A police raid on Sinn Féin offices at Stormont which led to the suspension of devolution in Northern Ireland had to take place for the sake of democracy, it was claimed today.

A police raid on the Stormont offices of Sinn Féin that resulted in the collapse of the power-sharing administration was not designed to damage the peace process, an inquiry found today.

The criminal records of people who served jail sentences in Northern Ireland for terrorist offences should be cleared, Sinn Féin delegates demanded at their annual conference in Dublin today.

Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble reacted angrily to reports that in the event of suspension, the British-Irish intergovernmental council would manage the process.