David Ford is expected to become the NI justice minister in 38 years
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Stormont assembly members are due to vote later to appoint a new justice minister. The successful candidate will be the first Northern Ireland politician to take responsibility for justice and policing in 38 years. The SDLP is expected to nominate its North Belfast assembly member Alban Maginness but the Alliance leader David Ford remains favourite to take the job. The date of the vote was set in February during talks at Hillsborough. Mr Ford will be in charge of a department with more than 4,000 employees and a budget of almost £1.5bn. Collapse He will be the first local justice minister since Westminster took policing powers away from the old Stormont government back in 1972. Disagreement on the timing of the devolution of the justice powers had threatened to collapse Northern Ireland's power-sharing administration. In February, Northern Ireland's two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, in discussions at Hillsborough, County Down, reached an agreement which, now the vote has been passed, will see a justice minister elected. The Hillsborough Agreement allows for the first and deputy first ministers to identify a candidate who would command cross-community support in the assembly. BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport said Sinn Fein and probably the Ulster Unionists are expected to back the SDLP's choice for Justice Minister Alban Maginness. The DUP, however, will not give him their support, meaning that Alliance's nominee David Ford is expected to attract the necessary cross-community backing.
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