The crisis for Sinn Féin over its former press officer Michael McMonagle, who has been convicted of child sex offences, shows no sign of abating.
On Monday, party leader Mary Lou McDonald ordered a “complete overhaul” of governance procedures within Sinn Féin.
As Jennifer Bray and Seanín Graham report in our lead story it comes after two former party press officers provided references for their ex-colleague McMonagle.
Pressure has been building on McDonald to address questions after it emerged that Seán Mag Uidhir, an influential and long-standing Sinn Féin figure who headed its media operation in the North and his colleague, Caolán McGinley, left the party after it was revealed that they provided the references for McMonagle.
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Last month, McMonagle (42) from Limewood Street in Derry, pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and 12 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child on dates from 2020-2021. He is due to be sentenced next month.
McMonagle was suspended from his press officer job with Sinn Féin after he was arrested in August 2021, and in September 2022 was appointed to the role of communications manager with the British Heart Foundation charity in Belfast.
A detailed timeline of the controversy can be found here.
After days of scrutiny on the issue, McDonald issued a statement condemning the actions of the two former Sinn Féin members and promising an overhaul of governance structures within the party.
McDonald also said she had asked the party’s incoming general secretary to “immediately initiate a complete overhaul of governance procedures”.
“We will do everything necessary to ensure that an incident like this never arises again,” she said.
It emerged at the weekend the British Heart Foundation informed a senior Sinn Féin human resources manager in the North about the references in August last year.
The manager failed to alert Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill and the party leadership about the contact, which O’Neill has admitted was a “serious omission”.
Addressing the Stormont Assembly yesterday, O’Neill said the HR manager was no longer an employee but was still a party member.
In his analysis, Political Editor Pat Leahy writes that Sinn Féin’s handling of sexual abuse is a recurring issue for the party.
With a general election looming in the Republic, Sinn Féin needs this controversy like a hole in the head.
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Playbook
The Cabinet is meeting this morning. Our tee-up story includes how Ministers will be briefed on the timing of 10 cost-of-living welfare payments – double child benefit, Christmas bonus etc and how they will all be paid by December 3rd. That will not exactly dampen down speculation of an early election.
Leaders’ Questions takes place in the Dáil at the earlier time of 1pm.
The rescheduling allows Taoiseach Simon Harris to take the questions in the Dáil before he flies off to Washington for his White House meeting with Joe Biden later this week. The centenary event in the Rose Garden has been postponed due to concerns about Hurricane Milton, but the two leaders will meet as planned in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Government Business in the Dáil this afternoon – from 2.06pm onwards – is the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill which will be used to provide €1.25 billion in funding to the Land Development Agency as announced in the budget last week.
Sinn Féin has a Dáil motion on the spending of public funds by Government. Expect a certain €2.2 billion national children’s hospital and €336,000 bike shed to get a mention. The debate is at 5.48pm.
Minister for Higher Education, Patrick O’Donovan, takes parliamentary questions from 7.50pm.
TDs will have an opportunity to raise “Topical Issues” at 9.20pm.
The Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 is due up for report and final stages in the Seanad from 3.15pm. This is one the Government would like to get over the line before the election.
In committeeland, TDs and Senators on the Environment Committee will hear from RTÉ, Irish Doctors for the Environment and The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as they explore the role of the media in climate action. The meeting starts at 11am.
The Committee on Housing will quiz departmental officials on the National Planning Framework from 3.15pm.
From 4pm onwards, UCC psychology academic Dr Sharon Lambert will be at the Justice Committee as part of an examination of the drivers of violence and criminality.
The full Dáil, Seanad and Committee schedules can be found here.
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