Promised minutes of a controversial meeting between a Stormont committee chair and the first minister, a few hours before Michelle O’Neill was due to give evidence, have still not been made public weeks after the pair met.

TEO committee chair Paula Bradshaw confirmed to MLAs that staff had asked the first minister’s private office for a copy of the minutes but “they have not arrived”.

She also said she had asked officials to produce details of an email from the First Minister requesting the meeting – but that did not happen, and she does not know why.

The assembly told the News Letter on October 25 that minutes had been requested of what they described as an “informal meeting”. What is causing the delay is unclear.

placeholder image — There were more heated scenes in Stormont's Executive Office committee when the TUV MLA Timothy Gaston challenged chairperson Paula Bradshaw on "the minute that doesn't exist". Photo: screengrab from NI Assembly.

MLAs backed a proposal from the TUV’s Timothy Gaston to ensure there would be prior committee approval for any such meetings in the future. The North Antrim MLA was the only member to raise the issue last week, but committee members were concerned about the body’s credibility after recent media coverage.

The evidence session last month was supposed to scrutinise the first minister over her party’s handling of child safeguarding issues and other scandals which have hit the party in recent months. However, Ms O’Neill refused to answer any questions she deemed not relevant – and a largely confused and chaotic committee struggled to respond.

The chairperson Paula Bradshaw ruled questions out of order, despite legal advice stating that it was for the witness to decide whether they wanted to answer them. The chair of the Executive Office (TEO) committee later promised that minutes of the controversial private meeting exist and she would release them.

Ms Bradshaw told the BBC ‘Nolan Live’ programme that while she didn’t take the minutes somebody else did. “I am happy to share them once they’re produced, there was nothing secretive about it,” she said, adding that those questioning it “don’t understand how the relationship” between herself and a minister works.

It is not even clear whether the first minister’s officials took minutes. If they have, they have not yet provided them to the committee or the public. In any event, they would be their interpretation – not the committee’s.

Committee member TUV MLA Timothy Gaston told Wednesday’s meeting: “We have to talk about the minute that doesn’t exist”.

There were further heated scenes between the committee chair Paula Bradshaw and Mr Gaston – with the chair claiming that he had set a “false narrative” about her handling of events.

Earlier in the meeting Ms Bradshaw said the committee needed a “reset”, and should be “working together in a scrutiny role” as a team.

But North Antrim MLA Mr Gaston said: “I felt that the way you chaired the meeting, you almost once again shielded the witness. It was up to the witness if they wanted to answer the questions or not. And at times you involved yourself in situations where you didn’t need to be, instead of letting the member ask the questions whether they be hard or whether they’re not.”

Ms Bradshaw responded: “It was nothing to do with that. It was to do with the remit of the committee and you know that.” Mr Gaston said the reputation of the committee was “trashed” over the way the first minister’s appearance was handled.

The DUP’s Brian Kingston said the events cast a “poor reflection” on the First Minister and the functioning of the committee. “The questions will not go away,” he said. Ms Bradshaw said it was a matter for the Northern leader of Sinn Fein.

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said he session with the First Minister was “unedifying” and confidence had to be restored in the committee.