A Stormont committee will have four weeks to resolve the row between the DUP leader the Reverend Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams over the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster, it emerged today.
A committee, involving the four parties who would make up a power-sharing government, will meet from this Friday.
The six-member committee has been given until January 3rd to come back with recommendations to the Programme for Government Committee on the type of government department that will handle policing and justice issues, the timing of any transfer of those powers and how parties can support the rule of law.
Nationalist SDLP Policing Board member Alex Attwood confirmed the move. "It will be a sub-committee whose work will be pivotal to the restoration of devolved government and it will be operating within a tight timeframe," the West Belfast Assembly member said.
"If the DUP does not move big time on devolution and Sinn Fein does not move big time on the rule of law, then the process will run out of time.
"The SDLP believes we can get agreement across the four parties about the future structure of a justice ministry and about the powers that can be devolved.
"There will be good work done by the sub-committee but it will be on the managerial, technical, structural end. "It is harder to do work around the bigger commitments on the rule of law and inclusive government."
Mr Attwood was commenting as a Democratic Unionist delegation led by Mr Paisley headed to Downing Street to discuss the deadlock over policing and justice with Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Mr Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern met last night to review difficulties in the process of implementing their plan for power-sharing next March.
PA