Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach. His reiteration of the position of the Irish Government, the Irish State and the Houses of the Oireachtas that there must be a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane is absolutely essential.

I join the Taoiseach also in reiterating the fact that agreements entered into must be honoured and delivered on. As he rightly points out, at Weston Park and following on from it there was an acceptance that a number of cases required special investigation. As the Taoiseach rightly says, successive governments in Dublin have held up to our side of the bargain and the British Government has fallen very short - not alone that, but it has adopted a strategy that is very explicitly and obviously designed to block a public inquiry. For the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland yesterday to dangle the prospect - perhaps - of a public inquiry at a later stage more than 30 years after the killing of Pat Finucane is particularly unforgivable. Does the Taoiseach have a view as to what we can do collectively as an Oireachtas, perhaps in partnership with international figures, including President-elect Joe Biden, who has, as the Taoiseach knows, for a very long time supported the Finucane campaign for a public inquiry?

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