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| Brown set for talks at Stormont | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown will travel to Northern Ireland later to address assembly members at Stormont and meet local political party leaders. | |
| Mr Brown will tour a manufacturer in the Greater Belfast area before addressing MLAs. | |
| The parties will press him for financial help to defer water charges and he will urge them to move on the issues blocking an executive meeting. | |
| It has not met for three months, but a meeting is planned for Thursday. | |
| First Minister Peter Robinson has said he hopes the meeting will go ahead. | First Minister Peter Robinson has said he hopes the meeting will go ahead. |
| On Monday, the first minister faced questions in the assembly about the failure of the executive to convene since June. | On Monday, the first minister faced questions in the assembly about the failure of the executive to convene since June. |
| Sinn Féin has said not enough political progress has been made to allow Thursday's meeting to go ahead. | Sinn Féin has said not enough political progress has been made to allow Thursday's meeting to go ahead. |
| However, Mr Robinson said there were more than two dozen issues that needed to be dealt with. | However, Mr Robinson said there were more than two dozen issues that needed to be dealt with. |
| "The situation requires much more of me simply than grandstanding and scoring party political points," Mr Robinson said. | "The situation requires much more of me simply than grandstanding and scoring party political points," Mr Robinson said. |
| "What I do say is I would be deeply disappointed and the disappointment I have would be reflected right across this community, if the executive does not meet on Thursday." | "What I do say is I would be deeply disappointed and the disappointment I have would be reflected right across this community, if the executive does not meet on Thursday." |
| The assembly got back to work at Monday lunchtime with DUP MLA Ian Paisley Junior raising a point of order about security searches ahead of the prime minister's visit. | The assembly got back to work at Monday lunchtime with DUP MLA Ian Paisley Junior raising a point of order about security searches ahead of the prime minister's visit. |
| He wanted a reassurance that all offices will be searched. Some Sinn Féin assembly members had raised concerns about their offices being searched without prior notice. | He wanted a reassurance that all offices will be searched. Some Sinn Féin assembly members had raised concerns about their offices being searched without prior notice. |