Alliance Party leader David Ford, tipped to be Northern Ireland’s new justice minister, said today that progress had been made to address his party’s outstanding concerns about taking the post.
Mr Ford indicated that if further assurances were forthcoming, he would be in a position to recommend to colleagues - at a special party executive meeting in two weeks - that one of their members should apply.
“If the progress that has been made in the last 48 hours continues it looks like we could have something positive and constructive to move on,” he said.
The Alliance Party has so far declined to apply for the ministry, insisting that the ruling DUP-Sinn Féin administration had not set out a comprehensive policy programme for the new department or done enough to tackle divisions in wider society.
With the Executive’s two largest parties having agreed not to nominate from within their own ranks, Mr Ford is considered to be their preferred compromise candidate.
But only days after last week’s landmark Hillsborough agreement on devolution he revealed when he did not lodge an application at Tuesday’s meeting of all the main party leaders to consider who would be Northern Ireland’s first justice minister in 38 years.
As well as having concerns about policy issues within the new department, Mr Ford and his party are also unhappy that DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have still not published a long delayed strategy to promote integration in the region.
After holding further talks with the leaders, Mr Ford struck a more positive note today.
“There has been a fairly reasonable indication of progress on the shared future agenda and some of the policy matters facing the new justice department,” he said.
“The trend is in the right direction but we are not there yet. There has been positive and constructive engagement and some signs of movement. But at this minute it is just wait and see.”
While the Ulster Unionists and SDLP have greater electoral strength within the Assembly, the Alliance Party is considered the only one that could achieve the necessary cross-community backing of both the DUP and Sinn Féin in a vote.
This has prompted allegations of gerrymandering from both the UUP and SDLP, who have called for the ministry to be allocated on the D’Hondt system, which is the highest average method for allocating seats.
If that process was re-run, the SDLP would be given an extra ministry. However, in that case the justice post may well end up in the Ulster Unionists’ hands as they would pick their preferred portfolio before the nationalist party.
So far the SDLP is the only party to nominate a candidate for the post.
Under the terms of the Hillsborough Agreement, justice powers are set to be devolved from Westminster to Stormont on April 12th. However, a number of interlocked matters, including the selection of a minister and proposed changes to parade management processes, need to be resolved before that can go ahead.
PA