Mr. John Finucane:

I will come in now and that will give the families and Mr. Ó Muirigh a clear run at responding to the Chairman and Mr. Maskey. I add my welcome to Mr. Teggart, Ms Quinn and Mr. Ó Muirigh to the committee. I thank them for the determination they have shown over five decades. Such determination is truly inspirational when we recognise the deliberate nature of the obstacles that have been placed before them by the British state throughout the past 50 years. I also want to take a moment to recognise the work of Mr. Ó Muirigh. He is one of the few solicitors in this jurisdiction who are legacy practitioners. They have been deliberately targeted and demonised by the state. I often hear about history being rewritten and I note Mr. Teggart's opening comments about correcting history. I pay tribute to the legal diligence that accompanied the families' determination. Our history books now reflect what actually happened in Ballymurphy in August 1971 and that is something we should all welcome.

In the face of the difficulties the families have faced over 50 years, they still managed to get the truth. My question will focus on the areas of justice and accountability. The British Government has unilaterally walked away from legacy agreements and now seems set on implementing an amnesty that it announced on the very day that Mrs Justice Keegan declared to the world that the loved ones of our guests were innocent. The British Government justified the amnesty by saying it wanted to help families to move forward. How do the families now proceed in the face of the current position taken by the British Government?