Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are paying or contributing to the legal costs of the applicants in the McKerr group of cases, including that relating to the murder of Patrick Finucane, which are currently before the Committee of Ministers at the Council of Europe after judgments by the European Court of Human Rights; and, if so, how much they have contributed to date.

The following cases remain before the Committee of Ministers, who supervise the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights:

McKerr v United Kingdom (Application 28883/95), judgement final on 4 August 2001;

Kelly and others v United Kingdom (Application 30054/96), judgement final on 4 August 2001;

Shanaghan v United Kingdom (Application 37715/97), judgement final on 4 August 2001;

Finucane v United Kingdom (Application 29178/95), judgement final on 1 October 2003;

McCaughey and others v United Kingdom (Application 43098/09), judgement final on 16 October 2013.

In each case, a costs order would have been made following the final hearing and no contributions or payments towards costs have been made after this. We do not pay or contribute to costs of any submissions or otherwise of cases which are before the Committee of Ministers.