Sinn Féin warned to make next move on devolution

It will be several political lifetimes before policing and justice powers are transferred to a devolved government in the North if Sinn Féin continues to delay moves to endorse the police, Gerry Adams’s party was warned today.

After the first meeting of the Programme for Government Committee, DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson insisted Sinn Féin needed to move first to create community confidence in policing and justice matters being handled by power sharing ministers.

The East Belfast MP said: “At the rate Sinn Féin are going at the present time it will be several political lifetimes.

“They really have to get down to it. It is essential that they recognise the need to build confidence out there in the community.

“It doesn’t exist. I cannot see it for the foreseeable future existing and like Nigel (Dodds, his party colleague) – indeed I think I probably said it before Nigel that it wouldn’t be in my lifetime, let alone my political lifetime.

“So it is up to them. They have to create the political confidence with the community that these issues can be dealt with.”

Mr Robinson’s comments were a stark reminder of the main obstacle to power sharing government being restored next March.

The DUP wants Sinn Féin to publicly endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

However Sinn Féin insists it cannot hold a special party conference to change its policy towards the PSNI without a date for the transfer of policing justice powers and agreement on the type of government department that will handle it.

Mr Robinson headed the DUP’s delegation at the inaugural meeting of the committee cast with preparing a programme for Government for a new power sharing administration.

The Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams claimed after the meeting that it represented progress.

“It’s inch by inch,” the West Belfast MP said. “But given that some people used to say ’not an inch’ that’s, I think, quite appropriate.”

Mr Adam said the party did not get into a discussion on the transfer of policing and justice powers.

“The parties had discussed economic issues and also procedural issues about how the committee would work.

“We have agreed to at least look at sub-committees to look at economic issues but also policing, rural regeneration, to bring forward an anti-poverty strategy,” the Sinn Féin leader confirmed.

The meeting was chaired by the Assembly’s deputy speaker, Francie Molloy of Sinn Féin.

Ulster Unionist leader Reg Empey described the meeting as a gathering of the Shadow Executive, the virtual Shadow Executive and said it was not quite clear what type of a meeting it was.

The East Belfast Assembly member said his party had also asked the Northern Secretary Peter Hain to explain why the cross community Alliance Party was now being excluded from discussions.

“It’s not clear how this is going to settle down,” the former Stormont Economy Minister said.

“The one thing that is clear are the things that matter to people.

“There are things like water charges that are coming down the road very fast. There are things concerning the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s financial package.

“There are matters concerning education and a whole range of issues that people are very concerned about and which people in this building need to be doing something about.”