Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome John Finucane MP, who is also present here this evening. I commend the family of Pat Finucane, who thought on many occasions in the recent past that they were one stop closer to truth, only for the process of truth recovery to be unnecessarily lengthened. This journey for truth began with the Weston Park Agreement in 2001, when six controversial killings, including Pat's murder, were recommended for review by Judge Cory. In 2004, he recommended a full public inquiry into Pat's murder and then in 2011, for the first time, Geraldine Finucane was personally invited by a British Prime Minister to 10 Downing Street. The hope of that day was dashed when David Cameron told her there would be no public inquiry. The sheer hurt and sense of betrayal felt by Geraldine that day on the steps of 10 Downing Street was, I am told, heartbreaking to witness. She later remarked:

My family and I were lured to Downing Street under false pretences. We thought we were going there to be given the inquiry that was promised.

We are all familiar with the phrase "justice delayed is justice denied" but for the Finucane family, not only has justice been delayed but there have been many false dawns. I have been a Member of this Chamber since 2016 and I know many debates and issues here are enhanced by activist lawyers in the same mould as Pat Finucane. Nearly all of us here regularly speak to advocates who are at the coalface of pertinent issues in their society.Their assistance is invaluable to our work.

Pat Finucane also used his voice and intellect to speak up for those who had no voice, whether through endemic discrimination or regressive censorship. Too often in this House and other Chambers, the lack of political progress in the North has been brushed off with lazy narratives of each side being as bad as the other. Tonight's motion makes absolutely clear that commitments agreed to in the past have been broken by the British Government. The motion before us calls on the British Government to fulfil these commitments. I hope that cross-party agreement on the motion would merit the Government coming back to us in the Seanad to set out what actions it has taken to maintain pressure on the British Government to act. Perhaps the Minister will outline how he will report on progress to the parties agreeing the motion tonight. I know the Finucane family's struggle to get to the truth is also on behalf of all of those awaiting a genuine truth recovery system on this island. I hope that when the British Government finally commits to a public inquiry, it will also reflect on the unrealised commitments in the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements. The talking and negotiating has been done already on these issues and we need concrete implementation.