Resolve outstanding matters

He said: "The legislation allows for Peter Robinson to take time off [as First Minister] from his duties to attend to his personal matters and he is entitled to do so.

"The Robinsons’ personal family matters are their private business and they are entitled to deal with them in private.

"The questions that have been raised surrounding Peter Robinson’s own conduct, as regards his responsibility as a political representative, will be answered by the various official inquiries and we have to allow those inquires to run their remit.”

Mr O’Dowd continued: "The important matters are the outstanding political issues that need to be resolved and resolved speedily and the installation of an interim First Minister cannot be allowed to stall these matters.

"The DUP has to honour its political commitments and that means setting an early date for the transfer of powers on policing and justice.

"There is a communal and policing need to do so and to have public safety and law and order issues dealt with by the local administration.

"This issue affects people’s daily lives. It impacts directly on the administration of law and order and the way in which problems, like the recent spate of burglaries that have plagued the Craigavon council area, are dealt with.

"There is a limited timeframe for sorting these matters out.

"Sinn Fein is determined to focus in a strategic way on ensuring that the political institutions work and that they deliver for all citizens.”