There were fears that the resignation of first minister Paul Givan would lead to the cancellation of the apology, one of the headline recommendations of the four-year inquiry completed by Sir Anthony Hart in 2017.

The apology will go ahead on 11 March 2022, offered by ministers Michelle McIlveen, Conor Murphy, Nichola Mallon, Robin Swann and Naomi Long – one from each party in the Executive.

In a joint statement, the ministers said: “This will be a hugely significant day. Victims and survivors have waited too long to hear an apology for the awful harm that was inflicted on them as children, and in the years since.

“We want this apology to provide full acknowledgment of the wrong that was done, and the terrible failures that resulted in the abuse of children by the individuals and a system that should have protected them.

“We want to deliver an apology that is meaningful, meets the needs of victims and survivors, and is delivered in a way that helps them to move forward with their lives.

“We recognise that the experience of every victim and survivor is individual, and each have personal views on what they want to be included. We are listening to them and working to ensure the apology is developed in line with what they need to hear.”

They added: “As ministers, we will deliver the apology on behalf of government. This will be followed by apologies from each of the institutions where systemic failings were found in the Hart report.”