Vol. 567 No. 1
216 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the many concerns of the Northern minority regarding safety and security following recent reports on collusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13440/03]
The Government has long been concerned about allegations of collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. We have consistently raised such allegations with the British Government.
The recent report published by Sir John Stevens on 17 April confirmed much of what has been alleged. He reported that there was collusion in the murders of Pat Finucane and Adam Lambert and he uncovered enough evidence to believe that the murders could have been prevented. Nationalists were known to have been targeted but were not properly warned or protected. Stevens sought to determine whether both sides of the community were dealt with in equal measure by the RUC and found that they were not.
These findings are of the utmost gravity and raise fundamental questions. It is clear that the murder of Pat Finucane cannot be considered in isolation. The Government's conviction that a public inquiry is required to resolve the questions that surround his murder has been reinforced by the Stevens report. The allegations regarding Stakeknife are also disturbing and give rise to fundamental questions regarding accountability and the rule of law.
Two years ago at Weston Park the Government agreed with the British Government that there was a need to gain closure on certain cases which were, and continue to be, a source of grave public concern, both in themselves and in terms of maintaining the necessary confidence in the administration of justice. On 28 May 2002 the two Governments announced the appointment of Justice Peter Cory, a retired judge of the Canadian Supreme Court, to undertake a thorough investigation of allegations of collusion in certain outstanding cases, among them those of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.
Judge Cory has completed the Finucane, Hamill and Wright cases and is currently working on the Rosemary Nelson case. He will then start work on the cases in this jurisdiction. Judge Cory has indicated that he hopes to finish his report later this year. The two Governments have agreed that, in the event that a public inquiry is recommended in any case, the relevant Government will implement that recommendation.
The allegations of British military intelligence operations in our jurisdiction are taken very seriously and I will be raising this matter with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland today at the BIIGC in London. It is a situation on which we have very little factual information – there are allegations and counter allegations in the public domain and, until we have received clarification on the situation, it is difficult to comment with authority.
The Government will continue to closely monitor developments regarding all such allegations, with its approach being determined in particular by the need to establish confidence in the administration of justice and the rule of law.
