The First Minister, Mr David Trimble, has refused to be tied to a timetable for the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons as demanded by the DUP in the Assembly yesterday.
Defending himself against accusations by Dr Ian Paisley that he had been "taken for a ride" by the IRA, Mr Trimble admitted that he had not received a progress report by Gen de Chastelain's Independent International Commission on Decommissioning since February 11th, but said it would be "purely speculative" for him to give any timetable for disarmament.
The First Minister pointed to the IRA's statement expressing its intention to put in place a confidence-building measure "within weeks", which in his view, was an indication of a time-frame.
"The phrase `within weeks' itself contains a time dimension," Mr Trimble said, rejecting claims by the DUP's Mr Ian Paisley jnr that some of his recent public statements had been based more on impressing his party executive than on any real hope that a weapons handover would occur.
The Assembly voted against a clause allowing ministers to receive up to three months of their salary on leaving office, which had led commentators to talk of an "Assembly gravy train". There was also concern that the clause might have been exploited by some parties following the DUP's announcement that its ministerial salaries would go into a party "war chest" against the Belfast Agreement. However, the DUP voted against the clause on a "point of principle".
Meanwhile, the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, said neither he nor the First Minister had any power to impose sanctions on ministers when it came to the flying of flags from public buildings.
Responding to a question from the DUP's Mr Sammy Wilson demanding sanctions against the Sinn Fein ministers, Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brun, for refusing to fly the Union flag from their departmental offices, Mr Mallon said: "The ultimate authority for the flags issue lies not with the Assembly but with the Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson. The First and Deputy First Ministers have no power of sanction in this matter nor have they any power of legislation."
The UUP MLA, Mr Derek Hussey, accused Ms de Brun of acting "at best, unilaterally independent, and at worst dictatorial" when she chose Royal Victoria Hospital in west Belfast over the City Hospital as the site for a new maternity unit, against the Health Committee's advice.
Mr Mallon said it was up to ministers to make ultimate decisions on departmental matters but they would be well advised to take their committees' views into account.
"A departmental committee cannot override a ministerial decision, neither can the Assembly except by voting down a piece of legislation. Having said that, ministers should take full account of their committees' views when formulating policy."
The Deputy First Minister also announced a timetable for the setting up of the Civic Forum which will advise the Assembly on social, cultural and economic matters and consist of members chosen from civic society.
The 60-strong forum will hold its first plenary session in October; the venue is still being considered. It will initially receive £300,000 from the offices of the First and Deputy First Ministers. The Regional Development Minister, Mr Peter Robinson, pledged to take action against the flying of paramilitary flags from lampposts where there were objections by local residents or when they posed a danger to road users.
Mr Robinson said his Department would seek to remove them after consultation with the RUC and the local community.
Mr Robinson also announced a £10 million package for improvements to the A8 road from Belfast to the port of Larne, Co Antrim.