Assembly to debate TUV motion on McMonagle report - as First Minister welcomes the 'very fulsome' review
Stormont will debate the findings of a controversial Stormont report into salaries and expenses, prompted by the scandal over disgraced former Sinn Fein press officer Michael McMonagle.
He was jailed last year after being found guilty of a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
In the wake of his suspension from the party over the matter and his subsequent conviction, questions emerged about his employment. The News Letter revealed that he had been employed by Sinn Fein MLAs as constituency office staff, and at one point had three jobs including for Michelle O’Neill.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has brought a motion to the Assembly, which will be debated next Tuesday.
It highlights criticisms of the Assembly’s review into the matter, which blamed McMonagle for not making proper declarations but also admitted that Sinn Fein “ought to have known” that he was contracted to work around 80 hours per week.
It also revealed that Sinn Fein MLAs’ staff have been handled by a centralised HR service provided by the party – and judged that it it “strains credibility” that the party wasn’t aware that he held down a number of jobs until years after the event.
Mr Gaston’s motion regrets that the review “was a purely paper based exercise which afforded no opportunity to challenge, in person, those who provided written evidence”.
It also says the report “muddies the waters in respect of what constitutes party political work and constituency work” and notes that media reporting “conflicts with the conclusions of the report about Michael McMonagle’s role” as a press officer.
It suggests that the First Minister “correct the Assembly record of 7th October 2024, when she said that Michael McMonagle worked as a press officer”.
Meanwhile Michelle O’Neill has described the report as “a very useful piece of work”.
The first minister said that “there are lessons to be learned for everybody in terms of how we employ people and how that is all fully accounted for.” She said Sinn Fein “fully worked” with the Assembly Commission on the review which she called “very fulsome”.