The chairman of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry has said that the huge costs of the investigation were justified in the interests of justice.
Mark Saville also said he believed his inquiry into the killings of 14 people in Derry had helped end the troubles in Northern Ireland.
The Saville Inquiry cost £200m (€239m) and was the longest running inquiry in British legal history.
It was strongly criticised by some, but the man who chaired the investigation says the costs were justified and it would have been a disaster had it not been done properly.
In an interview on BBC Radio Ulster on the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Mark Saville also defended the massive legal fees involved, saying it was important in achieving fairness for all the parties involved.
He said he was gratified and pleased by the generous reception the inquiry received in Derry.
He never thought he would see an audience in the city actually applauding a British prime minister as they did following David Cameron's remarks, he added.
Mark Saville said he was pleased his inquiry did seem to have advanced the cause of peace in Northern Ireland.
