Devolution meeting ‘acrimonious’
Members of the assembly’s Preparation for Government committee have held “an acrimonious meeting” at Stormont.
They failed to reach agreement, but are to hold three more meetings next week in the hope of agreeing a report to place before the assembly.
The main political parties, with the exception of Sinn Fein, had been hoping that the assembly would debate four issues next week.
These included sentencing sex offenders and review of public administration.
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, who has the power to direct debates, refused to sanction any on the basis there was no agreement on the matter.
Instead, he has said he will await a recommendation from the new Preparation for Government committee.
This is viewed by some as an attempt to encourage compromise between the main political parties, particularly the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Following Friday’s meeting, Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness said it was “yet another missed opportunity to do real business”.
“It is increasingly clear that the DUP are interested only in bullying the British secretary of state and the other parties into allowing pointless debates in a powerless assembly. Sinn Fein, however, will not be bullied by the DUP,” he said.
The DUP is enthusiastic about debates, but Sinn Fein has said it will only take part in business that will lead to a restored executive.
The DUP has made members available for four consecutive working days from Friday to next Wednesday.
Devolution
The main parties have been asked to list issues which they want addressed if devolution is to be restored.
They had been deadlocked over who should chair the committee since it first met last week.
On Monday, Mr Hain intervened to appoint the assembly’s deputy speakers, DUP MLA Jim Wells and Sinn Fein MLA Francie Molloy as impartial officers.
The Northern Ireland secretary said that he “would have preferred not to have had to issue a direction on this procedural matter”.
Mr Molloy chaired Monday afternoon’s committee session, while Tuesday’s session was chaired by Mr Wells.
On 15 May, Northern Ireland’s politicians took their seats in the Stormont assembly for the first time since October 2002.
A bid to elect a first minister and deputy first minister failed to gain the necessary cross-party support.
Devolved government was suspended over allegations of a republican spy ring. The court case that followed collapsed.
Direct rule from London was restored in October 2002 and has been in place since.
