Sir Declan Morgan

He referred back to previous remarks about members of the judiciary taking the lead in developing “ideas for positive reform” of the justice system while ministers were out of action.

However, he added: “Implicit in those remarks was an expectation that those responsible for giving political direction to the machinery of government would have devised a method of ensuring that those of us engaged in the provision of public services could continue to enhance and improve the quality of what we do.

“This has been a period of intense frustration and I shudder to think what message it sends to the thousands of young people leaving our shores for university or work, people that we should be trying to attract back to populate our legal and other services.”

Sir Declan highlighted the failure to deliver redress for survivors of historical institution abuse as a particular example of “the real impact a lack of government in Northern Ireland has on the lives of local people”.

He said the recommendations made by Sir Anthony Hart in 2017 “have still not been implemented and the human cost on those affected is increasingly severe”.

His address also highlighted “positive steps that have been taken, and will continue, at the instigation of the judiciary as we embrace the need to continually enhance and improve the court system across all types of business so that it is accessible, particularly for those who are vulnerable, expeditious and efficient”.

You can read Sir Declan’s full address on the Judiciary NI website.