As the controversies surrounding Sinn Féin rumble on, the Dáil will today take statements on child protection.
While the title of the 100-minute debate is bland, the session is the Government’s way of making the party answer questions on two of the four controversies surrounding it — the Michael McMonagle affair and the case of a member who has stepped down over texts sent to a 17-year-old.
However, expect the Brian Stanley resignation to be mentioned early and often.
Here are some questions that are likely to be raised when the statements begin at 3.50pm and beyond.
Mr McMonagle, who has pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, was first arrested in 2021 and was suspended immediately. However, he was later given references by two members of Sinn Féin staff and went on to work for the charity.
He was in Stormont in February 2023 with the charity. Did nobody in Sinn Féin see him and question his attendance? Did nobody in Sinn Féin question where he had gone having been suspended for such a serious reason?
Two senior members of the party — Seán Mag Uidhir, who had worked for the party for many years, and Caolán McGinley — quit their positions after it was revealed they had given the references for Mr McMonagle. But the content of the references is important.
Were they simply statements of fact that Mr McMonagle had worked for the party? Or was there more that spoke to their impressions of his character? Did they mention his work with party members specifically?
Over the weekend, it was revealed that a Sinn Féin member resigned from the party after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old.
The party member was suspended by Sinn Féin in September 2023 and the incident was referred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and social services, with Sinn Féin keen to point out that its handling of this case was complimented by authorities.
But who was the member? Were they an elected official or simply a party member? Has the party been in contact with them since? Was a GAA club where the member volunteered alerted?
The party’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said she is not in a position to say whether the complaint was criminal. But what did it relate to? The claim and counter claim have been shrouded in secrecy since Mr Stanley’s bombshell resignation last Saturday. What was the nature of the complaint and why was it referred to gardaí?
During a breathless Monday, Sinn Féin and Mr Stanley traded statements which called into the question the timeline of events. Mr Stanley says that the process began on July 26, Sinn Féin says August 2. Mr Stanley says he told Ms McDonald about the complaint on July 29 in person, she says that he merely made her aware of a potential complaint. What is the actual timeline here?
Sinn Féin has said that in the course of the investigation into the complaint, “new information” had come to light. Mr Stanley says that he and his legal representatives had given the party information on September 11 and told them to bring the matter to gardaí.
What was this new information? Does it relate to a “clique” that Mr Stanley has alleged is working against him? Why didn’t the party bring the matter to the gardaí at this point?
