The Democratic Unionist Party was tonight urged by Gerry Adams to "calm down" after a Northern Ireland Assembly committee failed to reach agreement on a date for the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont.
The Sinn Féin leader claimed the Reverend Ian Paisley's party was going through a period of turbulence as it prepared for his retirement in May.
However he urged that the DUP must be careful not to talk itself into a crisis after some of its members in the Assembly accused Sinn Féin of being the main obstacle to the transfer of the powers.
"I have to say that many people are offended and with some justification with some of the utterances by some senior DUP figures," he said. "There is a need for everybody to calm down in this period. Clearly the DUP is going through turbulence.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams
"It is up to the incoming leader of the DUP to ensure that all of the matters which are the responsibility of the (Stormont) Executive which are a big concern to people who live here are dealt with properly."
The Assembly and Executive Review Committee at Stormont today revealed after five months of deliberations on the policing and justice issue that there had been some progress on the mechanics.
Assembly members on the committee agreed that there should be a single department with responsibility for policing and the courts. However they were unable to agree on a date for the transfer of the powers nor could they choose between four ministerial models on the table.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward, whose government had been hoping for the parties to sign up to a May 1st date for the devolution of policing and justice, noted following the release of the report that committee members had suggested more discussions.
"The government stands ready to facilitate those talks," Mr Woodward said. "The people of Northern Ireland wish to see locally elected and accountable politicians taking decisions on policing and justice matters.
"The government will fulfil its obligation to ensure the powers can be transferred as soon as the Assembly accepts its responsibility for completing devolution."
MLAs agreed a single devolved government department should take responsibility for 26 bodies including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Policing Board, the Prison Service, Court Service and Public Prosecution Service. However they were unable to decide on which of four preferred ministerial models for the department to adopt.
These were:
- A department with a single minister in charge;
- Two ministers of joint and equal standing running the department;
- A policing and justice department with a minister and junior minister at the helm, with the positions rotated;
- A department with a minister and deputy minister nominated by an MLA and drawn from the two largest parties from the unionist and nationalist traditions.