Northern MPs to join Dail committee

Politicians from the north of Ireland will for take part in Dail proceedings for the first time today.

Westminster MPs from the North have been invited to takepart in a new committee of the Dail set up to help implementthe Belfast Agreement.While unionists are not expected to accept seats on thecommittee, nationalists have welcomed it as a further stepin developing all-Ireland relations.

Northern Ireland representatives to the committee will include the SDLP's south Belfast MP Alastair McDonnell,south Down MP Eddie McGrady, Sinn Fein's Fermanagh/southTyrone MP Michelle Gildernew and Pat Doherty, MP for westTyrone.They can take part in debates but will not have a right tovote or to move motions and amendments.

Sinn Féin's Dail Group leader Caoimhghin O Caolain said theCommittee was "a very welcome and significant step forward".

Strong Sinn Féin challenge in Irish general election

RTE News has reported that Sinn Féin will stand 42 candidates in all but two of the 43 Dáil constituencies in the general election later this year.

Although the party's Director of Elections, Pat Doherty, would not speculate on the number of additional Dáil seats it hopes to win other party sources have suggested the party hopes to double its seats from 5 to 10.

If Sinn Fein does significantly increase its representation, and particularly if the Dublin councillor Daithi Doolan can remove the Progressive Democrat's Michael McDowell, then the party may be in a position to negotiate its way into power-sharing in the southern, as well as the northern, parliament.