Speaker ​Poots backs deputy Ní Chuilín's authority after TUV challenged her decision to close down mention of McMonagle affair

Edwin Poots said he would review an incident where the principal deputy speaker reprimanded Timothy Gaston for raising issues about how the Stormont institutions handled issues surrounding her party’s former press officer Michael McMonagle.

But on Monday, the Speaker said he would not, in future, be reviewing decisions by any of the deputy speakers – who he said are acting on his behalf, and whose decisions are final.

Ms Ní Chuilín said last week that she would not call the TUV MLA to speak again during an opposition motion, saying that he needed to bring his remarks into the scope of the debate. Mr Gaston argued they were.

In the Assembly on Monday Mr Poots, without referencing the incident directly, said that in recent weeks “the deputy speakers and I have had to intervene on a number of occasions to ask members to bring the remarks back to scope of debate”.

He advised MLAs “to note that it is not enough to seek to make a connection to one or two words without a motion, without addressing its main thrust”.

Mr Poots said “there's no debate to be had with the chair” on these matters – and said he “will not go back to revisit decisions made by the chair of the day”.

He accused a “number of members and even ministers, both in the chamber and media or social media” of playing politics with himself, the principal deputy speaker and deputy speakers and the decisions they have made – saying this is a “challenge to the authority of the chair”.

He also accused some MLAs of abusing points of order to make political points during an appearance by the education minister last week. Mr Givan was speaking about a controversy over media reports on the allocation of funding to Lisneal College in Londonderry, with other Executive parties demanding answers on the process.

Last week’s incident in the Assembly was the second time in less than two months that Carál Ní Chuilín closed down Mr Gaston’s attempts to raise issues related to the McMonagle affiar.