Michelle O'Neill refused to say how many days Michael McMonagle worked in her office - now TUV table Assembly questions

​TUV MLA Timothy Gaston asked Ms O’Neill last week how many days the former Sinn Fein press officer had worked in her office, but both she and the committee chair Paula Bradshaw deemed the matter not relevant to the committee.

The assembly is currently probing whether assembly rules have been followed in relation to salaries and expenses, following revelations in the News Letter about Mr McMonagle’s employment arrangements. He was convicted of a series of child sex crimes last month.

It subsequently emerged that, before the police investigation began, he had been paid to work in Michelle O’Neill’s constituency office. At the same time, he was being paid by a Sinn Fein MP and the party centrally.

SF and Ms O’Neill have not volunteered any further information on the matter.

Mr Gaston (pictured) said: “Both during and after Wednesday’s meeting of the TEO committee Paula Bradshaw sought to suggest that I had failed to explore the issues related to Michael McMonagle’s employment with the Assembly Commission. This is incorrect – something she would know if she bothered to check the publicly available questions tabled to the commission.”

The North Antrim MLA said he has asked over 70% of all the questions tabled to the assembly on the issue. “Key questions – including whether the commission will come to the assembly chamber to answer questions on the issue remain unanswered,” he said.

“Once Stormont returns after the break, I will be asking if each and every one of the questions which Ms O’Neill dodged at the committee meeting will be explored by the commission,” Mr Gaston added.

He urged the Assembly Commission to examine the questions he put to Ms O’Neill at last Wednesday’s meeting – but said there are some in the Stormont system “who bend over backwards to ensure that republicans don’t have to answer the difficult questions”. ​​​​​​​

At last week’s committee the First Minister said “All I would say chair is that I take my pledge of office very seriously, that I take the use of public funds very seriously, that I would stand over my role in all of those things”.

The News Letter asked Sinn Fein, in light of the First Minister’s pledge to be “open and transparent”:

- How many days per week did Michael McMonagle work in Ms O'Neill's constituency office, if any?

- Is she confident that all Assembly rules were followed?

- Was Michael McMonagle declared as an associated person?

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: “All assembly rules and procedures in relation to the employment and payment of staff are properly followed”.