Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome the depth of his commitment on this issue. I commend those who brought the motion. I am glad to have co-signed it with many others and to have such support across this House and from many parties in Northern Ireland, which is important.

We have heard that collusion has been acknowledged and admitted. We have heard of the court rulings from Judge Cory, the European Court of Human Rights and the UK Supreme Court in 2019. The case has been clearly made. The Finucane family have been waiting for justice and truth since 1989. Justice delayed is not only justice denied; it is injustice sustained. This is the moment for the UK Government to free itself from that injustice, and from its part in it, by taking the actions to ensure that Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, orders what is required, namely, a full and proper public inquiry fulfilling the commitment made in Weston Park in 2001.

It is important that this happens because we need to see justice delivered in terms of the brutal killing of Pat Finucane so we can move on to recognising not only his death but also his life and the incredible contribution he made. I was reading again through the kinds of cases he took, such as human rights and civil rights cases, and the work he did in championing the idea of a law that worked for all in Northern Ireland. That is important and I know that work has continued through the Pat Finucane Centre and through the work of Geraldine and John Finucane.

I was fortunate enough to be part of a cross-party delegation which visited Belfast City Hall when John Finucane was Lord Mayor of Belfast. There is a tradition in Belfast City Hall where each Lord Mayor places different objects, pictures and images on the walls. John Finucane placed the UN Convention on Human Rights as his choice when he was Lord Mayor because, as he said, the convention belongs to all. That is a core principle here. This public inquiry for the Finucane family is essential because we send the message that human rights matter.Front-line human rights defenders, which Ireland has always championed at the United Nations level in terms of our support for civil society, must be protected so all can have faith in the power of law to deliver change and be an instrument for justice for all at every level of society. Again, this is a key moment. It is important because human rights are a core part of the pillar of the Good Friday Agreement and of that which builds peace and reconciliation. It sends the signal that we can have a shared world and, indeed, a shared island and we can share in the shaping of the future in Northern Ireland. I welcome John Finucane to the House, and I hope we will see a positive step forward on 30 November.