THE SECRETARY of state has said he has no immediate plans to call a Stormont election and will instead examine "all options" for re-establishing the power-sharing institutions.
Chris Heaton-Harris was speaking ahead of last night's deadline for the restoration of the executive, which is being blocked by the DUP in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He now has 12 weeks in which to call an assembly election or ask Westminster for fresh legislation to extend the deadline.
Under current circumstances, the latest date for polling would be April 13.
Last year, Mr Heaton-Harris continually threatened to call an election as soon as the initial October 28 deadline passed, only to change the rules to enable an extension.
"I will use the next few weeks I have available to me to assess carefully all options about what happens next and to continue to talk to all interested parties before I make any decisions," he wrote in yesterday's Irish Times.
"This is not a situation any of us want to be in – the people of Northern Ireland deserve to have the votes that they cast in May honoured, they deserve locally elected decision-makers getting back to work, delivering on the issues that matter most to them."
Read more:What does the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland do?
The secretary of state lamented the absence of what he termed "stable, accountable, devolved government" in the north.
"The restoration of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland is an absolute priority for my government," he said.
"I know the Irish government shares my desire to see the return of power-sharing as soon as possible and we continue to urge all parties to take up their responsibilities.
"We also both want to see a resolution to the problems we face over the protocol through negotiation between the UK government and EU Commission."
Referencing amendments tabled earlier this week to the British government's controversial legacy bill, Mr Heaton-Harris said the aim of the legislation was to "deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles".
The bill, which moves to the committee stage in the House of Lords next week, is opposed by all the Stormont parties, the Dublin government, and victims' groups.
