Two-month break for Assembly after one more debate

Northern Ireland Assembly members will start a two-month holiday on Friday after being called together for one more debate, it was learned today.

In the wake of the visit to Northern Ireland by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last week, Secretary of State Peter Hain has written to Assembly Speaker Eileen Bell setting out his proposals for the summer.

It is understood that he said there should be a debate on Friday – the subject to be determined by him tomorrow – and that members should return again for debates on September 4 and 5.

He further ruled that the cross-party Preparation for Government Committee should continue to work throughout the summer in a bid to find a way forward.

He also directed the setting up of sub groups on three issues – discussion of economic issues, examination of changes to the institutions, and the devolution of criminal justice and policing to the Assembly.

If the committee wishes to create further sub groups, to discuss issues such as rural planning, Mr Hain indicated he was happy for them to do so.

Since the Assembly was recalled on May 15, members have only met on a handful of occasions for full debate after their failure to elect a First and Deputy First Minister.

Sinn Féin has boycotted all debates, branding them a waste of time.

In the face of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin failure to make progress towards the restoration of devolution, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern warned the politicians last week that November 24 remained their deadline for devolution restoration.

The British Prime Minister said it was the last chance for a generation to make the political process work and that the Assembly would be put into cold storage.

Failure would be followed in December by a prime ministerial summit to launch new British-Irish partnership arrangements, he decreed.

The DUP deputy leader scoffed at the deadline.

Peter Robinson, MP, said over the weekend that his party would not be held by what he called Tony Blair’s arbitrary deadline.

“If we are almost there on 24 November, do you really think that the government’s going to throw everything into the dustbin for the want of a little more time that might be necessary?

“I am not going to get myself tied up on the time,” he said.