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Inquiries

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which legal firms have worked on the Billy Wright inquiry; for what periods; who each firm represented; how much his Department has spent on legal fees for the inquiry; how much has been spent in the inquiry in each month since it was established; and when the inquiry is expect to report. (243380)

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:

Total resource

£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

Total capital

£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.