The devolution of policing and justice powers away from Westminster to Stormont has taken another stride towards becoming a reality following an agreement reached between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Both parties have agreed that a single policing and justice minister for the region should be put in place, whose election would result from cross-party support as neither the DUP or Sinn Fein are to put forward a representative for the position.
The Assembly executive review committee has been contacted by the DUP and Sinn Fein expressing the commitment to the implementation of a single minister, however, a date for the transfer of powers is yet to be set.
DUP junior minister Jeffrey Donaldson said: "No decision has been made on timing of devolution and other areas such as financing are still to be worked through. We continue to work on the basis that sufficient community confidence is required before devolution can take place."
"The minister will be elected by the Assembly and not by the D'Hondt process, this will ensure cross-community support for the new minister."
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein's Gary Kelly has expressed a desire to see the devolved powers come into effect in the "short-term ahead".
He explained: "We have agreed with the DUP that powers would be transferred to a single department, with a single minister elected by cross community support and that initially neither ourselves nor the DUP would take on that ministry. This is a significant development."
However, although the cross community Alliance Party was the most likely to supply a representative for the role, the party ruled itself out.
Party leader David Ford said: "I think there is this idea that they can rely on us to ride to the rescue, well they can't expect that when they haven't spoken to us [on the issue] for the last 16 months.
"We have been given the job to provide an effective opposition by the electorate and the fact is this is an incoherent and incompetent executive and my party will play no part in that."
