Government to issue low-key response to backing of St Andrew’s deal

THE Government is expected to give a low-key response today welcoming the qualified backing of all Northern parties for last month’s St Andrew’s Agreement.

The Democratic Unionist Party will back the principles of the deal brokered in Scotland last month, albeit with of caveats. It follows the conditional ‘yes’ given to the accord by Sinn Féin.

Today is the deadline for all parties to signal that they endorse the agreement that will commit the DUP to power-sharing with Sinn Féin, and Sinn Féin to give its backing to the PSNI.

However, the muted welcome from both governments will come on the back of disappointing progress since October 13.

The committee to decide the programme for a devolved government has failed to meet so far, and DUP leader Ian Paisley has publicly demanded that Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness pledge his commitment to policing arrangements if he is to become deputy first minister on November 24.

However, Sinn Féin’s position is that many issues surrounding policing still need to be resolved — including full devolution of justice to the North; the removal of MI5 from a role in civil policing in the North; and clear accountability.

In its statement giving the agreement its qualified backing, the party stated: “Gerry Adams will propose to the Árd Chomhairle that we convene a special Árd Fheis as soon as these matters are resolved.”

Notwithstanding the possibility of an impasse on November 24, attention turns to next week’s publication of legislation paving the way for devolved government by March. The legislation will provide for either an election or a referendum to give effect to the St Andrew’s deal and will provide for the pledge of support for the PSNI expected of all parties, including Sinn Féin. Yesterday, the SDLP accused both Sinn Féin and the DUP of being involved in a “go slow” over the past month.