First Minister O’Neill claims question about IRA influence on Sinn Fein is a ‘party political’ matter

​The Sinn Fein leader was facing questions from the Stormont committee charged with scrutinising her office.

Committee chairwoman Paula Bradshaw asked Ms O’Neill to clarify the issue during a fractious meeting on Wednesday afternoon – in which the First Minister refused to answer many of the questions put to her, citing legal advice.

Raising the Executive Office’s remit on supporting victims and survivors of the Troubles and ending the control of paramilitarism through the department’s Communities In Transition Programme, Ms Bradshaw asked for reassurances that the IRA Army Council has no influence over Sinn Fein and the policies of the Executive Office.

“What reassurances can you give to this committee that this is not the case in terms of determining the priorities nor actions of the Executive Office,” she said.

Ms O’Neill responded saying “party political issues are not for this committee” and claimed that Ms Bradshaw had made a “party political statement”.

Ms Bradshaw responded saying: “I feel that for the public record that this is maybe a question that people would like to ask, that the work that comes out of the Executive Office is purely in line with what is needed by the people, by the Executive as a committee itself.”

Ms O’Neill said: “The Executive Office takes its responsibility very seriously.”

Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin interjected to describe the question as “completely ridiculous”, but Ms Bradshaw defended it as a “legitimate question”.

Ms O’Neill continued to say: “The Executive Office discharges all of its responsibilities very seriously, particularly when it comes to tackling criminality. There should be no paramilitary groups that exist in this day and age. I think that’s a shared endeavour that we all should ensure.

“Any engagement with any groups that are active in today’s society should only be on the basis of asking those groups to disband.”