£55 million paid out under the Troubles Victim Payment Scheme

The program provides financial assistance to people who suffered physical injuries or psychological trauma during the conflict. It will stop accepting new applications in two years.

Concerns have been raised in the Northern Ireland Assembly about the length of time it takes to process applications, with Alliance MP Kate Nicholl saying a constituent in her constituency had been waiting for over 1,000 days and was losing hope.

During a question time at the Executive Office, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that since the scheme was launched in August 2021 up to 2 September, more than £55 million had been paid out to eligible claimants by the Victims Payments Board.

“The payments acknowledge the suffering of those living with permanent damage today,” she said.

“We understand there are concerns about the length of time it takes to process an application. Each application is unique and has its own complexities, including the historical nature of much of the evidence required to support the applications.

“The Board is working closely with victim groups to review the program and look for ways to improve the way cases are handled. We are confident that the Board is currently doing everything it can to minimize delays in the decision-making process and we welcome ongoing efforts to expedite the processing of applications.

“This is demonstrated by the significant increase in the amounts paid out to victims compared to the previous year, and this trend continues in the current year.”

Ms Nicholl said one of her constituents in south Belfast had been waiting more than 1,000 days for a decision on his application.

“Every time I write about it, I'm told that improvements have been made, but honestly he loses hope,” she said.

“May I ask what concrete improvements have been made in the last six months and what hope there is for people waiting for improvements to be made in the future.”

Ms Little-Pengelly replied: “My deepest sympathies go out to those waiting for this much-needed support.

“It has been a huge struggle to get this program through and to get the reparations that support those who have to live with the hurts of the past every day. We want this program to work, but many of these cases are very complex.”

She said the Executive Office had worked with public records, the Health Department and the PSNI around the program and conducted a review of operational efficiency and performance through a management consultancy service.

“We are constantly looking at how we can speed this up,” she said.

“It's far from perfect. It's frustrating, but we're doing what we can to speed things up.”