Alliance not ready to nominate justice minister

Alliance Party leader David Ford said there is still work to be done

Alliance Party leader David Ford has said that his party will not nominate for the post of justice minister.

Mr Ford - who is the favourite to take the position eventually - has said his party is not yet in a position to put forward a name.

Meanwhile, SDLP leader Margaret Richie has said she will not be her party's nomination for the position.

It will now be Alban Maginness. But, she said the current approach for the role was a "corruption of democracy".

Speaking at Stormont on Monday afternoon Mrs Ritchie said she hoped things would become "a little clearer" after a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday.

"We will make our judgement on the Hillsborough arrangement when we know what is on the table and, more importantly, what is under the table," she said.

"If the two parties won't reveal what they have already agreed then we will be pressing the two governments for greater transparency."

Mr Ford said there had not been enough progress on some key issues.

"At the present time we have not seen enough movement around a shared future and around the policies for a department of justice for an Alliance nomination to be made," he said.

"There is plenty of time before 12 April, I do not think we are in a long-dragged out process but clearly there is still a little bit of work that needs to be done."

I'm supremely confident that come 12 April we will have a person nominated who will command cross-community support Martin McGuinness

The new minister is to take up the position on 12 April and their responsibilities will include policing, the courts, public prosecution service and prisons.

It follows the agreement reached on the long-awaited policing and justice deal which was announced on Friday.

The agreement allows for the first and deputy first ministers to identify a candidate who would command cross-community support in the assembly.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he was confident a justice minister would be in place by 12 April.

"It will be whatever person can command cross-community support in the assembly," he said.

"At this stage, I think all I can say about it is I'm supremely confident that come 12 April we will have a person nominated who will command cross-community support."

Responsibilities

The Ulster Unionists and the SDLP have insisted Alliance has no right to the post under the d'Hondt system for selecting ministers, which was agreed in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The first and deputy first ministers are also due to appoint a new working group on parades.

The group is being asked to produce proposals to improve how parades are dealt with and is due to report by 23 February.

The DUP and Sinn Fein last week agreed a deal over the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Northern Ireland.

An intensive round of talks between the British and Irish governments, Sinn Fein and the DUP went on for the 10 days.