Sinn Fein denies Michelle O'Neill is 'on the run from scrutiny' - as MLAs seek legal advice on forcing First Ministers to Stormont committee
Michelle O’Neill has been accused of “running away from scrutiny” over claims she is refusing to appear before a committee of MLAs to answer questions on the work of her department.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has told the Assembly that she is willing to appear in front of the Executive Office (TEO) committee – but the DUP say that is being blocked by her Sinn Fein counterpart.
Now, MLAs on the scrutiny body are seeking legal advice about compelling the ministers – who must act jointly – to appear before them.
Sinn Fein has denied that she is afraid of scrutiny from unionist MLAs – saying Ms O’Neill “meets worse going to the shop”.
The committee chair Paula Bradshaw said there were numerous issues on which answers hadn’t been provided, and said she thought there has been an attempt to “run the clock down” – with the Assembly mandate coming to an end.
The DUP and TUV MLAs on the committee criticised the First Minister for being able to attend a meeting of the UK’s nationalist movements in Cardiff – but not her own department’s committee.
Multiple requests have been made by the body for the first ministers to attend, but there has been no official response.
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said all she was asking for is scrutiny over the First Minister’s actions in office.
“There's been no reasons given as to why they're not coming to the committee. So we can only come to the assumption that they're running away from scrutiny.
“That's the only assumption that we can come to at this present time, is that the first minister is running away from the scrutiny of this committee”, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the first minister is “on the run from scrutiny” and has treated the committee “with utter contempt”. He said Ms O’Neill was “happy to scurry off to meet her other nationalist colleagues to break up the Union”.
He said that ironically followed a week of talks “to get more money out of the United Kingdom” – and said Ms O’Neill was hiding from a stronger unionist team on the committee.
Sinn Fein MLA Carál Ní Chuilín responded: “She meets worse going to the shop Timothy, don’t flatter yourself”.
Party colleague Sinéad Ennis said Mr Gaston had “no idea the reasons why she can’t come to the committee at the minute”. She said it was a “reach” that the reason was unionist MLAs’ “perceived political prowess”.
Alliance Committee Chair Paula Bradshaw said it was 188 days until the Assembly is dissolved, and from her point of view “a lot of this is just trying to… run the clock down”.
Speaking to the News Letter afterwards, Deborah Erskine said the only conclusion is that the first minister “is running scared of scrutiny”.
“The Deputy First Minister made it crystal clear during Executive Office Question Time that she is willing to attend the Committee at any time. Yet the First Minister remains conspicuous by her absence.
“Time and again, Sinn Féin has demonstrated its incompetence whether it’s their failure to deliver the A5 and Casement Park to its ever-shifting timetable for Irish unity. These are the very things it repeatedly promises voters but continue to blame everyone else rather than get their own house in order.
“Rather than continuing to play a game of ‘Where’s Michelle?’, I proposed that the Committee dispense with the endless letter writing, which has produced no credible explanation for the First Minister’s continued absence.
“We must now consider the unprecedented step of obtaining legal advice and using the Committee’s powers to compel witnesses. The witness being the very Minister we are tasked with scrutinising.”