The political crisis in Northern Ireland has thrown the future of problem-solving court projects in doubt, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, has said.

Sir Declan told a Probation Board for Northern Ireland seminar that the political impasse has had an impact on plans for a series of problem-solving justice pilots, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

He said: “These pilots include a Substance Misuse Court, a Family Drug and Alcohol Court, and the enhancement of the domestic violence listing arrangement to create a domestic violence court.

“The pilots were due to be taken forward by the Department of Justice as a pathfinder project under the new Programme for Government, which has still to be finalised.”

Sir Declan pointed out that a recent 18-month trial scheme saw 143 offenders receive an Enhanced Combination Order (ECO) as an alternative to a short prison sentence.

He said he would like the scheme to be extended across Northern Ireland, but its future is uncertain without a Justice Minister in place.

Sir Declan added: “I am pleased to note that the pilot will be continuing for a further period of six months and I hope that a decision will be taken before too long about the longer-term future of this new and innovative approach.”

He concluded: “These are uncertain times. The current political situation, and in particular the delay in setting budgets, inevitably creates a difficult backdrop for front line organisations such as the Probation Board and our third sector partners.”