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Evening deadline for DEL axe justice plan David Ford in justice minister job warning
(about 3 hours later)
Stormont politicians have until 17:00 GMT on Monday to respond to the proposal that the Department for Employment and Learning be abolished. The Alliance Party leader David Ford has made a veiled threat not to stand again as justice minister.
The first and deputy first minister made the suggestion after late night talks last Tuesday. It follows last week's proposal to abolish the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL). The DEL minister is Alliance's Stephen Farry.
It is their attempt to resolve disagreements over the future of the sensitive justice portfolio. The proposal followed discussions at Stormont Castle over the future of the justice ministry held by Mr Ford.
The proposal has angered the Alliance Party, which currently holds both ministries. Alliance gave its formal response to the proposal ahead of a deadline on Monday evening.
But Alliance said it will respond before the teatime deadline. It argued that any party which takes the justice portfolio under the current cross-community compromise should give up one of its current ministries.
Party leader David Ford holds the justice ministry and Stephen Farry is in charge of DEL. It also wants the streamlining of Stormont departments to be addressed in a comprehensive manner and for any future justice minister to have the same job security as their executive colleagues.
Whilst the party will set out its ideas on streamlining Stormont's departments and make clear its opposition to the DUP-Sinn Fein plan, it will not clarify the key question of whether Mr Ford will once again seek the crucial justice portfolio. Mr Ford said: "I don't do huffs, but certainly there is a real chance that if we don't get the structures right which provide the protection there will not be an Alliance justice minister when they change the pattern of ministers which they're proposing to do."
On Sunday Peter Robinson told the BBC he regards Mr Ford as his first choice to continue with the justice minister's job. Mr Ford's appointment as justice minister was a compromise to ensure justice powers could be transferred to Stormont from Westminster in April 2010.
But Alliance sources said there is considerable anger about the treatment of Mr Farry and no decision will be taken about justice until the party's 120-strong council has considered its options. As a result, the SDLP lost out on a second ministry, while the Alliance was able to gain one.
MLAs return to their debating chamber on Monday after their Christmas and new year break. Any decision on Alliance's future participation in the executive would have to be made by its ruling council.
One of those due to face questions is the Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster. It is scheduled to meet at the start of March.
If the first and deputy first ministers get their way, Mrs Foster will get a greater workload, dividing up Stephen Farry's current responsibilities for universities, further education colleges and job centres with her counterpart at education, John O'Dowd. However, BBC Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport said he believed the DUP and Sinn Fein would "push ahead with this proposal" on the DEL.
Mr Robinson said his party and Sinn Fein have yet to decide exactly how the department's responsibilities will be shared out.