Sinn Fein minister used publicly-funded government business car to ferry him to Provo funeral

One of Mr Murphy’s predecessors at the Department of Finance told the News Letter that whenever he had used his chauffeur-driven Executive vehicle, the clear understanding was that it was for government business use only – never personal activities.

Meanwhile, other Sinn Fein ministers have failed to answer the basic ‘yes or no’ question of whether they too used ministerial cars in connection with the funeral.

Also yesterday, Sinn Fein demanded an equality impact assessment to be done regarding the siting of a new crematorium at the council-run Roselawn complex in south-east Belfast, where Mr Storey’s final funeral service was held on June 30.

The BBC reported one Sinn Fein councillor, Ronan McLaughlin, as saying: “There is a perception within the Catholic, nationalist and republican community that Roselawn is not a welcome place for them.”

It is believed this relates at least in part to a banner mocking the death of Mr Storey, which was affixed to the railings at the cemetery.

It was put up shortly after the controversy erupted over the preferential treatment given to Mr Storey’s mourners (his funeral was the only one of nine that day permitted to hold a service at the crematorium).

The news about the Executive car being used came to light thanks to TUV leader Jim Allister, who asked the finance department if Mr Murphy had been conveyed to the funeral in an official car.
The response he received was somewhat cryptic: “The minister stopped on his way from home en route to official business in Stormont.”

The News Letter put it to the department that this indicates he did use an Executive car, and asked for more details. The reply came: “The minister was going from home to Stormont on official business and stopped in West Belfast on his way.”

Mr Murphy, MLA for Newry and Armagh, is originally from south Armagh and his constituency base is in Crossmaglen. Mr Allister said the news adds “a further layer” to Sinn Fein’s “abuse of their office” over the funeral.

Jim Allister had actually asked if all four Sinn Fein ministers in the Executive used their ministerial vehicles that day – Mr Murphy, Michelle O’Neill, junior Executive Office minister Declan Kearney, and communities minister Caral Ni Chuilin.

The questions had all been posed early last month –one of them as far back as July 2.

“The only answer – if you can call it an answer – is Murphy’s,” said Mr Allister.

“The fact they wait until the Assembly is in recess means of course you can’t follow it upwith a follow-up question until the Assembly comes back, so there’s method in their delay. They hope the passage of time will take the sting out of it.”

The Assembly is in recess as of Thursday, and has no more public business until September 7 (except an education committee on August 20).

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey, who was finance minister in 2016, said that all ministerial cars are Skodas.

He is not sure how much the drivers are paid but “there’s no doubt there is a cost”.

He said: “It should only be used for when you are on Executive business. Say for example if I was in my constituency on a Friday, I would not have the car, because that wasn’t Executive business. It would be totally inappropriate to use the Executive car to go to a funeral like that. But then there’s nothing new in Sinn Fein not abiding by the rules.”

The News Letter followed up Mr Allister’s questions by asking the Executive Office and Department for Communities whether their three Sinn Fein ministers used ministerial cars for the funeral.

Only the Communities department replied, saying: “The question is out with officials for draft response.”

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