Parliamentary activity

Answering body: Northern Ireland Office

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn) has today made the following statement:

I wish to inform the House that the report of the Robert Hamill Inquiry, originally chaired by Sir Edwin Jowitt and now by Sir John Evans, will be published shortly after the summer recess, subject to Parliamentary timetabling.

As I set out in my statement of 10 December 2025, the original Inquiry Chair, Sir Edwin Jowitt, advised the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, on 25 February 2011, that the Inquiry Panel had fulfilled its Terms of Reference. However, following announcement by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland in December 2010 of criminal charges against three individuals for perverting the course of justice, it was agreed that the Inquiry Report would not be submitted to the Secretary of State or published until the conclusion of these legal proceedings.

Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings in June 2024, a new Chair, Sir John Evans, was appointed on 7 October 2024 due to Sir Edwin unfortunately being unable to continue in the role. Since then, steps have been taken to enable the publication of the report and Sir John has now confirmed that the report is ready to be published.

As the person responsible for the publication of the Inquiry’s report, I have a duty, as a public authority under the Human Rights Act, to act in a way that is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

On 28 February 2011, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP set out that a checking process had been undertaken to meet obligations in relation to Article 2 of the ECHR and national security. Whilst I have not yet seen the Report, given the significant passage of time since the last checking process was concluded, I have decided to make arrangements for a new one. I can confirm that this has now been completed and I have received advice that there is nothing in the report which, if published, could breach Article 2 of the ECHR by putting the lives or safety of individuals at risk, or would put national security at risk. I am therefore satisfied that the report can be published in full.

Given the time needed for the panel to finalise the text and to print the report, it will not be feasible to publish the report before the summer recess. My officials have therefore requested that the Inquiry team retain custody of the report over the recess.

As with the publication of the Bloody Sunday, Billy Wright and Rosemary Nelson Inquiry reports, I intend to consider giving advance sight to those who were designated as Core Participants by the Inquiry along with their legal representatives.

Answering body: Northern Ireland Office

The total cost of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry from 1998, when it was established, to the end of May 2010 when it concluded, was £191.2 million.

Judge Corey recommended that the Government hold public inquiries into the deaths of Rosemary Nelson, Billy Wright, Robert Hamill and Patrick Finucane. The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry and the Billy Wright Inquiry cost £46.46 million and £30.5 million respectively. As the Robert Hamill Inquiry Report is still to be published, final costs are not yet available.

Funding of £250m was agreed with HMT in 2023 to cover the implementation of all aspects of the Legacy Act 2023. The lion's share of this funding was for the establishment and operation of the ICRIR (£230m), with the remainder ring fenced for memorialisation and official history measures that seek to promote wider societal healing/reconciliation. This funding derived from the £150 million allocated to implement the Stormont House Agreement and £100 million allocated through the New Deal, New Approach agreement.

As outlined in the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Oral Statement of 11 September 2024, the Government has considered the likely costs of the inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane and its impact on the public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.

The Government takes reasonable steps to control the costs of inquiries, including capping legal costs as appropriate.