Executive deadlock hitting Assembly, say critics

The political deadlock that has prevented the Northern Ireland Executive meeting for four months is now hitting other Assembly business, critics claimed today.

A Stormont committee scheduled to discuss the controversial devolution of policing and justice to the Assembly was cancelled at short notice today after a further dispute between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

A split over the wording of a letter linked to the issue forced the postponement of a meeting of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee (AERC) and saw critics hit out at the two larger parties.

Alliance party leader David Ford said: “Whilst the AER Committee is not necessarily where the key decisions are being taken, it is however very disappointing that the committee has failed to hold a meeting at all this week.

“If the DUP and Sinn Féin members cannot resolve a dispute over the meaning of a simple sentence of English, then we are in a really serious situation.”

The AERC is deadlocked over the wording of a letter sent to the committee on the future creation of a new justice ministry.

The letter came from the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in July and was seen as a sign of progress between their parties as it confirmed the broad outline of how a new ministry would operate.

It raised the prospect of having a minister drawn from outside the ranks of the two largest parties and fuelled speculation the DUP and Sinn Féin hoped the cross-community Alliance Party might emerge as an agreed third candidate.

The document asked the committee to examine the proposals, but the SDLP raised concerns that the minister would be selected outside the normal power-sharing system for allocating ministries in line with party strength and would instead require a cross-community vote of Assembly members.

The letter said the arrangement would be required “at all times”, but Sinn Féin denied DUP insistence that this meant the move was a permanent arrangement.

The SDLP said Sinn Féin had handed unionists a permanent veto over who held the post, but Sinn Féin claimed the wording merely referred to the fact that the minister must always be drawn from among Assembly members and not a public figure drawn from outside.

The committee became deadlocked over the issue two weeks ago and was to meet today after consulting parties on the matter.

Sinn Féin wants the swift transfer of the policing powers promised in the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, while the DUP insists it will not move until it believes the time it right.

Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd said: “Sinn Féin were quite prepared to attend today’s meeting and clarify or discuss any issue with the other committee members.

“The decision to cancel today’s meeting is a political one, taken by the DUP. It is further evidence of stalling from the party instead of moving ahead with the serious business of delivering on obligations flowing from the St Andrews Agreement.”

SDLP committee member Alex Attwood said: “It is now the case that everything is hostage to the failure of leadership coming from the DUP and Sinn Féin.

“No Executive meetings, no budget, no negotiations on justice, no government. They continue to fiddle while people continue to suffer.”

Ian Paisley Junior said he was disappointed at the delay and said Sinn Féin had gone back on its commitments.

“The committee previously adjourned to allow the parties bring back their interpretations of the term ’at all times’ in the July 28 letter.

“The DUP was always of the view that the term ’at all times’ meant exactly that. However, at the last committee meeting there seemed to be come confusion within Sinn Féin about the meaning of the term.”

He added: “Any neutral observer will recognise that Sinn Féin retreated from their position espoused in the July 28 letter. Given Sinn Féin’s utterances on the policing and justice matter many will be alarmed that their own actions are actually delaying the issue being advanced.”