The government would seriously consider any proposal from Stormont to fund a new mechanism to investigate the events of the Troubles, the Northern Ireland Secretary has said.
Theresa Villiers said she could not promise money would be forthcoming, due to constraints on public finances. But she said any suggestion would be "looked at with care" by Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne.
There have been calls for the government to contribute to any potential new structures to investigate the province's toxic past.
The parties in the power-sharing coalition are involved in talks, convened by Ms Villiers, aimed at finding a new way forward on that issue and other disputes causing logjams in the administration.
Historic probes into Troubles incidents have been hit by significant cuts to public finances in the region, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Police Ombudsman and the Coroner's Service all facing resourcing challenges.
Last week a senior European official insisted the government has a responsibility to pay for effective investigations of killings involving the security forces.
Nils Muiznieks, Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, suggested failure to do so will be in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.
The government is facing a number of potential legal challenges, from relatives bereaved during the Troubles, for allegedly failing to properly investigate historic killings.
Ms Villiers insisted that the government does not have a legal responsibility to fund a new mechanism, as investigations would relate to policing and criminal-justice matters in Northern Ireland - issues that are devolved to the assembly.
She added: "If there was an agreement, if there was a proposal by Northern Ireland's leaders requesting extra funding, that would be looked at with care by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, I am sure. The need to deal with the deficit means that funds are limited but we will consider any proposal put to us."
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