He said lawmakers needed to voice a position before Wednesday's U.N.General Assembly consideration of a resolution supported by Arab countries on the Goldstone report.

VOA: standard.2009.11.04

Currently their role as head of a parish automatically sees them given a seat in the assembly, a position they have held since the earliest records of States meetings.

BBC: Jersey Electoral Commission recommends smaller States

But the agreement - or carve-up, as the Tories see it - between Labour and Lib Dem GLA members to vote the former's Trevor Phillips and the latter's Sally (Baroness) Hamwee as alternating chair and deputy chair of the assembly will give the party more of a high-profile position.

BBC: Mayor Ken's big tent

Before the session was adjourned, DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson asked for clarification on the position of Progressive Unionist leader David Ervine, who has joined the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Group.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | NI politicians return to Stormont