I am advised by the Billy Wright inquiry that the following legal firms have worked on it:
Legal firm Period of engagement Representation Cleaver Fulton and Rankin Solicitors January 2006 Legal services to the inquiry John McAtamney and Co April 20081 David Wright Crown Solicitors Office February 20051 A number of prison governors and officers Treasury Solicitors April 20071 Northern Ireland Prison Service, and the Northern Ireland Office McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors March 20071 Police Service of Northern Ireland Diamond Heron Solicitors January 20051 Prison Officers Association 1 To date.
In accordance with the Billy Wright inquiry’s published funding protocol, witnesses to the inquiry are also entitled to reasonable legal advice at the inquiry’s expense and a number of firms have represented witnesses:
Legal firm Period of engagement Bircham Dyson Bell Solicitors September 2008 Campbell and Caher Solicitors March 2006 Edwards and Co Solicitors December 2006 Ferguson and Co Solicitors February 2007 Hart Coyle Collins Solicitors August 2007 John J Rice and Company April 2007 McBurney and Company Solicitors April 2008 Madden and Finucane Solicitors September 2007 O'Rorke McDonald and Tweed Solicitors March 2006 Reid Black and Co Solicitors July 2005 Trevor Smyth and Co Solicitors August 2006 to April 2007 Corker Binning Solicitors November 2007 Donnelly and Wall Solicitors November 2008 McConnell Kelly and Co Solicitors June 2005 Morrison and Broderick Solicitors September 2006 S.C. Connolly Solicitors November 2007
Some of these firms have represented only anonymous witnesses, some have represented only witnesses seen in public, and some have represented both. For security (to preserve anonymity) and public interest reasons (not all the witnesses of either type have yet been called to give evidence) it is not felt appropriate to release even the names of the ‘public’ witnesses before the end of the hearings. Once witnesses are called to give oral evidence the name of their legal representative is published on the inquiry website.
The total cost incurred by the Billy Wright inquiry for legal fees is £6.89 million.
The monthly spend of the inquiry is as follows:
£000 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 April -222 421 191 27 — May 1,304 416 145 114 — June 776 955 292 239 — July 843 1,608 185 105 — August 770 428 232 120 — September 265 1,011 254 167 — October 811 -264 265 209 — November 1,138 751 314 151 — December — 566 332 271 — January — 491 442 168 — February — 777 483 40 1 March — 1,444 1,303 651 58 Total 5,685 8,604 4,438 2,262 59
£000 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 April 0 0 0 0 May 0 0 0 29 June 0 0 0 1 July 0 122 0 2 August 0 0 0 -2 September 0 0 0 0 October 0 -122 0 0 November 0 0 0 3 December — 0 0 -3 January — 0 0 2 February — 0 0 0 March — 266 0 5 Total 0 266 0 37
The inquiry is expected to report by March 2010.