A Stormont minister could lose his or her place at the cabinet table next year if a new policing and justice department is created, it emerged today.
The claim was made by Assembly and Executive Review Committee chairperson Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP, Lagan Valley) during its inaugural meeting.
As the committee agreed to seek the Assembly's approval for it to take charge of the issue of the transfer of policing and justice powers, Mr Donaldson highlighted a clause in the St Andrews Agreement Act which said the new government department would come at the expense of an existing department.
The Lagan Valley MP told colleagues: "One of the issues we would need to look at is the part of the Act that there would have to be a reduction in the number of government departments from 10 to nine to provide for a new policing and justice department.
"There would be other issues arising from that we would need to look at such as the implications for the Assembly statutory committees and we may have to liaise with the Procedures Committee on that." Assembly members have been given until March 27th next year to outline to the Northern Ireland Secretary how they will handle the transfer of policing and justice powers.
The St Andrews Act requires the Assembly to indicate in its report to the Government its preparations for taking on policing and justice powers, the mechanics of devolution and to also give an assessment as to whether the powers will be transferred by May 2008.
Speculation was mounting today as to which government department would lose out if a policing and justice ministry is created. Stormont sources believed Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey's Employment and Learning department would be the most likely department. "It was the last ministerial pick," an Assembly source noted.
In a speech highlighting the need to pare back the number of government departments last year, Mr Hain queried the wisdom of having the further education sector under the Department of Learning's charge and the school system under the Department of Education.
However he also placed a question mark over the future of the Department of the Environment, currently being run by the DUP's Arlene Foster, arguing many of its functions would be transferred to local councils and suggesting its remaining powers could be transferred to a new environment agency.