Ulster Unionist Victims spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, has questioned the benefit of today’s debate on the murder of Pat Finucane. The SDLP brought forward a motion which goes to the vote tomorrow, but the Strangford MLA feels the continued focus is unhelpful.

“What I saw and heard today was a debate that went around in circles, achieved nothing positive, but was conducted in spirit that was noticeably more bad-tempered than the atmosphere that pertained when the murder was the subject of a Motion of the Day in the Assembly last month.

“The inconvenient fact remains that the Finucane family were offered a Public Inquiry, but rejected the terms. The Government were right to end the long and expensive stand-off, by asking Sir Desmond da Silva to undertake a time-limited and budgeted enquiry, whose terms of reference are to make public the vast amount of information that has already been gathered about this murder. Many families who also lost loved ones will look enviously at what the Finucanes have had and are getting.

“The fundamental issue in dealing with the past is trust, finding a process that only establishes the truth, but in a manner that gives everyone confidence that the truth has been revealed. It is not helped when Martin McGuinness asks us to believe he left the IRA in 1974, or that Gerry Adams was never a member. How come Mr Adams flew to London in 1972 for secret talks with the Government at Cheyne Walk in Chelsea? When he got on the plane, and saw Martin McGuiness, Sean MacStiofain, Daithi O’Connaill, Seamus Twomey and Ivor Bell, why didn’t he give the air stewardess a nudge and point out he wasn’t with those people.

“In the absence of trust, little can be done. Debates like today’s do little to build that trust. We owe it to all the victims to stop this piecemeal approach.”