The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs has assured the Finucane family that a report into the death of the solicitor, Mr Pat Finucane, will have immediate Government attention. The family handed Ms Liz O'Donnell a confidential report by the British-Irish Rights Watch group which contains new allegations of collusion by the security forces in Mr Finucane's death 10 years ago yesterday.
Ms O'Donnell said the Government had already urged that serious consideration be given to a call by the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Mr Param Cumaraswamy, for an independent inquiry into the case.
The Government welcomed support for an inquiry offered by lawyers and non-governmental organisations, such as Amnesty International.
"The new Labour government in Britain has shown significant courage about and commitment to human rights and justice issues," she told the family.
"Their willingness to tackle Bloody Sunday was genuinely historic and I believe will prove to be a watershed in British-Irish relationships." She felt it was clear "that as we concentrate on implementing the Belfast Agreement, all sides need to address the trauma of almost three decades of violence. This applies to all, paramilitary and security forces alike."