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Murder of Patrick Finucane Independent Inquiry

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled Answered 2 July 2026UIN 12718

The question

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 Hilary Benn

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 independent statutory public inquiry, established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to complete an Article 2 ECHR compliant investigation into the murder of Patrick Finucane. While I am the Sponsor Minister for the Inquiry, it is rightly independent from Government. Inquiry spend is therefore an operational matter for the Inquiry, and details of Inquiry spending will be published on their website in due course.

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