Dublin is to maintain intense pressure on Mr Peter Mandelson in an attempt to extract assurances that the Police Bill will meet most nationalist demands, despite British insistence that the legislation cannot be changed.
While the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill was being concluded in the House of Commons last night informed sources said the Irish Government believed there could be further fine-tuning of its measures that could yet win the support of the SDLP and possibly Sinn Fein.
Whether such endorsement is possible may depend on the Bill's implementation plan, expected to be published in mid-December, setting out how the various reform proposals would be put into effect.
The completion of the Bill in the House of Commons does not mean that further modification of its proposals is impossible, according to Dublin sources.
"The British parliamentary system is flexible enough to allow further movement. We are still in heavy negotiation on this," said one.
The Government is examining whether letters of understanding, or personal guarantees or assurances from Mr Mandelson and/or the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, could help resolve the remaining obstacles to nationalists endorsing the police reforms.
"Assurances can still be written into this procedure in a non-legislative way. There is still some very tough talking to be done on this," said the Dublin source.
Mr Mandelson is trying to maintain a balance between winning the support of nationalists and not totally alienating unionists.
British sources, however, agree that outside the legislative framework of the Bill he still has "operational" room to manoeuvre. Assurances can be provided on a range of issues of concern to nationalists, said one London insider.
Particular demands of nationalists include: assurances on the new Police Service of Northern Ireland name, flag and symbols; retrospective inquiry powers for the Policing Board, a move Mr Mandelson is resisting; the disbandment of the RUC full-time reserve; and the subsuming of the Special Branch into the general crime division of the new force.
Mr Mandelson indicated yesterday that the Chief Constable could have a role in providing some of these assurances.
The Northern Secretary also indicated that he would extend his December 4th deadline for nominations to the 19-member Policing Board to allow the SDLP and Sinn Fein, after consideration of the implementation plan, to decide whether they would make their five nominations (three and two respectively).
If the SDLP and Sinn Fein did not nominate he would still establish the board, he said on BBC Radio yesterday morning.
In reference to the complaint by a Patten Commission member, Prof Clifford Shearing, that the Bill "gutted" the Patten proposals, Mr Mandelson expressed confidence that Mr Chris Patten's view of the Bill "would be that we are reflecting both the spirit and letter of the original commission's report".
A Sinn Fein Assembly member, Mr Gerry Kelly, repeated that policing was a "touchstone" issue for republicans and that if the Bill did not meet republican concerns it would be a wasted exercise.
"The `Mandelson Policing Bill' as it currently stands will not receive the support of Sinn Fein, and we would actively discourage young people from giving it their support," Mr Kelly said.
