Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are heading to the United States next week to show that Stormont is back in business.

The First and Deputy First Minister have a series of engagements in New York and Washington, including a meeting with Under-Secretary Paula Dobriansky, designed to demonstrate their recent divisions have not dismantled devolution.

The joint DUP and Sinn Fein leaders leave on Sunday for the five day mission, which is also a follow-up to the international investment conference in May, weeks before the five-month stalemate began.

In an ongoing attempt to attract investment into the province, they are expected to attend the prestigious Fortune 500 business forum in Washington at which business leaders showcase America’s leading companies.

And the trip could mean Ministers holding two Executive meetings in the same week in an attempt to complete a package of measures to tackle the economic gloom.

Stormont Ministers were meeting this afternoon for the second time since last week’s breakthrough over the devolution of policing and justice in a race against time to complete a final package for Monday, December 15. It is anticipated they will set up a special sub-committee to examine a number of measures, including proposals to boost the construction industry and bringing forward the quarterly spending monitoring by a month, which will meet next week while the First Ministers and officials are away.

On their return, according to some officials, the Executive may hold two meetings during the week beginning Monday, December 8.

DUP, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist and SDLP Ministers were this afternoon presenting costed proposals from each of their departments for a programme “devoted to finding ways to help cushion the effects of the recession,” an Executive statement said.

Mr McGuinness and Mr Robinson have already appeared together in the US, even before Mr Robinson replaced Ian Paisley as First Minister.

Mr McGuinness noted a speech in the United States in 2006 when Mr Robinson said: “I hope that the sons and daughters of the Planter and Gael have found a way to share the land of their birth and live together in peace.”

And the senior republican added: “I share that hope and as joint First Ministers, the new First Minister and I, as the leaders of the Planter and the Gael, are charged with the responsibility to lead the way on behalf of the Executive.”