She was speaking ahead of a debate later today (18 Nov) around the UK Government’s Legacy Bill.

Ms Bradshaw has said: “In a number of areas, the government’s new legacy legislation is a notable improvement on the callous approach taken by the previous Conservative administration.

“We particularly welcome removal of the Troubles amnesty, resumption of inquests, and the range of confidence-building measures in the design and conduct of legacy investigations, and we hope these measures will provide some degree of comfort to victims and survivors.

“It is patently obvious, however, that all of this good work will be fatally undermined unless the UK Government radically rethinks its approach toward funding the legacy system in Northern Ireland. The Department of Justice’s budget is already stretched to breaking point and cannot absorb the additional cost of implementing these proposals without the funding to match. Delivering truth and justice for all simply cannot be done on the cheap.

“The continued existence of a national security veto over the disclosure of sensitive information to families also remains a significant problem. The parameters of this veto are incredibly broad, and so long as it remains within the legacy infrastructure, there will be a fear of some actors being granted a status above the law.

“Significant progress has clearly been made by the Secretary of State and this new suite of proposals have a lot of potential to deliver for victims if issues around funding and information disclosure are rectified. We will continue to engage with him to address our concerns as the Legacy Bill completes its passage through Westminster.”