Conor Murphy defends use of unseen republicans during RHI crisis

Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy was pressed on his party’s decision-making structures as he gave evidence to his Assembly scrutiny committee.

DUP committee member Paul Frew highlighted evidence heard during the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) inquiry that indicated former finance minister Mairtin O Muilleoir sought the approval of senior republican figures ahead of making key decisions.

Sinn Fein’s internal processes have emerged as a prominent issue in the general election campaign in the Irish Republic, with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail both citing the “shadowy” arrangements as reason not to enter a coalition government with the party.

Mr Frew asked Mr Murphy would he be “acting under instruction” as his predecessor appeared to be.

“The RHI inquiry brought to light emails and text messages showing the past finance minister in constant contact with veteran republicans outside of this elected Assembly,” he said.

“Padraic Wilson, Martin Lynch and Ted Howell are names that are in the public domain. What do those names mean to you minister?”

Mr Murphy said the RHI episode was a “crisis” and in crisis situations all parties pull in a range of party figures to help co-ordinate the response.

“That involves people who manage,” he said. “Now some people may draft in other people who are elected representatives, most parties have chief executives, they have people on their executive committees who aren’t elected representatives and you involve people who can manage negotiations as we have managed negotiations since the early 1990s.”

He added: “A party management team manages in the middle of a crisis and all of the individual members of that team try to co-ordinate their activities.

“That’s how we do business and if there was a crisis here tomorrow morning I don’t doubt we would draft in a team to try to manage our response to it, which would involve a range of people including elected and non-elected representatives.”

During his appearance before the committee Mr Murphy revealed that the Assembly budget would be struck before the chancellor announced his budget on March 11.

He said any additional money flowing to Northern Ireland as a result of Sajid Javid’s budget would then be factored into Stormont’s spending plans.