The DUP leader, Ian Paisley, and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness have jointly drafted and signed a letter calling on the Northern Secretary, Peter Hain, to vacate his offices at Stormont before the scheduled restoration of power sharing on 8 May.
Mr Hain hailed the initiative as further proof of the will among unionists and republicans to make their coalition work.
He said he had agreed and would be delighted to leave to aid preparations for the new government.
Meanwhile, the Chief Constable of the PSNI, Hugh Orde, has said he is surprised by the pace of positive change in Northern Ireland.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Orde said policing had been the catalyst which facilitated a number of significant developments.
