John Bruton
Question:9 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on a meeting with the relatives of the late Mr. Pat Finucane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6187/00]
Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Issues.
Trevor Sargent
Question:10 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with a delegation seeking a new independent judicial inquiry into the killing of Belfast solicitor, Mr. Pat Finucane. [6228/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together.
I met the family of Pat Finucane in Government Buildings on Thursday last, 24 February. I was accompanied by my colleagues, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Cowen and the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy O'Donnell.
I was pleased to welcome Geraldine Finucane and other members of the Finucane family to Government Buildings together with representatives of a number of human rights organisations, both domestic and international. The meeting enabled us to have a comprehensive review of developments in the case. The case has been, and remains, a cause of the deepest concern to the Government. Pat Finucane's murder was not only abhorrent in itself – it also represents a fundamental attack on the legal profession and the system of justice.
At the meeting, a copy of British-Irish Rights Watch's latest report on the case was handed over, as well as a legal opinion from Amnesty International which argues that there is no legal barrier to the holding of a public inquiry while a police investigation is under way.
For my part, I restated our clear view that the case for a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane is compelling. This view has already been conveyed to the British Government. After the lapse of more than a decade since Pat Finucane's murder, and the serious allegations in relation to it, the Government strongly share the view that a public inquiry needs to be established into all the circumstances surrounding this appalling murder.