The criminal Justice agencies in the North spend 30 million pounds every year investigating legacy issues arising from the Troubles.
A new report on the past - to be revealed this morning shows that the ongoing cost has a negative impact on current criminal matters.
The report is published a day after the North's Attorney General called for an end to prosecutions over atrocities committed during 30 years of conflict in the North.
Yesterday Attorney General John Larkin made a case for no further investigations into killings that took place before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
His argument was widely rejected by political groups and those representing victims of the troubles.
However this report shows the high cost of continuing to investigate these so called legacy issues.
In 5 years time the total bill will be more than 187 million pounds - and the report says this has implications for the ability to deliver effective services into the future.
It recommends setting up a legacy group to prioritise cases and manage the needs and expectations of victims and families.
