Northern Secretary Peter Hain was reflecting the public's frustration over the lack of political progress when he warned Assembly salaries could be cut if there was no movement, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said today.
Speaking before a meeting in Belfast to review the timetable for the political process this year, Mr Ahern said: "I think Peter is articulating his sense of frustration that might be articulated privately by political parties - maybe not publicly - and also a sense of frustration among the people.
"I look at us and if I was to tell my people the Dáil is not going to be in session for the next year, yet I am going to take my salary - you know it's bad enough that we go on long holidays."
Devolution in Northern Ireland has been in suspension since October 2002 when allegations about a Republican spy ring threatened to destroy the Assembly and power-sharing institutions for good.
Last month, a case against three men accused of operating the alleged spy ring dramatically collapsed at Belfast Crown Court.
With the ceasefire watchdog - the four-member Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) - due to report at the end of this month, officials in London and Dublin are hoping that will provide a springboard for talks on the restoration of power-sharing between unionists and nationalists.
In particular, both governments will be looking to the IMC to verify that the Provisional IRA has fully disarmed following its statement last July declaring an end to its armed campaign.
The Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists have been cautious and are unlikely to enthuse about the IMC report, demanding instead further proof that the republicans' pledges are for real.
Mr
Ahern, who was also in Belfast to attend a ceremony announcing plans by the city to host the 2006 Special Olympics Ireland Games, insisted there needed to be real progress politically in the
North this year as next year would be more difficult.
He confirmed plans by
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to visit Northern Ireland later this month.
PA