Tories must approve policing deal
The First Minister wants David Cameron to approve any financial package offered by the Prime Minister for the devolution of policing and justice.
Peter Robinson said there is no point agreeing with one government when another might soon take its place.
The first and deputy first ministers will meet Gordon Brown in London on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
Martin McGuinness warned that the DUP would be making “a huge mistake” unless the party agreed a deal by Christmas.
He said: “My big concern is that if it doesn’t happen before Christmas, then it won’t happen prior to the next Westminster elections or indeed the next Assembly election and I think that would be a tragedy.
“The DUP as a matter of priority need to move out of the shadow of Jim Allister.
“If they don’t then I think we’re in big trouble.”
‘Collapse’
Ulster Unionist Basil McCrea said it was his understanding that Sinn Fein was warning of serious consequences, which could include the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly, unless agreement was reached by the end of the year.
He said the situation was “actually a lot more fragile than people think”.
However, Mr Robinson said: “There is a possibility of an alternative government and it would be irresponsible of us to simply tie up a deal, as it were, with the present occupant of Downing Street to find that in a year’s time everything was to change.
“So I think we would want to have long-term certainty about our position was going to be.”
‘Budget shortfall’
Money clearly remains at the centre of the debate surrounding the devolution of policing and justice.
In the latest round of talks, the first and deputy first ministers are expected to ask Gordon Brown if he is prepared to fund a budget shortfall estimated to be around £600m.
Officials have been working over the summer on the figures but sources in Belfast said the treasury has not narrowed the gap sufficiently.
However the SDLP’s justice spokesman, Alban Maginness, said the problem was not one of finance, but was due to the failure of the DUP and Sinn Fein “to reach any agreement on any major issue”.
“They are a dysfunctional office in a dysfunctional Executive and they are not delivering to the people of Northern Ireland” he said.
‘Misrepresentations’
Alban Alban Maginness said the first and deputy first ministers were “completely and utterly polarised” over the devolution deal and he blamed the “flawed” St Andrews agreement.
“St Andrews was effectively an illusion as far as the transfer of policing and justice was concerned and the British Government, and indeed the Irish government, did everything possible to get the DUP over the line and that included misrepresentations in relation to the transfer of policing and justice” he said.
The Northern Ireland security minister Paul Goggins said that dissidents would be the only people to benefit from “undue delay” in the devolution process.
“We should frustrate them by moving, not with undue haste, but properly and confidently to devolved policing and justice powers” he added.
On Tuesday, Mr Goggins said it was possible to get more police officers working on the frontline despite plans to cut £17m from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s budget.
