The Guardian reports today that peers are seeking changes to the Inquiries Bill, in return for letting it pass before Parliament is prorogued for the election.
Strangely, the same paper reported yesterday that the Inquiries Bill was likely to survive because it had completed its stages in the Lords.
The Bill is widely opposed, in Ireland particularly, because of the restrictions it would impose on the public inquiry promised by the British Government into the Pat Finucane case.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan had this to say yesterday after meeting the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern:
"The British Government is preparing legislation which is going to fillet the whole concept of a public inquiry," he said.
"It will mean that ministers will be in editorial control of what an inquiry will look at".
He called on the Taoiseach and Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern to make it clear that the British Government must honour its commitments on the Finucane inquiry
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