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04/12/2009
McGuinness Warns Of Stormont 'Crisis'
The Northern Ireland Assembly faces a "full-blown crisis" if progress is not made on policing and justice prior to Christmas, Martin McGuinness has warned.
The Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister's comments came following a week of intensified wrangling over further devolution to Stormont. On Monday, the British and Irish premiers held talks in London on how resolve the continued bickering between the province's two largest parties.
Sinn Féin wants policing and justice responsibilities transfered to the local Executive as soon as possible, while the DUP insists community confidence is crucial to the timing.
Yesterday, Mr McGuinness (pictured) told the BBC that institutions in Belfast would become unsustainable if a timeframe was not agreed before the festive break.
"My approach to every difficult situation is to find a resolution, not to look for destruct buttons," he said.
"I have to say that if we don't get a date for transfer of power of policing and justice before Christmas to be effective in the new year, I do think we are in an unsustainable position.
"We would then be moving from what is a very serious situation into a full-blown crisis."
Senior DUP figure Jeffrey Donaldson said the unionist party would not be "bullied" on the issue.
"Surely Sinn Féin know by now that setting arbitrary deadlines for anything in Northern Ireland is a recipe for not getting it done by the deadline."
DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister have written to all 108 MLAs asking them to nominate their chosen justice minister candidate by next week.
The move follows the passing of the Justice Bill at its final stage on Tuesday.
Legal framework is now in place to establish the ministry, which Secretary of State Shaun Woodward said will now be put forward for Royal Ascent.
"So I see real progress being made here and I think that in the coming weeks it will be possible to achieve those last parts of the package that will allow devolution to go through for policing and justice," said Mr Woodward.
(PR/BMcC)
The Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister's comments came following a week of intensified wrangling over further devolution to Stormont. On Monday, the British and Irish premiers held talks in London on how resolve the continued bickering between the province's two largest parties.
Sinn Féin wants policing and justice responsibilities transfered to the local Executive as soon as possible, while the DUP insists community confidence is crucial to the timing.
Yesterday, Mr McGuinness (pictured) told the BBC that institutions in Belfast would become unsustainable if a timeframe was not agreed before the festive break.
"My approach to every difficult situation is to find a resolution, not to look for destruct buttons," he said.
"I have to say that if we don't get a date for transfer of power of policing and justice before Christmas to be effective in the new year, I do think we are in an unsustainable position.
"We would then be moving from what is a very serious situation into a full-blown crisis."
Senior DUP figure Jeffrey Donaldson said the unionist party would not be "bullied" on the issue.
"Surely Sinn Féin know by now that setting arbitrary deadlines for anything in Northern Ireland is a recipe for not getting it done by the deadline."
DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister have written to all 108 MLAs asking them to nominate their chosen justice minister candidate by next week.
The move follows the passing of the Justice Bill at its final stage on Tuesday.
Legal framework is now in place to establish the ministry, which Secretary of State Shaun Woodward said will now be put forward for Royal Ascent.
"So I see real progress being made here and I think that in the coming weeks it will be possible to achieve those last parts of the package that will allow devolution to go through for policing and justice," said Mr Woodward.
(PR/BMcC)
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