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A breakthrough agreement on a new policing and justice minister for Northern Ireland was in doubt tonight after the Alliance Party, which had been earmarked to take on the role, said it had no intention of doing so.

The cross-community Alliance Party said it would not be part of a joint Sinn Féin and Democratic Unionist plan to deal with the  issue. Party leader David Ford said he would not “ride to the rescue” of what he claimed was a power-sharing government in serious trouble.

“We have been given the job to provide an effective opposition by the electorate and the fact is this is an incoherent and incompetent executive and my party will play no part in that,” said the South Antrim Assembly member.

The responsibility for policing and justice has yet to be transferred to the Stormont executive from Westminster 16 months after devolution was restored.

Along with plans to reshape the North’s education system, stalled proposals for a multi-sports stadium at the former Maze paramilitary prison and ongoing controversy over an Irish Language Act, the issue of policing and justice is one of the main stumbling blocks threatening to destabilise the Stormont
government.

The executive failed to meet once in the last four weeks of the summer session amid speculation that DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness were at loggerheads.

Both parties have struggled to reach agreement on the security issue with each wary of the other taking sole responsibility.

Unionists believe there is still not sufficient community confidence to transfer the powers yet republicans claim they should have already been devolved months ago.

While the lead partners in the executive have still to agree a timetable for devolution, today they announced an agreement on the form of the new ministry.

The parties have proposed one Policing and Justice department with one minister.

Neither the DUP or Sinn Féin will nominate anyone for the position, leaving the way open for one of the region’s other main parties to assume the role.

However, as any new minister is to be appointed by the Assembly on the basis of
a cross-community vote, it is unlikely there would be agreement on an Ulster Unionist or SDLP nomination.

Arguably the only party able to command the confidence of both sides of the house is Alliance.

And while neither the DUP or Sinn Féin have explicitly stated their preference for an Alliance minister it is implied by the form of the agreement.

However, Mr Ford today stated his unwillingness to even countenance the suggestion. “They (the DUP and Sinn Féin) really ought to consult with us before they spin about us,” he said. “I think there is this idea that they can rely on us to ride to the rescue. Well they can’t expect that when they haven’t spoken to us (on the issue) for the last 16 months.”

He added: “The reality is the executive in place has failed to tackle a range of problems from education to rural planning to the Irish language and the proposed Maze stadium.

“And the thought that they need us to take on a department they can’t deal with, on top of all the others they’ve been unable to deal with properly, is just bonkers.”

The DUP and Sinn Féin have sent a letter outlining their plans to the Stormont committee dealing with the issue.

Both parties today hailed the agreement as significant progress on the security issue.