Westminster must find money to fund legacy inquests and end decades-long anguish of Troubles victims’ relatives

Almost two years ago, the Lord Chief Justice in Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, urged the Stormont Executive and the Government sitting at Westminster to give £10m for a five-year programme to deal with legacy inquests into some of the most controversial killings of the Troubles.

That request was blocked by the then First Minister Arlene Foster, and since then the Executive has collapsed and devolved government is in limbo.

The lack of any progress on this issue is revealed in our story today, which details how 50 legacy inquests still remain to be heard, with another potential 72 on the Attorney General’s desk for consideration.

Some of these cases date back more than 40 years and the number of bereaved relatives decreases year on year without ever finding out the truth about the deaths of their loved ones.

Human rights lawyers have pointed out how the State and agencies like the police and Ministry of Defence have used delaying tactics — such as withholding vital evidence or claiming that it is no longer available — to prevent full hearings taking place.

The result is that relatives have had to undergo endless preliminary hearings — in three of the most controversial cases there have been more than 80 such hearings. That is rubbing salt in the wounds of people who have already suffered grievously.

As Sir Declan said, unless resources are made available, it could be decades before these cases are heard. Inquests are limited in their scope, usually merely determining how someone died. They are not comparable to legal trials or public inquiries and there seems no earthly reason why they should be endlessly delayed.

Coroners need to continue to press for evidence to be released and hearings heard to end this shameful, inexcusable strain on relatives. Perhaps the Westminster Government could provide the necessary funds since our politicians are no longer performing their elected roles.