Nationalist politicians have welcomed the British government's publication yesterday of the criminal justice review implementation plan and draft Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill.
Among the recommendations are the creation of a new independent prosecution service responsible for all prosecutions; a judicial appointments commission to propose the appointment or removal of judges; and an Attorney General for Northern Ireland.
Newly-appointed judges would swear an oath to the office to which they were appointed and not to the British monarch. All symbols of the British crown would be removed from inside courtrooms but symbols on the outside of existing court buildings would remain.
The British government said it aimed to transfer responsibility for policing and the criminal justice system to the Assembly after the May 2003 elections. However, the final decision would depend on "security and other relevant considerations".
Sinn FΘin chairman Mr Mitchel McLaughlin welcomed the publication of the proposals which his party would be studying closely. "The litmus test of the British government response and draft legislation will be whether it represents a transformation of the criminal justice system that will gain republican and nationalist support and allegiance."
SDLP justice spokesman Mr Alex Attwood said it was a further development in the implementation of the Belfast Agreement and his party would be scrutinising the proposals.
"We will take particular interest in the details of the judicial appointments commission, the independent prosecution service, a neutral working environment, juvenile justice and the other elements essential to a transformed criminal justice system."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said he believed the full implementation of the review's recommendations would contribute to bringing "a fair and impartial criminal justice system, which can command the confidence of all parts of the community".
However, a spokesman for the legal officer of the Committee on the Administration of Justice in Northern Ireland, expressed disappointment. "There is no independent oversight of the recommendations of the review nor are there time-scales within which changes will occur.
"Once again we see the process of promised change occurring at the discretion of the very institutions subject to the change." The four-week consultation period was "woefully inadequate" and failed to comply with the Northern Ireland Office's own equality scheme which promised a consultation period of at least eight weeks for such legislation and plans, he added.
Republican Sinn FΘin spokeswoman Ms Geraldine Taylor said: "The British government is merely tinkering with the system. There can be no justice for Irish people under British rule in Ireland."
Ulster Unionist MP Lady Sylvia Hermon welcomed the plan to devolve policing and criminal justice to the Assembly. "We view this as crucial to the development of strategies to eradicate the mafia sub-culture that exists in our society," she said.
"On the symbolic issues, it is clear the proposals are not as offensive as those contained in the Patten Report. However, we are opposed to the proposal to remove any royal insignia inside courtrooms and will challenge this in parliament."
DUP justice spokesman Mr Ian Paisley jnr claimed the proposals demoted Britishness while promoting Irishness; threatened judicial independence with the "politicisation of the selection process" and created a new layer of bureaucracy to manage the system.
He also claimed the proposed restorative justice system could be run by organisations with paramilitary links. The DUP is seeking a meeting with the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, on the proposals.
Northern Ireland Office minister Mr Des Browne said those who had administered the current criminal justice system had carried out their duties professionally and impartially over the years.
However, any justice system needed to be reviewed regularly. "This process is not about tearing down the existing system. It is about building on it to create structures reflective of the Northern Ireland of tomorrow."