The Northern Ireland Office has welcomed an independent report showing "good progress" on criminal justice reform in Ulster.

Secretary of state Paul Murphy said hat Lord Clyde's review pointed to the gains that have been made on both sides of community in improving confidence in the courts.

The peer was asked last year to assess the range of reforms that have stemmed from the Good Friday agreement of 1998.

As justice oversight commissioner he reports to the government on behalf of the public a six-monthly basis on how far and how quickly changes have taken place.

As well as Murphy, Lord Clyde reports to the attorney general and lord chancellor as all three have a stake in the criminal justice system in Ulster.

The Northern Ireland secretary said the commissioner's second report showed that the public could now see many of the reforms taking effect at ground level.

"We welcome the publication of the second report by the oversight commissioner," he said.

"The report illustrates the government's continuing commitment to implement the criminal justice review, and its promise to deliver a more transparent, accountable and responsive criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.

"The report recognises that good progress has been made on many fronts such as community safety partnerships, the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004, the criminal justice inspectorate, and the Public Prosecution Service and youth conferencing pilots.

"It also acknowledges that many of the review recommendations can now be seen to be operating in practice."