UHRW Advocacy Manager, Axel Schmidt, said: “The Secretary of State, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, said that he had made his decision to agree to a public inquiry in the Pat Finucane case because of the unique circumstances of this case and the solemn commitment made by the Government in 2001 and 2004 to establish a public inquiry.
“He said that he had considered whether to refer the Pat Finucane case to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) and confirmed that the Commission is Convention compliant and has powers comparable to those provided by the Inquiries Act to compel witnesses and to secure the disclosure of relevant documents by state bodies.
“It should therefore now be expected that all inquiries carried out by the ICRIR be as thorough as in a public inquiry and provide the information families have sought for many years on an equal footing as to what is being done for the Finucane family by way of a public inquiry.
“The Secretary of State also indicated that when making his decision, he had considered the likely costs and impact on public finances, and that unnecessary costs would be avoided given all the previous reviews and investigations and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain. In the most recent High Court proceedings the Judge stated that this inquiry could ‘build on the significant investigative foundations which are already in place’.
“Considering all the costs already incurred by the multiple investigations carried out in the Finucane case, families who refer their cases to the ICRIR should now expect the same level of funding to ensure that their cases are investigated to the same level of thoroughness as has been done in the Finucane case.
“Equality between victims and survivors of the Troubles, particularly for victims of terrorism, requires nothing less than the same treatment from the ICRIR as that given to the Finucane family by way of a public inquiry.”