The Patrick Finucane Inquiry is an independent statutory public inquiry investigating the circumstances of the murder by loyalist paramilitaries of the solicitor Patrick Finucane on 12 February 1989. The purpose of this Inquiry is to investigate and report upon the circumstances of Patrick Finucane’s murder, and particularly the role of the State, in an Article 2 compliant manner. The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry can be read here.
There have been several previous investigations and reviews carried out into Patrick Finucane’s murder and the circumstances surrounding it. The decision to establish this Inquiry was announced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 11 September 2024. This followed a Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that these earlier investigations were not compliant with the right to life guaranteed by Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Furthermore, they had not met the commitment made by the UK Government in 2001 to establish a full public inquiry into these matters if recommended by an independent review.
Public inquiries are investigations set up by the Government to respond to events of major public concern or to consider controversial public policy issues. Once established, an inquiry is independent of Government.
Unlike proceedings in a court, an inquiry is an ‘inquisitorial’ process, meaning it is a fact-finding search for the truth relying on the investigation of evidence by a judge, rather than an ‘adversarial’ process (where two or more parties present arguments through advocates to prove, or defend, an issue).
While inquiries cannot determine criminal or civil liability, they can highlight where failings have occurred.
The Patrick Finucane Inquiry is a statutory public inquiry, established under the Inquiries Act 2005. Statutory inquiries have a wide range of powers, such as compelling witnesses to give evidence under oath.
Statutory inquiries run according to the Inquiry Rules 2006, which provide a statutory guide for the Chair, and include detailed rules on evidence and procedure.
Non-statutory public inquiries are not established under a specific Act of Parliament and therefore do not have the same powers as statutory public inquiries.
The Chair of the Patrick Finucane Inquiry is Sir Gary Hickinbottom. Sir Gary was appointed Chair of the Patrick Finucane Inquiry by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 13 June 2025. The Chair is responsible for discharging the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference and has ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the Inquiry.
He will establish the structure, procedure and protocols which govern the Inquiry, subject to a statutory duty to act fairly. On the conclusion of the Inquiry, the Chair publishes a report making findings of fact and recommendations. The Chair is supported by a team of legal and secretariat staff, as well as two assessors, Francesca Del Mese and Baroness Nuala O’Loan. You can read about the Chair and his team on the About Us page.
A Core Participant is a person, organisation or other entity, that has been designated a Core Participant by the Chair, pursuant to Rule 5 of the Inquiry Rules 2006. They typically have a significant interest in the Inquiry. Core Participants enjoy participatory rights in the Inquiry. These include being provided with relevant documents; being legally represented and making opening and closing statements; applying through their recognised legal representatives to the Chair to ask questions of witnesses during a hearing; and receiving advance copies of the Inquiry’s report(s). You do not need to be a Core Participant to provide evidence to the Inquiry.
The Inquiry ’s Core Participant Protocol governs this process and contains more information on how the Chair determines Core Participant status.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has set the Terms of Reference and the Chair has outlined his approach to this Inquiry.
The Chair and the Inquiry team operate independently from the Government, and from Core Participants and other organisations involved in the Inquiry. The Inquiries Act 2005 gives the Chair the legal authority to direct the Inquiry’s procedure and conduct as he sees fit.
The relationship between the Inquiry and its sponsor department, the Northern Ireland Office, is documented and agreed. It is the Secretary to the Inquiry’s role to manage that relationship and ensure the Chair and Inquiry’s operations are independent and free from any undue influence.
The Chair and his legal team do not have the power to prosecute or convict individuals. Read the Terms of Reference.
Substantive evidential hearings will take place in the Bradford Court Hearing Centre in Belfast, though other hearings may be held elsewhere in Northern Ireland or London if necessary.
The Inquiry Secretariat and Inquiry Legal Team are based in Belfast and London.
In line with our commitment to transparency, when commenced, the Inquiry hearings will ordinarily be open to the public to attend where individuals can apply to attend and watch proceedings from the public gallery.
There may be times when hearings will be held in private, for example, for reasons of confidentiality or National Security. These are called ‘closed hearings’. The Chair will only take evidence in closed session where he judges it is absolutely necessary to establish facts.
All up to date information about the Inquiry can be found on our website.
The Inquiry team can be contacted by email at enquiries@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk
All media enquiries should be sent to media@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk.
The length of the Inquiry depends on a number of factors, including the amount of material and evidence the Inquiry will need to consider, and the number of witnesses the Chair will wish to call to give evidence.
This work is still underway and therefore cannot be predicted with certainty at this stage.
It is our current intention that the Inquiry will publish financial statements on a quarterly basis, showing how much it is spending in carrying out its work.