Mr Peter Mandelson plans to introduce legislation creating the new Police Service of Northern Ireland by the end of next month.
British government sources last night said the complex policing Bill might complete its parliamentary stages before the summer, although it was more likely to reach the statute book during the parliamentary "spillover" period in the autumn.
In line with the Patten proposals to transform the religious composition of the force, future recruitment will be on a 50-50 basis from within the Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland.
Advertisements for the first batch of new recruits will appear in April next year, with the first entering through the new independent selection procedures five months later. That is the point at which Mr Mandelson will bring the new title into force.
Responding to Mr Mandelson's Commons announcement of changes in policing in Northern Ireland following the Patten commission report, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, called on nationalists and republicans to apply to join the new Police Service of Northern Ireland "in great numbers" once the Patten recommendations have been implemented.
As Mr Mandelson monitored the political fallout within unionism over his decision to implement the Patten proposals and scrap the RUC's royal title, he sent a message last night to members of the force defending and explaining the changes he had announced.
Praising the commitment of RUC members, Mr Mandelson said: "You are a proud force and are right to be proud. For 30 years you made the difference between survival and descent into anarchy."
Before Mr Mandelson's Commons statement yesterday, Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, told the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, that the decision to scrap the royal title dishonoured his government. Clearly angry and feeling the emotion of the occasion, Mr Trimble said: "Nothing this government says or does can dishonour the RUC and the men in it. This government can, and does, dishonour itself."
Mr Blair insisted that no dishonour was intended and that the intention was to make the force "capable of attracting support" from both sides of the community.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, said the implementation of the Patten report could deliver "a police service that has the loyalty of the entire community". However, referring to Mr Hume's call for all-party talks on the way ahead, Mr Mandelson told Mr Hume:
"When we have reached the conclusion that a new beginning for policing has been created in Northern Ireland that will be the time when leaders of the nationalist community, political and religious leaders, must stand up and speak up and back the police, and call for people from the nationalist community to support them."
But away from the Commons Sinn Fein's spokesman, Mr Gerry Kelly, remained non-committal about his party's attitude, saying they would want to see the legislation. "The RUC was the paramilitary armed wing of unionism and totally unacceptable to republicans," he said. "Patten's recommendations didn't go far enough, but it is the parts which make it into law which count."
Pro-RUC campaigners were disappointed that Mr Mandelson did not decide to retain the RUC's cap badge with the crown and harp.
In an apparent concession he said the task of designing a symbol for the new service would be left to the 19-member policing board which will replace the present Police Authority. However, it was made clear that any proposal would have to stand the test of cross-community consensus.
However, Mr Mandelson sought to reassure unionists that the new district policing partnerships would have a largely consultative role, and announced that he would not for the moment empower them to raise extra revenue on the rates to purchase services on top of normal policing.
Mr Patten issued a statement last night welcoming the British government's endorsement of his commission's approach, and echoing Mr Mandelson's call to Catholic community leaders, nationalist and republican, "to encourage young men and women to join a service which wants nothing more than a chance to serve the whole community in the more peaceful days that we all hope lie ahead".