A GAME of "pass the parcel" between London and Belfast over pension payments to Troubles victims needs to stop, former SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie has said.
Responding to a question in the House of Lords about the issue tabled by Baroness Ritchie, a government whip maintained that it was up to the Stormont Executive to foot the bill.
"We are extremely disappointed by the current delay. The Secretary of State has written to and had meetings with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister," said Viscount Younger of Leckie.
"The (UK) government provided a legislative framework for it and the Executive must now deliver. The funding for the scheme is to come from the block grant... as this is a devolved matter, devolved matters are funded through the block grant," he added.
The Government has insisted it is a matter for the devolved administration to pay for out of its block grant.
But Stormont's leaders say the scheme was legislated for at Westminster so that is where the funding should come from.
Baroness Richie said Westminster has "direct responsibility" to meet the cost.
"The money should not come from the Northern Ireland block grant as this is already under huge pressure," she said.
“It is absolutely shameful that the victims have so far been denied payments because of these unacceptable political machinations. They deserve far better than this."
The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme was due to have started last Friday but has been delayed because of the disagreement over who should pay the estimated £100 million cost.
It became law in January - having been agreed six years ago - and sets out annual payments of between £2,000 and £10,000.
Thousands of people are eligible, covering those who between 1966 and 2010 were injured in Troubles attacks anywhere in the UK - regardless of nationality - and also to those who are normally residents of the UK but were injured elsewhere in the world. It does not include those who were injured by their own actions.
Justice Minister Naomi Long said that her department has "already offered to administer the scheme" but pointed out that it would "not have the capacity" to pay for the pensions.
"I believe that this needs to move now and at very quick pace.
"It was clear to me that the money would need to come from Westminster. It is Westminster policy," she told the BBC.
In a letter to Boris Johnson - which has also been sent to the Stormont Executive - Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson said: "It is cruel, callous and insulting that this shameful stand-off played out in public is undoing the acknowledgement of pain, suffering and loss that the victims payment was to deliver.
"It has become the ultimate insult to those victims and survivors who campaigned for years to be acknowledged, respected and valued."
Artist Colin Davidson, whose exhibition 'Silent Testimonies' covered the stories of people injured by the Troubles, has posted some of the portraits on social media with the hashtag #LetRightBeDone.
"This is shameful, it is a disgrace. I looked at it and said from my point of view as an artist, enough is enough. It is attempting to bring it to everybody's attention, what is going on," he said.
