Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I agree with most of what Deputy Gregory said. It is clearly not what was envisaged as a full independent public judicial inquiry in the Weston Park proposals. This is new legislation introduced by the British Government and the restrictive clause in that legislation, which would effectively restrict the judge's handling of the information, renders it useless. It would not restrict the judge in seeing or reading the information but would restrict him or her in using it in public, publishing it or showing it to the family or its lawyers. For that reason it is of no use.

The British Government, under significant pressure from all sides, has shown no inclination to move and in a recent letter the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said that the Government intends to proceed with the inquiry. I spoke to him again last week in Washington and told him that he would be doing that without the support of the Government, or any parties in the Oireachtas, and the many human rights groups involved in this case. My officials spoke to Geraldine Finucane today. We keep in constant touch with the family and continue to help and support it in any way we can.

See this speech in context