Political leaders have criticised Northern Secretary Peter Hain following his threat to consider withdrawing Assembly members' salaries and allowances if there is no political progress.
Mr Hain said at the weekend the electorate would not tolerate a situation whereby Assembly members were paid up to £85,000 (€125,000) "to do nothing".
The Northern Secretary said he was not imposing a strict deadline, but was responding to a desire from the electorate not to put up with a situation whereby Assembly members were still paid "when they won't take responsibility for government".
"If we haven't seen progress by the summer I'm going to have to take a decision about the continued payment of salaries and allowances," he said.
He hoped this would focus the minds of local politicians, adding that they were not selected by the electorate to "sit around and not do their jobs".
Peter Robinson, the DUP deputy leader, said Mr Hain was not in a position to complain of political inactivity, claiming he (Mr Hain) was in part responsible. Mr Hain's insistence upon the Belfast Agreement was part of the problem, he alleged. "Perhaps the Secretary of State and his Ministers should have their salaries reduced as well," he said.
"For many years the DUP have provided the prime minister and each secretary of state with options for devolution which are capable of providing good government by taking account of prevailing circumstances," Mr Robinson suggested.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan challenged Mr Hain to re-establish the Assembly, saying that his party would willingly comply.
"Our point to Peter Hain is just tell us the date when you're going to restore the Assembly. You don't have to wag your finger at us," he said.
"The SDLP didn't create suspension, we didn't prolong suspension, and we didn't conjure up failed deals that have wasted the last three years in suspension. Other parties did that and the British government did that.
"So our point to Peter Hain is tell us the date when you're restoring the Assembly. We'll be here ready to do that business, ready to take things forward."
He challenged Mr Hain to "set a date and show the parties that he and the Irish Government are real about this. They can make sure that there are options to bring things forward in a constructive and sensible way."
UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said that if he wanted progress so badly, then Mr Hain must also play his part. "That means ending the secrecy and nudge-nudge, wink-wink politics that defined 2004-2005 and moving to a more transparent process where everybody knows the lay of the land and where destabilising surprises are no longer forthcoming," he said.
Alliance leader David Ford said: "At issue here is how we give local politicians power over policing and justice policy to make these directly accountable to the electorate, without creating apprehension across the community."