ALAN MURRAY
PSNI officers will be on duty at Stormont tomorrow when the Assembly resumes business following the dramatic intervention by convicted murderer Michael Stone that brought Friday's proceedings to a halt.

A decision has been taken to restore a police presence to Stormont at least while the Assembly is functioning and members are in attendance.

The move will anger Sinn Fein who have yet to make a commitment to support the new policing arrangements in the North, but it will please their DUP opponents who will welcome a visible police presence at Stormont.

The decision to bring police officers back to Stormont was taken at a meeting on Friday afternoon between the Speaker Eileen Bell, the Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde and Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland.

It's understood that PSNI officers will not patrol inside Stormont but will be on duty outside to deter any possible threat to MLAs and their staff and the building.

The absence of a PSNI presence at the Assembly dates back to its suspension in 2002 after the 'Stormontgate' episode and it is being suggested that Sinn Fein's anger over the police raid on their offices was a major factor in a police presence not being restored.

One security source said "There was actually an inspector, sergeant and four shifts deployed at the Stormont Estate before the Assembly was suspended but when it was closed down resources were deployed to other areas by the Chief Constable.

"Obviously Sinn Fein's anger over the raid on their offices caused very negative vibes and I suppose there wasn't great enthusiasm for sending the police back in for those two reasons. But after what happened on Friday and the chaos caused by just one man carrying crude explosive devices it would be foolish to take that risk again."

The Speaker has been locked in discussions over the weekend to formulate an Order Paper for tomorrow's resumed proceedings at the Assembly which is expected to debate among other things whether Ian Paisley actually indicated he was making a nomination to the First Minister post during Friday's interrupted proceedings.

The Speaker promised that Points of Order could be aired when all the Party Leaders had completed their brief addresses to the Assembly.

The British Prime Minister interpreted Dr Paisley's comments as an acceptance of the First Minister post although his speech contained no explicit statement to that effect.

"If the Doc had recited the Lord's Prayer in Cantonese, Tony Blair would have taken it as a yes to nomination," one observer quipped.

The unusual statement issued by 12 senior DUP figures on Friday including three MPs and the Party Chairman Lord Morrow has increased speculation that there is a potential split developing within the party over proceeding to share power withSF.

In a later statement on Friday, Lord Morrow said that the party's assembly group is demanding that SF declares "full support for the PSNI, the courts and the rule of law and must do so with urgency so that there can be credible testing of their bona fides."

Sinn Fein hasn't indicated when it proposes to hold a special Ard Fheis to debate the policing issue and there are a number of outstanding points they want resolved before taking a "policing package" to a special party conference.

Meanwhile, Stone has been charged with the attempted murder of Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and the unarmed guards who blocked his way. He also was charged with possession of weapons for terrorist purposes, including explosives, several nail bombs, an axe, a strangulation device and a fake gun.

Britain's Northern Ireland Office confirmed yesterday it is to revoke his parole.

During a brief hearing before magistrate Bernadette Kelly, a detective sergeant, questioned by the defence said Stone had spoken freely during two police interviews.

The solicitor asked: "Has Mr Stone indicated he acted alone with no other person or organisation involved?"

The officer said: "He has."

The sergeant confirmed that Stone had not gained entry to the Stormont chamber, where assembly members were involved in a debate. He was seized by two security staff at the revolving doors to the parliament building, disarmed and wrestled to the ground in front of the full glare of TV cameras.

The incident forced the adjournment of a special session of the assembly at which DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness were to indicate that they were prepared to take the positions of First Minister and Deputy First Minister in a devolved assembly next year - Mr Paisley insisting that Sinn Fein would first have to give their support to the PSNI and the law and order system.

The debate is due to be resumed for its final stages on Monday morning.