Robinson outlines plan for policing

DUP LEADER and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson has been spelling out the process by which he foresees the eventual…

DUP LEADER and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson has been spelling out the process by which he foresees the eventual successful devolution of policing and justice powers to the Stormont Assembly.

Speaking after talks with British prime minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street yesterday, Mr Robinson warned that substantial funding issues – a shortfall which the DUP leader estimates at around £600 million – have not yet been resolved by Mr Brown and the British treasury.

While seemingly confident that Mr Brown will not let the devolution project falter on grounds of cost, Mr Robinson also stressed that a financial resolution under the current comprehensive spending review would only cover a period of one year.

Looking ahead to the possible election of a Conservative government committed to heavy public spending cuts next year, Mr Robinson told The Irish Times that certain accounting and other powers may have to be left with the treasury in the event of the transfer of policing and justice powers to avoid a recurring financial crisis.

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At the same time, Mr Robinson raised an implicit challenge to Conservative leader David Cameron and his Ulster Unionist “new force” ally Sir Reg Empey on the vexed question of determining whether there was sufficient unionist “community confidence” to permit devolution to proceed.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, Mr Robinson signalled his confidence in the arrangements already in place for the appointment of a policing and justice minister, widely expected to be Alliance Party leader David Ford.

Mr Robinson insisted last night, however, that “community confidence isn’t just a matter for decision by me or by the DUP”. Acknowledging that nationalist and republican opinion was clearly in favour of the move, Mr Robinson said “the other parties have to display equal confidence”.

This reference to the Ulster Unionists in particular is a clear sign that Mr Robinson – already under pressure due to last month’s European election result – does not intend to find himself “outflanked” by Jim Allister’s Traditional Unionist Voice on one side and the Ulster Unionists on the other.

Once he is satisfied with the financial arrangements to underpin a new policing and justice ministry, Mr Robinson says he will seek discussions on the “confidence” issue with the leaders of the other pro-Union parties, Sir Reg and PUP leader Dawn Purvis, while conducting an internal DUP consultation at the same time.

It seems possible that a first piece of necessary “enabling legislation” could be presented to the Executive tomorrow and brought before the Assembly after its return in early September.

Further legislation will be necessary to give effect to a new financial settlement and covering the appointment of a new minister in a process that could be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Robinson also reported significant progress yesterday on the problem of the Presbyterian Mutual Society.

Officials are working on proposals and reporting back to a group of Ministers including Mr Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness as well as the chief secretary to the treasury and Northern Ireland secretary of state Shaun Woodward.