Mr Justice Fowler

The High Court judge yesterday took on the role from Mr Justice Ian Huddleston, who was appointed to the role just last year.

In a statement, Mr Justice Fowler said: “I am extremely honoured to be asked by the Lady Chief Justice to be the president of the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board.

“I will continue with the excellent work of my colleague, Mr Justice Huddleston, to ensure that the victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland receive the compensation they deserve as quickly as possible.”

He added: “To date I am pleased to note that 88 per cent of the 3,191 applications received by the Redress Board have been before a panel and that approximately £54m in compensation has been awarded to those who have suffered abuse in an institutional setting in NI.

“That marks a commendable effort on the part of the Redress Board especially considering that it was established in March 2020 and therefore has had to operate throughout the entire period of the pandemic.

“I am committed, where possible, to continually improving those services for which the Redress Board is solely accountable.

However, as with my predecessor, I also look forward to the delivery of the wider redress scheme support services, from other responsible bodies, as set out in Hart Report and required in legislation, to effectively support applicants to the Redress Board.”