Ongoing
· Chair: Sir Gary Hickinbottom
· Established June 2025
· Commissioned by Northern Ireland Office
Inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989 and collusion between loyalists and security forces.
More about this inquiry
Inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989 and collusion between loyalists and security forces. Established under the Inquiries Act 2005 with full statutory powers to compel documents and summon witnesses under oath. Announced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 11 September 2024 following the 2019 Supreme Court judgment that previous investigations were insufficient under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Sir Gary Hickinbottom was appointed chair on 13 June 2025. Terms of Reference were published on 9 March 2026 following formal consultation with the chair and the Finucane family; the Baroness O'Loan and Francesca Del Mese have been appointed assessors.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced a statutory inquiry into the killing of solicitor Patrick Finucane in 1989, following the 2019 Supreme Court judgment that previous investigations had been insufficient under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Chair appointed
Sir Gary Hickinbottom was appointed Chair of the Inquiry.
Terms of Reference published
The Inquiry's Terms of Reference were published, following consultation with the chair and the Finucane family.
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsAlex Burghart · Conservative
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his written statement of 9 March 2026 and the linked Terms of Reference for the Patrick Finucane Inquiry, when he will set out an updated timeframe for the publication of the referenced plan, …
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: Following the publication of its terms of reference in March 2026, The Patrick Finucane Inquiry has been legally established. It held its preliminary hearing in June 2026, with a further hearing scheduled in September. The Inquiry is an independent statutory public inquiry, established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to complete an Article 2 ECHR compliant investigation into the murder of …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsMike Wood · Conservative
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what has been the total public cost to date of the inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane.
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: Patrick Finucane was brutally murdered in February 1989 in front of his wife, Geraldine, and three children. Mrs Finucane and her family have sought answers about the killing of their loved one for over 37 years. I am pleased that the Patrick Finucane Inquiry has now got underway, following the publication of its terms of reference. The Inquiry is an …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsBaroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent · Labour
Statement: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn) has today made the following statement:On 11 September 2024, I announced the establishment of an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane in February 1989, under the Inquiries Act 2005. …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsHilary Benn · Labour
Statement: On 11 September 2024, I announced the establishment of an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane in February 1989, under the Inquiries Act 2005. This decision was in response to the 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court, which found that the previous …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsAlex Burghart · Conservative
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding he has allocated to the Finucane Inquiry.
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: As I outlined in my oral statement of 11 September 2024, I considered the likely costs and impact of the Patrick Finucane Inquiry on public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the Inquiry will 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. …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Caine · Conservative
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions took place, if any, between the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and representatives of the Finucane family regarding the appointment of the two assessors to the Patrick Finucane Inquiry; whether the family's consent was sought; and whether …
Answered by Northern Ireland Office: Under the Inquiries Act, the power to establish a statutory independent inquiry and the constitution of the inquiry lie with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. In the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 13 June, he set out that he had appointed Baroness O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese as Assessors to the Patrick Finucane Inquiry under section …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsBaroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent · Labour
Statement: My Rt Hon friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn) has today made the following statement:I wish to provide an update to the House on the Government’s decision to establish an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane in February …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsHilary Benn · Labour
Statement: I wish to provide an update to the House on the Government’s decision to establish an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane in February 1989. Today, the Government has appointed the Rt Hon Sir Gary Hickinbottom as Chair of the Patrick Finucane …