Former paramilitary prisoners will be allowed to serve on local policing boards if republicans and loyalist paramilitaries complete the transition from violence, Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Paul Murphy said today.
As the British government released details of additional police reform legislation in Northern Ireland, it emerged former IRA and loyalists prisoners could be allowed to serve on district policing partnerships if the paramilitary groups ceased their violence and other activities for good.
Mr Murphy insisted: "I think most people understand what is meant by the transition, they understand whether that transition is taking place, whether we see a complete rejection of violence in the political sense and indeed in other senses too, so that the connection between political parties and violence is gone forever".
The legislation placed in the House of Commons today enacts promises given to the SDLP during last year's Weston Park talks in return for their support for new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Both unionist parties tonight expressed deep concern about proposals that ex-paramilitaries could serve on four district policing sub-committees in Belfast - giving Sinn Féin effective control of the west of the city.
"There are things in these clauses we would regard as highly controversial - the so-called Sinn Fein clauses which are not in the Bill and may never be in the Bill," Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble said after his party was briefed.
"Nonetheless they contain provisions which we regard as very disturbing indeed - especially as they relate to Belfast."
Mr Paisley's Democratic Unionists tonight also claimed that under the draft Bill the Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman could conduct a "witchhunt" over alleged misdemeanours during the days of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
The North Antrim MP warned: "We are heading for the greatest constitutional calamity we have ever faced."
Northern Ireland Office security minister Ms Jane Kennedy today briefed the SDLP, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists and Democratic Unionists on the additional reforms.
Sinn Féin emerged from their discussions insisting that while the Weston Park policing proposals were progress, they still would not satisfy nationalists and republicans.
The party's chief negotiator Mr Martin McGuinness said: "Thus far from what we have seen and we have yet to study all of this in great detail, it doesn't go far enough.
SDLP leader Mr Durkan, whose party was the first to discuss the legislation with the security minister, said 12 of the 14 commitments the SDLP had secured during the Weston Park talks last year were included in the new legislation but there were still problems to be ironed out.
"What is meant to be an extension of the Ombudsman's role which we were seeking, we would be concerned that while that extension is there, there could be a qualification on that which is absolutely not necessary and could run to other issues," the Foyle MLA warned.
The SDLP last year became the first nationalist party in Northern Ireland to urge its supporters to join the police and to participate in policing structures.
However, Sinn Féin refused to endorse the additional reforms at Weston Park that are contained in today's legislation on the basis that they still did not go far enough to earn the support of republicans.
The British government has set out two papers addressing SDLP and Sinn Féin concerns about policing.
PA