Stormont 'b*****d' row: Charity witness 'respectfully declines' to come before committee
A woman who called an MLA a “bastard” at a committee meeting in Stormont has declined to return before that committee.
The Executive Office Committee heard today that Fidelma Fearon of Minority Ethnic Support Armagh has “respectfully” turned down an invitation to come back, according to committee chairwoman Paula Bradshaw.
At a meeting on May 27, Ms Fearon had said, in reference to TUV MLA Timothy Gaston who had been asking her questions: "It's lucky I didn't get stuck into the b*****d properly."
Ms Bradshaw said today that “the committee has now received a formal response from Phoenix Law, acting on behalf of Mrs Fearon” which “respectfully declines the committee's request to return to continue these discussions and to reflect on her comments”.
Phillip Brett MLA said he was “interested to know” if the charity paid for the legal letter.
He said that the Executive Office gives £46,000 pounds a year to the charity, adding “I'd be concerned to know whether public money was used” on it.
Mr Gaston – who said the charity has also received funding from the Department of Health, Housing Executive, and Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council – said that “to simply note this and move on means that this committee has shown it has no teeth, that it will continue to be treated with contempt from witnesses”.
The MLAs discussed the idea of compelling Ms Fearon to attend.
Ms Bradshaw said “I would prefer to just draw a line under this”.
In the end said the committee agreed to a “compromise” of writing to the charity, asking whether the response is the charity’s “official position”.