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Assembly told of Red Sky work at party offices and members' homes

RED SKY carried out work on the homes of DUP members and the party's east Belfast office, the assembly has heard.

The dramatic claims from former senior DUP member Jim Allister came on the back of allegations that social development minister Nelson McCausland, left, put pressure on a Housing Executive board member to vote a certain way.

The minister's special adviser Stephen Brimstone is accused of telling DUP councillor Jenny Palmer to put party interests first by back-ing a request from Mr McCausland to extend an £8m-a-year Red Sky contract.

The minister and Mr Brimstone deny the allegations.

The fresh claims about the DUP's relationship with Red Sky emerged as the party was condemned for blocking an assembly vote to investigate whether the minister had misled fellow MLAs.

Members voted by 54 to 32 in favour of an inquiry into the Red Sky affair but a DUP 'petition of concern' meant the outcome was vetoed.

During a heated debate, TUV leader Mr Allister rounded on his erstwhile party colleagues by high-lighting alleged ties with dis-graced Red Sky.

Making reference to a photograph produced earlier in the chamber by DUP representative Robin Newton during an attack on the SDLP, he said: "Well he did not quite produce the DUP family album, but I wonder whether there would be any photo-graphs of dinner parties in the home of [Red Sky managing director] Mr Norman Hayes?

"I wonder whether there would be any photographs of work done at the homes of members of the DUP. I wonder whether there would be any photographs of the alleged £27,000-worth of work to partition an office at 141 Holywood Road, which Red Sky charged to the assembly."

The DUP did not respond to the claims.