Image caption James Brokenshire was addressing members of Northern Ireland's Institute of Directors in Belfast

The secretary of state has said he wants a return to devolved government after the assembly election.

"I am not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved partnership government," James Brokenshire told business leaders in Belfast.

"That's what people in Northern Ireland want and that's what we're working to deliver," Mr Brokenshire said.

The election will take place on 2 March.

It was triggered after the resignation of Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister in January.

Talks will follow the election in a bid to form a new executive.

Sinn Féin's leader in Stormont, Michelle O'Neill, said Mr Brokenshire should not have a role in those negotiations.

"If you look at his actions to date, if you look at his comments, for example, in relation to British soldiers receiving immunity," she told BBC NI's The View programme.

"If you look at how he's ignoring the views of the people of the north who want to remain in the European Union.

"If you look at his one-sided and partisan views on a lot of things, I don't believe James Brokenshire is an honest broker."

'Centre of negotiations'

The assembly election and Brexit major talking points as Mr Brokenshire addressed more than 200 delegates at a dinner for Northern Ireland's Institute of Directors.

Stephen Martin, the newly-appointed director general of the institute, said Northern Ireland would be at the heart of negotiations over leaving the EU.

"The border undoubtedly puts Northern Ireland front and centre of negotiations, because it's got such an impact," said Belfast-born Mr Martin.

"There's a lot of people moving between the border because of work and because of education.

"There's 30,000 border crossings every day and of those, about half are relating to business and education, so we mustn't interrupt that flow in any way."

The lack of a devolved government was also causing concern, said Ian Sheppard, the chairman of the institute in Northern Ireland.

"There's real frustration in the business community that, at the time when we're getting very close to the triggering of Article 50, that we don't have our politicians in the institutions representing the members here in Northern Ireland," he said.

"Uncertainty is one of the most difficult things for a business to deal with.

"If they know what they're dealing with, then they can plan and they can react and they can take things forward.

"But Northern Ireland business people are used to uncertainty, it's been an occupational hazard here."