Former First Minister Lord Trimble last night called on Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness to devolve policing and justice back to the province.

On the eve of today’s crunch meeting at Stormont involving Mr Robinson, Mr McGuinness and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Lord Trimble said the First and Deputy First Ministers were “not very good at making decisions, and with the Assembly established they should now get a firm grip on power and get on with it”.

“I’m sorry to say that Peter Robinson is ineffective — I found him ineffective even before he became First Minister — and Martin McGuinness’s main theme seems to be taking revenge at Mr Robinson’s failure to act,” Lord Trimble said.

“Sadly, a lot of issues seem to be suffering from this mutual failure, not least education. The policing and justice issue needs sorting out — and soon. I hope the meeting with Gordon Brown achieves that end. Local people require a local administration acting on their behalf in policing and justice.

“Organised, the dissidents problem, anti-social behaviour — they all require a local solution at local level and the major parties need to pull together to achieve that. The Assembly isn’t in danger of collapsing. It’s well established and the time has come to start acting together and making major decisions to benefit the entire community.

“They really need to sort themselves out. Some say that Peter Robinson is looking over his shoulder at TUV’s Jim Allister, but he was ineffective before TUV came onto the scene.”

Lord Trimble was speaking from his barge on the Union Canal en route to Manchester and the Conservative Conference where he is speaking at two fringe meetings.

His swipe at the lack of progress in the Assembly comes after Peter Robinson insisted that devolution of policing and justice would not happen this side of Christmas as legislation still had to be put through the Assembly.

“I thought it might have been a possibility to do it before the European election, but clearly even if I was to agree to the devolution of policing and justice today, it couldn't be done before Christmas,” said Mr Robinson.

“The reality is there is further legislation to go through the Assembly. There is even a bill going through the Assembly at the present time and there are other processes.”

Secretary of State Shaun Woodward has said US firms are poised to invest in Northern Ireland once a deal on justice and policing is agreed.