Adams Joins Debate On NI Policing Ministry

Despite publication of an 'agreement' letter on a possible way forward for the transfer of policing and justice powers yesterday, it is increasingly clear that the issue is far from a resolution.

Now, Gerry Adams, the Leader of Sinn Fein, has accused other parties of "playing games" over the issue.

"It struck me as quite interesting the different parties, the Alliance Party in high dudgeon saying they weren't going to take the job - it's nice to be asked - and the SDLP saying they were the naturals for the job," he said this morning.

He added that he did not think Ulster Unionist Leader Sir Reg Empey was serious when he said earlier that devolving policing and justice powers would be problematic.

"There's a bit of posturing and a bit of politicking going on with these other parties," Mr Adams said.

However, a letter from the Office of First and Deputy First Minister "confirming agreement on a number of areas relating to policing and justice" that was passed to the Assembly and Executive Review Committee Chairman, Jimmy Spratt, yesterday, remains at the core of the debate.

The leaders of the other political parties at Stormont are in fact far from happy over the tactics being employed by the DUP and Sinn Fein - and what they said is a complete lack of any form of consultation.

Alliance's David Ford said: "They really ought to consult with us before they spin about us.

"I think there is this idea that they can rely on us to ride to the rescue, well they can't expect that when they haven't spoken to us [on the issue] for the last 16 months.

"We have been given the job to provide an effective opposition by the electorate and the fact is this is an incoherent and incompetent executive and my party will play no part in that.

"The reality is the Executive in place has failed to tackle a range of problems from education to rural planning to the Irish language and the proposed Maze stadium.

"And the thought that they need us to take on a Department they can't deal with, on top of all the others they've been unable to deal with properly, is just bonkers."

Earlier today, Ulster Unionist Leader Sir Reg Empey questioned whether the NI Assembly is ready for the transfer of policing and justice powers.

"I think this is half-baked, I don't think we're ready for it, I don't think the people want it," he said.

"I don't know who's going to do it [be Justice Minister] because we've not been involved in any discussions on it, it appears the Alliance haven't been properly involved in discussions on it, I don't believe the SDLP has.

"So how you can announce an agreement, without other parties being involved in it, escapes me."

As Sir Reg Empey said, the whole process appears to be just "buying time before the real crisis over a date for transferring powers emerges in the autumn".

Sinn Fein said it now wanted to see the matters that had been agreed "speedily" progressed to full devolution, yet the DUP continued to underline the point that it had not given way on its bottom line, that this would not happen until it was satisfied the public confidence was there.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly said the transfer of powers should have happened in May, under the terms of the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, and his party now "want to see it happen in the short time ahead".

(BMcC)