'Say it outside this room and I’ll see you in court' - O'Neill to Brett

An Assembly committee appearance by Stormont’s leaders ended in acrimony as First Minister Michelle O’Neill walked out during heated exchanges.

Ahead of leaving the room, Ms O’Neill had told members of her scrutiny committee she had a “hard stop” at 3pm, indicating she had to attend a police interview in central Belfast about her participation in an allegedly unlawful protest on the Garvaghy Road last month.

DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, who had appeared alongside Ms O’Neill to face questions from MLAs on Wednesday afternoon, offered to stay on to answer more questions but she was advised that would not be in line with protocol.

Ms O’Neill had earlier been involved in robust exchanges with unionist members of the committee and, at one point, threatened to sue DUP MLA Phillip Brett if he repeated a claim about Sinn Féin’s handling of past sex abuse cases outside the legal protections of a committee hearing.

“Say it outside this room Phillip and I’ll see you in court,” she said.

“You can be a big, brave man sitting on this committee, but you’ll not be outside the door.”

Ms O’Neill was also involved in a fiery back and forth with TUV MLA Timothy Gaston who told her she should no longer be First Minister because of her “lawlessness”, as he repeatedly raised the events around her participation in the Garvaghy Road protest against the planned Drumcree Orange Order parade.

The First Minister said: “I will say this – no member of this committee is my judge or jury. There are processes to be engaged with, and I’ll do all of that. But I will not be judged, and the illegality or not of anything, will not be judged in this committee.”

Ms Little-Pengelly, who claimed her working relationship with Ms O’Neill had been “fractured” over the Drumcree parade dispute, was also involved in a tense question-and-answer exchange with Sinn Féin’s Carál Ní Chuilín.

Ms Ni Chuilin pressed Ms Little-Pengelly over her party’s handling of the Jeffrey Donaldson sex abuse scandal. She also suggested it was “inconceivable” that the deputy First Minister was not aware of claims of inappropriate behaviour by Donaldson prior to his arrest over historical sex crimes.

Ms Little-Pengelly rejected the assertion.

“I just think it is appalling for anybody to make that sort of allegation because I have been more than clear about this – the person responsible for the disgusting acts of Jeffrey Donaldson is Jeffrey Donaldson,” she said.

The deputy First Minister added: “But let me be more than clear – I am disgusted by his behaviour, and I would never, ever cover for the sexual offending of anybody.”

Ms Little-Pengelly arrived at the committee session ahead of Ms O’Neill, with members waiting for a few minutes for the First Minister’s entrance before the evidence session began shortly after 2pm.

As the clock approached 3pm, Ms O’Neill, who was being questioned by Mr Brett at the time, made clear she would be leaving on the hour.

“You just wasted your last three minutes, and I am walking out that door at 3 o’clock, regardless of what you have to say,” she told the DUP MLA.

“Do you have a police interview?” Mr Brett enquired.

Ms O’Neill responded: “I’ve said it publicly (about the interview). Nothing to see here. You haven’t unearthed anything.”

The First Minister got up soon afterwards and walked out.

DUP committee member Deborah Erskine, who had yet to ask any questions, accused the Sinn Féin vice-president of treating her and fellow members with contempt.

“I find it absolutely appalling how the First Minister has treated this committee with absolute contempt. She treats the people of Northern Ireland with absolute contempt,” she said.

Sinn Fein committee member Sinead Ennis said her party colleague had made clear from the outset that she would have to leave at 3pm.

“The allegations from across the table here are completely hysterical,” she said, referring to unionist members.

Responding to Ms Little-Pengelly’s offer to stay to field remaining questions, Alliance Party committee chair Paula Bradshaw said the joint nature of the Executive Office meant the DUP deputy First Minister could only answer questions on her own if Ms O’Neill agreed to that approach.

“So we are disappointed we only got even less than an hour,” Ms Bradshaw said.

“We appreciate there are other circumstances. We, as a committee, would really value you coming back hopefully before Christmas and again after Christmas before we dissolve this Assembly. But, without permission from the First Minister, we can can no longer continue this session with yourself deputy First Minister.”

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “We both agreed mutually to come to this committee. I don’t require permission from anybody to come to this committee. I’ve always indicated I am more than happy to come to this committee.

“But I would also say that I have not been informed by the First Minister as to why she walked out at 3 o’clock. She has decided to leave this committee at 3 o’clock, where there has been an agreement to attend.

“So my view is that I am still here in the capacity of the Executive Office accepting us being here. That is why I’ve made the offer to stay.

“If you would prefer for us both to be here at a future date, so be it. But I think it is important to say I am more than happy with scrutiny. I’m always more than happy to answer questions and to take that time. And, unfortunately, some others in the office are clearly not.”

Despite the angry scenes throughout the hearing, the session ended on a more conciliatory note when Ms Ní Chuilín congratulated Mr Brett and his partner on the recent birth of their daughter.