Ahead of conference Ford says deal is essential

12.00.00pm GMT Fri 22nd Jan 2010

Ahead of his party's 40th annual conference tomorrow, Alliance Leader David Ford has said that any deal on justice must work for everyone and remove other blockages in the Executive. The Alliance Party Conference is being held tomorrow in the Dunadry Hotel in County Antrim.

David Ford said: "A swift deal is essential and any deal must allow the whole Executive to start delivering quickly and effectively on the other issues they have put into cold storage. Any deal must end the state of paralysis the Executive is currently in.

"Devolving policing and justice is not just about giving extra powers to local representatives, it's also about showing negative elements that devolution can work and giving the Executive the impetus to move forward on other important matters.

"The public need government that works, not one that limps from crisis to crisis and stalemate to stalemate.

"We need all party talks to deliver a government free from delays, and we hope that a wide range of issues can be resolved within negotiations.

"The DUP and Sinn Fein have a duty to the public to engage seriously as we cannot countenance the prospect of failure on their part. They must also change their approach from crisis management to collective government. This is essential to maintain stability. The people of Northern Ireland will tolerate knee-jerk politics no more - they want normal, functioning government."