The British and Irish governments are aiming to begin the Belfast Agreement review in the last week of January, possibly the 29th.
All the parties have now responded to the letter of invitation sent by the two governments at the beginning of December and have outlined their positions.
However, according to a reliable source at Stormont, the responses were "general" and it is thought that the Northern Secretary will seek a further round of meetings in advance of the review to seek specifics.
It is understood Mr Paul Murphy wants to be more sure as to what each of the parties wants from the review process.
The review will take place at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, rather than nearby Castle Buildings where the agreement was negotiated in 1998.
It is also envisaged that two days per week will be allocated to hosting the review which the two governments have promised will be short and focused.
However, this has yet to be finalised between Belfast and Dublin and among the parties.
In the meantime, officials at Stormont and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin continue to liaise.
Pressure has continued to mount on Mr David Trimble's leadership of the UUP, despite the defection of his key party opponent, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, to the DUP on Monday.
Lisburn Ulster Unionist branch, in Mr Donaldson's Lagan Valley constituency, has called for Mr Trimble's resignation following a recent meeting.
The branch criticised members of the party who "were relentless in pursuing the expulsion" of Mr Donaldson and Ms Norah Beare, Mr Donaldson's constituency colleague in the Assembly.
They blamed Mr Trimble for the party's performance in the November election, and claimed: "The unionists of Lagan Valley voted overwhelmingly for candidates opposed to the Belfast Agreement.
"They mandated Jeffrey Donaldson and his colleague Norah Beare to go into the Assembly and work with other unionists of a like mind to secure a better agreement. In so doing they have our full and unequivocal support."
The branch blamed Mr Trimble for the party's showing in the November election, and added: "Such a result has left our once great party humiliated.
"We believe it is within the best interests of unionism that David Trimble should now step down as unionist leader. We have no confidence in his ability to lead the UUP or unionism in the future. It is time for him to go."