Patrick Finucane Inquiry

Hilary Benn Excerpts

Friday 13th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)]

I wish to provide an update to the House on the Government decision to establish an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane in February 1989.

Today, the Government have appointed the right hon. Sir Gary Hickinbottom as chair of the Patrick Finucane inquiry. The inquiry is being established under section 1 of the Inquiries Act 2005, with full powers, including the power to compel the production of documents, and to summon witnesses to give evidence on oath. The Government have also today appointed the Baroness O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese as assessors to the inquiry under section 11 of the Inquiries Act.

The appointment of Sir Gary follows my announcement, on 11 September 2024, that the Government will establish an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane. This decision was in response to the 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court, which found that all the previous investigations into the murder had been insufficient to enable the state to discharge its obligations under article 2 of the European convention on human rights.

The murder of Mr Finucane in front of his wife, Geraldine, who was also wounded, and his three children, was a barbarous and heinous crime and one which continues to highlight the legacy of the troubles in Northern Ireland. I commend and support the tireless campaign of Mrs Finucane and her family in seeking answers to the brutal murder of their loved one and I am confident that this inquiry will provide answers to the family who have suffered so terribly.

In determining who should chair the inquiry, I considered that in view of the nature of the evidence and questions to be tested by the Patrick Finucane inquiry, a judicial chairperson, sitting alone without a panel and with two assessors, would be most appropriate for the role.

Sir Gary has had a distinguished judicial career in England and Wales. He is currently President of Welsh Tribunals and member of the judicial openness and transparency board. He was made a full-time judge in 2000 and was appointed to a succession of judicial appointments in both the court and tribunal systems. In 2021, Sir Gary retired from the Court of Appeal to conduct a commission of inquiry into governance and corruption in the British Virgin Islands, on which he reported in April 2022.

Baroness O’Loan is a life peer appointed to the House of Lords in 2009. She became a member of the Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee in January 2025. Prior to that, she was a member of various House of Lords Select Committees from 2010 to 2024. Baroness O’Loan was the first Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland.

Francesca Del Mese is an international criminal and human rights lawyer with over 25 years of experience in rule of law and security sector reform, specialising in conflict-affected and fragile states and countries experiencing political transition. She serves as a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and is also a judge (recorder) of the Crown Court of England and Wales.

I am delighted that Sir Gary Hickinbottom has accepted this important role as chair of the Patrick Finucane inquiry and that Baroness O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese have accepted the important roles of assessors to the inquiry. I am confident that, together, their valuable knowledge, experience and professionalism will be of great benefit to the work of the Patrick Finucane inquiry.

The chair will now meet with the family and consult them on the terms of reference.

[HCWS699]