Justice and policing powers will be devolved from Westminster to Northern Ireland on April 12th, the leaders of the country's main parties have confirmed.

Late on Thursday night first minister Peter Robinson declared the DUP had agreed to a Sinn Fein deal over the devolution, bringing to an end weeks of negotiations.

The talks reached such a stalemate lat one point last month Gordon Brown and his Irish counterpart Peter Robinson flew out to Belfast to help broker a deal.

Today the pair returned to Northern Ireland to confirm a new deal had been reached.

Under the agreement Stormont will take control of policing and justice from April.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Mr Brown described the deal as an "opportunity for better future" and a "new chapter" for Northern Ireland.

Mr Robinson also said the agreement represented a new start for the organisation of the controversial parades in the country saying he hoped it would represent a "refocusing" on the matters for the country.

He conceded the final agreement had not come quickly or easily and "hadn't been pretty". The first minister said he was not willing to let the country to return back to the "bad old days" and said it could now look forward to moving to a better future.

The first minister announced to reporters last night his party's 35 assembly members had agreed to back the Sinn Fein deal which will see powers devolved from Westminster to Stormont.

The Ulster Unionist party though declared this morning it would not be attending final meetings thus morning.

Responding to the new deal, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said: "I believe that the assembly and political institutions can now proceed on the basis of equality, fairness and partnership.

"They also have to deliver for all citizens, that is the collective responsibility of all the political parties."