Sinn Féin’s head, Mary Lou McDonald, has confronted the government about their child safety protocols, and highlighted that “high-ranking members” of Coalition factions have contributed character endorsements for “convicted assaulters and child molesters”. She emphasised that “openness is reciprocal”, and reaffirmed that the incident that occurred within her party was “intolerable and disgraceful”.
Ms McDonald responded in the Dáil subsequent to Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton’s insistence that it was “only fitting” for the Oireachtas business committee to convene a meeting to allocate time for discussions concerning child safety, following the provision of character references to an erstwhile Sinn Féin press officer being probed for child sexual offences. Ms Naughton revealed that the Sinn Féin management team had “sustained interaction with this individual” in the aftermath.
In response, Ms McDonald stated, “If the government desires to arrange statements on the pivotal matters of child protection and security, it’s within their power. Be assured that, from our side, the unsanctioned testimonials that you have mentioned were intolerable and disgraceful. Measures have been instituted. The two involved parties have lost their positions. They are now no longer Sinn Féin members, as it should be. We treat these issues with utmost seriousness, and I have expeditiously reacted.”
She continued, “During our declarations, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the ruling parties will be required to also clarify what punitive measures have been enforced in instances where high-ranking members of your factions have provided character references for convicted assaulters and child molesters. I’ll be eager to hear what steps you took, and I’m confident that you will utilise that opportunity in a more widespread manner, responding to the Order of Business. So, we’ll anticipate the government’s actions on this matter, since openness, ladies and gentlemen, is reciprocal.”
Labour leader, Ivana Bacik, has voiced concern over the handling of child abuse allegations against an employee by Sinn Féin. Bacik has called for discussions within the week on child protection practices and their management within political parties. Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice, agreed that time should be available to discuss such an important issue, so all parties can lay out their strategies for ensuring child safety, irrespective of the nature of the organisation.
Earlier, during a conversation with Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio, Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, laid the blame on Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley, who supplied references, along with flaws in the party’s HR office. McDonald expressed her inability to comprehend why they gave such a reference, describing their actions as “deplorable”.
Upon the discovery of these references, McDonald stated that the two individuals departed before being dismissed. McDonald referred to their behaviour as “unforgivable”. Admitting to the party’s failure in not pursuing reference-related questions, she blamed shifting staff and maternity cover issues. She admitted, “we messed up; it was a fumble on the part of Sinn Féin”.
She staunchly defended Northern First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who stated she hadn’t recognised McMonagle at a Stormont event supporting the British Heart Foundation with a limited audience. McDonald affirmed O’Neill had satisfactorily responded to this question and felt it was unjust to infer things about Sinn Féin’s culture based on these incidents, branding it as “utterly harsh to our party members”.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have increased their pressure on Sinn Féin due to the controversy surrounding two of its former high-ranking officials providing a reference for a party press officer being investigated for child sexual abuse. In response, junior ministers Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Anne Rabbitte have penned a letter to Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, requesting Dáil statements on the issue.
Ms Carroll MacNeill remarked on Tuesday, indicating that several enquiries regarding Sinn Féin’s procedures for child protection are yet to be addressed. Despite this, Ministers did not receive the response they sought from Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl. It is speculated that this issue will surface at the beginning of Dáil proceedings.