By Michael McHugh
A major review of legacy inquests will begin in September, a coroner has said.
Mrs Justice Keegan will hold preliminary hearings into each case this autumn to establish their states of readiness and consider their sequencing.
Northern Ireland's Justice Department plans to release £55 million over six years to deal with 52 legacy inquests involving 93 deaths.
A Coroner's Service statement said: "The presiding coroner said she is keen to ensure that legacy inquest cases are prepared for hearing expeditiously and that disclosure issues are identified early and, through collaboration and dialogue, that reasonable and proportionate solutions are found."
Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan's plan to clear a backlog involving cases which are decades-old had been delayed by political disagreement over legacy.
Sir Declan requested money from the Stormont Executive to address the backlog but it was blocked by former DUP first minister Arlene Foster.
The fresh review will follow up on work undertaken by Lord Justice Weir in February 2016.
PSNI seeks information on van and boat linked to Limerick woman’s disappearance
Taoiseach attends PSNI passing out event in historic first for an Irish premier
Man jailed for 20 years for murder of heavily pregnant mother-of-two
ALTER YOUR NATIVE LAND Punk in the North: 1976-2026 A photo exhibition by Stuart Bailie
Police granted more time to question suspect in Limerick woman’s disappearance
Comments
Add a comment