the archive will, I hope, help to heal the pain of not knowing. I am deeply honoured that the families were keen for me to be part of the panel overseeing the release of the Hillsborough documents.”

Broadcaster Peter Sissons said: "The Hillsborough families, and all the people ofŠLiverpool,Šmust have confidence that nothing is still being hidden about this tragedy. That is our task and, as a Liverpudlian, I am glad that I can play a part in fulfilling it."Š

Up to 2m documents will be sifted through by the panel, who are likely to take up to two years to complete the task.

Prof Scraton and Katy Jones, who worked with Jimmy McGovern on the acclaimed Hillsborough documentary, were the key choices of the bereaved families who lost loved ones in 1989 during the FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield.