Sinn Fein has questions to answer over its employment arrangements for a former press officer who was later convicted of sex offences, a DUP minister has said.
Gordon Lyons said public confidence in Stormont had “taken a hammering” over the Michael McMonagle controversy and Sinn Fein needed to act to ensure trust in the political institutions was restored.
His comments came after an Assembly report found that McMonagle likely misrepresented details of his employment which may have resulted in a misuse of public money.
Gordon Lyons said public confidence in Stormont had ‘taken a hammering’ over the Michael McMonagle controversy (Liam McBurney/PA)
The review found that he simultaneously held two full-time jobs working for Sinn Fein politicians while also working as a press officer for three months in 2020, including being employed by then deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill.
Assembly chief executive Lesley Hogg has told MLAs that the issue has now been referred to the PSNI.
Police have confirmed a report was received and inquires are ongoing.
Communities minister Mr Lyons told reporters in Belfast that his partners-in-government had questions to answer around the party’s knowledge of the employment arrangements.
“I think this report has brought up a number of questions and that should be looked into,” he said.
“What did people know? How could this have happened? Look, the most important thing is that we have public confidence and public trust in our institutions, and I think that’s certainly taken a hammering over this issue, so, yes, absolutely questions for Sinn Fein to answer.
“We need to make sure that we look at the report, that we look at possible recommendations and possible reform that needs to take place, because we need to make sure that the public has confidence in what we do.”
He added: “I think that Sinn Fein should be answering questions directly. There are a number of questions that come out of the information that was released yesterday. It would be useful to hear from them directly about what they knew and what they understood.”
Ms Hogg commissioned the review of Assembly members’ allowances in October in the wake of the McMonagle scandal.
McMonagle, from Limewood Street in Londonderry, was jailed last year after being found guilty of a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
The review found that he had been employed by Sinn Fein MP Orfhlaith Begley from January 2019 until May 2020.
He began full-time employment with Ms O’Neill as a press/research adviser in March 2020 and worked for her until the end of May of that year.
It said at an “unspecified date” in March 2020 he also began employment with Sinn Fein as a press officer on a part-time basis.
He began his employment with party MLA Jemma Dolan in June 2020, for whom he worked until July 2022.
In a letter to MLAs, Ms Hogg said: “A key finding of the review is that it is likely that… Mr Michael McMonagle, misrepresented details of his employments to his employers during a three-month period from March 2020 to May 2020.”
She went on to say the “likely misrepresentation of his employments by Mr McMonagle may have resulted in a misuse of public money” and said the PSNI had been informed.
Ms Hogg added she had advised those MLAs who employed McMonagle and also Sinn Fein to “consider any further steps that they should take in their role as employers”.
The review was carried out by Jonathan McMillen, the Assembly’s head of legal services.
He concluded that McMonagle is “likely to have been subject to three separate contracts of employment in a three-month period between March 2 2020 and May 31 2020”.
His review added: “It was not realistically possible for Mr McMonagle to carry out all the work for which he was employed between March 2 2020 and May 31 2020.
“This is indicative of misrepresentation by Mr McMonagle to his employers, and but for the particular circumstances set out in this review, would call into question the role of the employer.”
The review said that “Sinn Fein ought to have known that Mr McMonagle was contracted to work for around 80 hours a week in the period March – May 2020”.
However, it said Ms O’Neill, now Northern Ireland’s First Minister, “is unlikely to have been aware of all the employment contracts to which Mr McMonagle was subject at that time, and is unlikely to have become aware of those contracts during his employment with her”.
The review said the “most serious issue to emerge” was that McMonagle had taken up full-time employment with Ms O’Neill in March 2020 when at the same time he was employed by Ms Begley.
It said: “If Sinn Fein did provide centralised recruitment facilities to members of the party, as seems likely, it is odd that this was not picked up until October 2024, particularly when Mr McMonagle was at the same time working part-time for the party.
“The result was that Mr McMonagle was for a three-month period entitled to two full-time salaries from two different sources, both drawing on public funds.”
The review said that for part of the period it was investigating, public health measures introduced because of the Covid pandemic were in place “which affected the way all Members’ employees carried out their work”.
The review recommended employees engaged in party activity should keep records of that activity and the employing member should keep a record of the hours involved and that MLAs should provide details of employees who hold other employment remunerated from public money.
On Tuesday, Sinead Ennis, Sinn Fein’s chief whip in the Assembly, welcomed the completion of the review.
“The report contains some positive recommendations which could further improve processes and provide greater clarity for members in employing support staff,” she said.
“It is essential that the use of public money is fully accountable, properly scrutinised and that processes in relation to the use of public funds are open and transparent.”