The appointment of Mr Chris Patten as an EU commissioner will not affect publication of the independent commission's report on the future of policing in Northern Ireland, which he chairs, a spokesman for the policing commission said yesterday.
"The two don't affect each other," he added. Members were still in the consultation phase. The report is expected towards the end of summer.
Mr Patten is the leading contender for the EU posting after the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, reportedly decided against the nomination put forward by Mr William Hague, the Tory leader.
Downing Street has yet to confirm that Mr Patten has been chosen for the posting, which he would not take up until autumn at the earliest or even next January.
The Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Ken Maginnis, said news of the posting for Mr Patten would not have the "slightest effect" on the police report. "We've known for some time that Patten was on Blair's shortlist and I know from talking to him that he is totally focused on the policing issue."
The SDLP Assembly member and party spokesman on policing, Mr Alex Attwood, said he believed Mr Patten's decision to take up the position in Europe would not prejudice the content of the report. "I believe the Patten Commission is now fully engaged and fully informed," he said.