The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, has said a new legacy inquest unit could be set up by September if funds are made available by the Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.

Sir Declan, speaking at a conference hosted by the Commission for Victims and Survivors (CVS), said the unit could complete its work within five years if funding was made available before the election.

It would be supported by fresh staff and a new data management system and would meet obligations under article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Today’s conference took place to review the progress of the 2009-19 Victims and Survivors Strategy.

Writing in the Belfast Telegraph ahead of the event, Victims Commission Judith Thompson said: “Doing nothing is not an option. Legacy issues will not go away. Inquests will continue to be backlogged and answers will be few and far between.”

She added: “The Stormont House Agreement must be implemented in full and with the support of a newly replenished Victims Forum, we will put this right at the heart of the new Assembly’s Programme for Government.”