Fresh round of talks to restore power-sharing

Talks to restore power-sharing at Stormont have been paused until after the General Election.

The decision was made following roundtable discussions involving the main political parties, UK and Irish Governments on Thursday.

Talks will resume following the election, leaving three weeks to form an Executive before the 29 June deadline.

Secretary of State James Brokenshire confirmed: “Over the past seven weeks all the main parties have been engaged in discussions and some progress has been made, including on the development of a Programme for Government and on legacy. There are, however, a number of outstanding issues.

“All the parties involved recognise it is vital devolved government, and all of the institutions established under the Belfast Agreement and its successors, resumes in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

“Although formal roundtable talks are paused until after the General Election, a range of bilateral discussions will continue, with a view to building on progress.”

• Nigel Dodds of the DUP and Sinn Féin's Máirtín Ó Muilleoir discuss the issues

DUP leader Arlene Foster has announced meetings with Irish speakers as she tries to better understand the language.

She said: "I do intend to listen and to engage with those from the Gaelic/Irish background, those without party political baggage or indeed demands, people who genuinely love the Irish language and don't want to use it as a political weapon.”

It comes as the talks at Stormont are set to pause over Easter.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said progress could only be made if the DUP signed up to "rights-based" institutions.

He added: "This can't go on indefinitely.”

Talks aimed at restoring power-sharing devolution at Stormont have been suspended until after the Easter holidays.

The decision was made by Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire on Wednesday as a deal looked unlikely to be reached.

The parties remain at odds on a number of key issues, despite the efforts to negotiate a deal.

In a statement, Mr Brokenshire said that, while “some further progress has been made”, there was still a lack of agreement on a “small but significant” number of issues.

He added that failure to form an Executive by early May would mean either another election or a return to direct rule.

“On 2 March, the people of Northern Ireland voted clearly for devolved government,” Mr Brokenshire said.

“The parties mandated by that election still have a duty to provide the government for which they campaigned.

“I believe that the outstanding issues between the parties are surmountable, but if no Executive is formed by early May, I will need to take further steps to ensure Northern Ireland has the political stability it needs.

“This is likely to mean, however undesirable, either a second election or a return to decision making from Westminster.”

Speculation is growing that the Government will suspend the Stormont talks to save devolution until after Easter.

A full day of negotiations is planned between the five parties on Wednesday, but it's understood talks will then be wound down for the holiday period if there is no deal.

It comes as Sinn Féin has said that it's "decision time" for the DUP, while the DUP has predicted Sinn Féin will "walk out" on the other parties.

UTV's Deputy Editor Tracey Magee has the latest.