There will be no meetings of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive until the crisis gripping Stormont is resolved, First Minister Peter Robinson has said.
Branding the Assembly "not fit for purpose", Mr Robinson said it could not be business as usual as members returned from their summer break.
The move comes after the First Minister's party, the Democratic Unionists, tried unsuccessfully to get the Northern Ireland Assembly adjourned for four weeks after police said members of the Provisional IRA shot a man dead in east Belfast.
Mr Robinson said: "Pending a satisfactory resolution of the outstanding issues, business will not be as usual".
"As a first step there will be no further meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive unless we deem that there are exceptional circumstances".
"In addition, there will be no North/South ministerial meetings in any of its formats (between ministers in Belfast and Dublin). Our ministers shall be focused on the talks process".
Talks led by the British and Irish governments aimed at resolving the crisis are set to begin at Stormont on Tuesday.
Assembly members are scheduled to debate a Sinn Fein motion later on Monday condemning the murders of former IRA members 'Jock' Davison and Kevin McGuigan and calling on anyone with information to contact the police.
Police have insisted the IRA is not back on a war footing, but the revelation that the organisation still exists has put the future of the devolved government under threat.
The Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein are already at loggerheads over welfare reform. The British government could end up legislating on the issue if the parties cannot reach an agreement.
Mr Robinson said the DUP would keep pushing for an adjournment, but his ministers would participate in the Assembly's Question Time "on this occasion".
He said: "In my view the Assembly is not fit for purpose as it stands today. Leaving aside the issue of the Kevin McGuigan murder it still wasn't fit for purpose. So, those issues have to be resolved".
"Unless those issues are resolved we will not have a functioning Assembly and we made it very clear without a resolution to these matters in the talks process our ministers' resignations will follow".
Sinn Fein Newry and Armagh Assembly member Conor Murphy said returning welfare powers to Westminster would be a "grave mistake".
"There are no doubts in relation to our view in terms of the British government deciding in an arbitrary fashion to take powers back off the Assembly," he said.
"Martin McGuinness has said very clearly that would be unacceptable to us and he has said very clearly that would be a grave mistake".
The crisis has seen the Ulster Unionists leave the power-sharing executive because they say they cannot trust republicans following the killing of Mr McGuigan.
Mr Murphy said his party would not be distracted by events concerning the unionist parties.
He said: "We are mandated to be here to do business, we are mandated to fight austerity and the impact of Tory cuts on frontline public services and on vulnerable people".
"We are also mandated to negotiate if negotiations arise and that is what we intend to do".
"We intend to deliver on that mandate, it is up to others to explain, I suppose, what the effect their actions will have on our ability collectively to deliver for communities and to deliver for people who elected us all to this institution, to work this institution".
"We are not threatening the institution, we are here to do business, we are not going to allow ourselves to be distracted and we intend to continue with that business".
Alan Murray, Northern Ireland security correspondent, spoke to Newstalk Lunchtime today to analyse the ongoing situation, how Northern Ireland will function in the interim, and what Robinson can do next.
Listen to the full discussion via the player below
