NORTHERN IRELAND First Minister Peter Robinson has said he does not care by “which Christmas” a financial deal is done on policing and justice as long as it is a good deal.
He made his comments shortly before he and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness met British prime minister Gordon Brown in Downing Street last night as efforts continued to work out a financial agreement on the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive.
Although the meeting was officially flagged the previous day, Sinn Féin said yesterday morning that its understanding was that the meeting would not take place. “We are prepared to meet at any time,” said a party spokesman.
There was speculation that Mr Robinson did not see merit in a meeting with Mr Brown yesterday but later in the day the Northern Ireland Office was able to confirm that the meeting with Mr Brown – the sixth such encounter in the past three weeks and the third meeting this week – would take place last night.
In relation to the confusion over whether the meeting would go ahead, Mr Robinson confirmed that he spoke by telephone with Mr Brown yesterday morning.
“I am making it very clear that I am happy to go to see the prime minister at any time provided the work is being done and we are in a position to be addressing and making progress on issues,” said Mr Robinson.
The main obstacle to a financial deal on policing relates to police hearing loss claims that reportedly could be as high as £380 million (€413 million), but which Mr Robinson said yesterday could be as much as £500 million.
Mr Robinson insisted again yesterday that he would not sign up to a deal until he was absolutely satisfied that there would be sufficient funding to support policing and justice. He again left open the possibility that there would be no agreement on funding until after the Westminster general election which must be held by early June at the latest. In such an eventuality, a political crisis seems certain, with the possibility of Sinn Féin walking away from the Northern Executive.
“The speed of how we deal with these matters is of little consequence to me as long as we get them right,” Mr Robinson told BBC Radio Ulster before going to Downing Street last night.
“If it requires the prime minister to take more time to do it, so be it.” He said he was not going to “cave in” to a financial deal which would leave a prospective department of justice hundreds of millions of pounds worse off.
A British government source said that Mr Brown was still trying to get a deal that would facilitate the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive.