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25/10/2001
DUP Ministers return to Northern Ireland Executive
The Democratic Unionist Party have re-appointed two Ministers to sit on the power-sharing Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Under the DUP policy of rotating the ministerial posts the names passed up to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Executive on Thursday were those of Deputy leader of the party Peter Robinson and North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds. They will take over the reins from Gregory Campbell the former Regional Development Minister and Maurice Morrow the former Social Development Minister.
It is understood that the DUP Ministers will keep to their policy of taking on the ministerial posts and running the departments, while refusing to sit in Executive meetings with Sinn Féin.
Reacting to the news Sinn Féin chief whip Alex Maskey said that he welcomed the step, but added, “it was time for the DUP to enter the real world of politics and join with the other parties in playing a full role in making politics work.”
On Tuesday the DUP walked out of the Assembly, when DUP leader Ian Paisley said his party would take no further part in an Assembly run by Nationalists and Republicans.
The announcement of decommissioning by the IRA and the subsequent return of the Ulster Unionist Party to the Executive has permitted the DUP to resume their limited acceptance of a role in the power-sharing Executive.
In an effort to seek clarification on the IRA’s move on disarmament senior DUP representatives met on Thursday with the head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning General John de Chastelain. (SP)
Under the DUP policy of rotating the ministerial posts the names passed up to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Executive on Thursday were those of Deputy leader of the party Peter Robinson and North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds. They will take over the reins from Gregory Campbell the former Regional Development Minister and Maurice Morrow the former Social Development Minister.
It is understood that the DUP Ministers will keep to their policy of taking on the ministerial posts and running the departments, while refusing to sit in Executive meetings with Sinn Féin.
Reacting to the news Sinn Féin chief whip Alex Maskey said that he welcomed the step, but added, “it was time for the DUP to enter the real world of politics and join with the other parties in playing a full role in making politics work.”
On Tuesday the DUP walked out of the Assembly, when DUP leader Ian Paisley said his party would take no further part in an Assembly run by Nationalists and Republicans.
The announcement of decommissioning by the IRA and the subsequent return of the Ulster Unionist Party to the Executive has permitted the DUP to resume their limited acceptance of a role in the power-sharing Executive.
In an effort to seek clarification on the IRA’s move on disarmament senior DUP representatives met on Thursday with the head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning General John de Chastelain. (SP)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A largely cloudy day with occasional rain. Turning drier and brighter for a time in the afternoon and feeling very mild. Light southerly winds becoming strong with gales later along the County Down coast. Maximum temperature 13 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, these heavy at times. Strong southerly winds, with gales in the evening across eastern counties, becoming westerly later. Minimum temperature 8 °C.
