'Money no object' for the government in its decisions to grant an inquiry into Pat Finucane's murder and re-open inquests - Jeff Dudgeon

Jeff Dudgeon, the convenor of the Malone House Group, says the last government’s Legacy Act was prompted by three issues: an imbalance in prosecutions; attempts to draw equivalence between the IRA and the security forces; and ever increasing costs of “lawfare”.

The veteran civil rights campaigner highlighted costs uncovered by the late Lord Laird in 2013 for similar public inquiries. The government had then put the price of the Bloody Sunday probe at £191.5 million, Billy Wright’s at £30.5 million, the Rosemary Nelson inquiry had cost £46.46 million and the investigation into Robert Hamill’s murder was £33 million at the time – but remains unfinished.

The former UUP councillor highlighted a speech by Baroness Hoey in July warning about the costs. She had said the government “should be aware, too, of the potential colossal costs if demands are acceded to: £50 million to reintroduce the Troubles inquests; a Finucane public inquiry, if decided upon, costing up to £150 million; and payments for collusion—the new buzzword of former terrorists. That means limitless amounts of money, but certainly in the hundreds of millions of pounds”.

Mr Dudgeon said: “Hilary Benn, regardless of cost, has now enabled a further inquiry on Pat Finucane and has promised Troubles civil suits against the state are to be reinstated, and new inquests granted of which there could be as many as 3,000” – adding: “Money appears to be no object”.