SDLP to watch direct rule ministers

The SDLP have announced that they plan to keep a close watch on the Northern Ireland Office ministers.

The campaign, dubbed 'Direct Rule Watch', was launched on Tuesday and is the party's response to the return of direct rule re-introduced on October 14.

Concerned that the NIO would not give all the allocated funding promised by the former Executive ministers to the relevant sectors such as health and education, SDLP deputy leader Brig Rodgers said that there were fears that some of the decisions made on local government funding by Executive ministers had been put on hold.

The SDLP say that they are seeking reassurances that appropriate actions would be taken by the Northern Ireland Office while direct rule was in place. Particularly in relation to tightening financial controls at the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and to dealing with fraud allegations in the agriculture sector.

Mrs Rogers, who was the Agriculture Minister under the power-sharing Executive, maintained that the Public Accounts Committee had been one of the most effective functions of the assembly when it was in place.

It is also understood that the monitoring will extend to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State's office and that as a result there may be more written questions to be answered at Westminster.

With the devolved government in Northern Ireland suspended, an SDLP delegation is to meet with the main political parties in Leinster House in Dublin today as part of ongoing political talks aimed at resurrecting the power-sharing executive.

The delegation includes MLAs Denis Haughey, Dr Sean Farren, Carmel Hanna, Dr Alasdair McDonnell and Tommy Gallagher.

(SP)