Executive vetoes
During Stormont Live Arlene Foster said she hoped the interim report of a working group on improving the operations of the Stormont Executive should be completed before the ministers have their next round table meeting inside Stormont Castle on Thursday.
The Ulster Unionist have been looking for an effective extension of the veto powers currently enjoyed by the DUP and Sinn Fein to the two smaller members of the coalition. Danny Kennedy explained it as any two parties being able to "pause" proposals they did not like.
Sinn Fein (who were represented on the working group by Caitriona Ruane) rejected the idea, but the DUP sympathised with it. Peter Robinson says that in the context of the UUP supporting today's vote he had offered not use his party's votes "to over ride the votes any three ministers". The First Minister added that despite today's UUP opposition he is prepared to repeat this offer "in circumstances where the UUP and the SDLP approach executive business in good faith". So watch this space for any evidence of real change in the way the Stormont Executive works.
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