Statement by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston:
“While there has been justified focus on the pay arrangements for Michael McMonagle, something which has received relatively little attention is the fact that because Sinn Fein, and specifically North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan, failed to cancel his pass he could come and go as he pleased from Parliament Buildings.
“In order to probe this issue I asked the Assembly Commission to detail the number of times, including dates, that Michael McMonagle entered Parliament Buildings since being charged with sexual offences against children; and any groups, including schools and youth groups, that visited Parliament Buildings on the dates Michael McMonagle was in Parliament Buildings during this period.
“The Commission has now confirmed, as I suspected they would, that they have no idea.
“We therefore have a situation where someone suspected of sexual offences against children – who has since admitted his guilt – was left with the means to come and go from Parliament Buildings while charged with serious offences and no one has any idea if he availed of the opportunity, facilitated by Philip McGuigan, to do so.
“There are profoundly serious child protection issues involved here – issues which should not be ignored merely because the political and media establishment believe that the rotten institutions of the Belfast Agreement are more important than child safety.”
Note to editors
Mr Gaston’s question and the Commission’s answer are as follows:
To ask the Assembly Commission to detail (i) the number of times, including dates, that Michael McMonagle entered Parliament Buildings since being charged with sexual offences against children; and (ii) any groups, including schools and youth groups, that visited Parliament Buildings on the dates Michael McMonagle was in Parliament Buildings during this period.
(AQW 16576/22-27)
Data relative to the use of Assembly ID passes is retained on the Assembly’s Visitor Management System for a period of 90 days after use. The pass issued to Michael McMonagle was cancelled on 1 October 2024, and there is no record of it being used in the preceding 90 days which extend back until 4 July 2024. It has been widely reported that Mr McMonagle attended a publicity event in the Great Hall on 14 February 2023.
When Mr McMonagle attended the Great Hall on 14 February 2023, he used a visitor pass. These passes are valid for one day and are issued to any visitor to Parliament Buildings.
Yours sincerely
Trevor Clarke MLA
(On behalf of the Assembly Commission)