THE British government must release funding for legacy inquests, Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said.
The north Belfast MLA said victims of the Troubles should not be punished by the collapse of power-sharing talks on Wednesday.
He said a consultation on legacy structures agreed at Stormont House should also be launched.
"The British government has a responsibility to start the consultation on the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House more than three years ago," he said.
In September, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan called for a parallel process to deal with legacy matters while the Stormont impasse continues.
He said it was "very difficult to see how ordinary people can be expected to wait much longer".
In February 2016, Sir Declan said the remaining legacy inquests in Northern Ireland could be dealt with in five years if he received the necessary funding from the Stormont government.
Mr Kelly said the British government should release the money Sir Declan requested.
"This issue should not be allowed to remain a political football as the role of the Lord Chief Justice is simply about running the courts in the interests of all," he said.
"It is unacceptable that some families have waited more than four decades for this most basic of human rights and the British government should move immediately to bring their suffering to an end."
