Top Assembly official says delay in passing documents to police was procedural and 'not foot-dragging'

On Monday, the PSNI confirmed that “enquiries” were being conducted by officers into an allegation of misconduct in public office against the First Minister and the chair of the Executive Office (TEO) committee.

It relates to a complaint by the loyalist campaigner Jamie Bryson in October 2024, concerning a private meeting between Ms O’Neill and Ms Bradshaw ahead of an evidence session with the first minister, chaired by Ms Bradshaw.

It wasn’t until June 2025 that the Assembly received a request for information from the PSNI, with information eventually provided to PSNI on 1 December of that year. All of the information was already in the public domain.

Ms O’Neill’s department has not responded to questions from the News Letter about if, or when, it was contacted by police. Both politicians said this week that they were unaware of any police enquiries until a statement by the TUV leader Jim Allister in Stormont on Monday.

In Wednesday’s meeting of the TEO committee, Paula Bradshaw said she has written to the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher asking for “an outline of what is happening”. An official said that under Assembly protocols, she had not been informed of the police request.

Questioned by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston on the delay, the Assembly’s Head of Legal Services Jonathan McMillen said “there was no foot dragging in this case”.

He added: “What caused a delay, to my recollection, is the fact that the police did not provide the appropriate authority initially – that was not received until September. And there was then a further delay, I think, in gathering the papers”.

Quizzed on the delay between September and December, Mr McMillen said “I can't comment on the reason for the delay, but it wasn't delay occasioned by legal advice, I can say that much”.

The Assembly said PSNI were asked to provide authority “for further processing of this data… under the Form 81 process”.