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Assembly Speaker's failure to declare Charter NI links prompts complaint

Speaker Robin Newton apologised to the assembly
Speaker Robin Newton apologised to the assembly Speaker Robin Newton apologised to the assembly

STORMONT speaker Robin Newton has been referred to the Assembly's standards commissioner for failing to declare his links to Charter NI.

Mr Newton was forced to make an unreserved apology to fellow MLAs on Monday for not delegating a decision to refuse a question on the controversy surrounding funding to the east Belfast charity.

The speaker provided advice to Charter NI and sat on a steering group that awarded the group a £1.7 million contract – though he insists he was never an official adviser.

Charter NI is headed by Dee Stitt, a north Down-based UDA commander.

The controversy surrounding the Social Investment Fund (SIF) award intensified after Stitt was filmed delivering a foul-mouth tirade against the British government and claimed the loyalist flute band he is linked to provided "homeland security".

Last month Mr Newton rejected a request for the assembly to hear an urgent oral question from SDLP MLA Nichola Mallon relating to Charter NI.

After explaining the extent of his past involvement with the charity on Monday, Mr Newton conceded he should not have ruled on the October 24 question request due to conflict of interest concerns.

He delegated a later urgent oral question around the same issue, lodged last week, to Sinn Féin principal deputy speaker Caitriona Ruane.

He said he did not do the same with Ms Mallon's initial question due to "time pressure".

"In hindsight I accept it would have been better if I had followed my initial instincts and also delegated the first question," he told MLAs.

Mr Newton said he found the constraints his office placed on his ability to represent his constituents in the assembly "particularly difficult".

"Members can expect me to be extremely cautious in the future in relation to where my responsibilities as a speaker and constituency member interact," he said.

Pressure to resign remains on Stitt, despite being allowed to keep his job following an internal review by Charter NI.

However, the controversy has prompted a wider political row on the operation of the £80m SIF scheme.

On Monday night, the SDLP confirmed that it had referred Mr Newton to the standards commissioner Douglas Bain and had requested "an urgent investigation into his declarations of interest, or lack thereof, in relation to Charter NI".

"In the interests of transparency and accountability, it is critical that the public, and the assembly, has confidence that Mr Newton has acted appropriately at all times," a spokesman said.

"He has already been forced to apologise for his conduct. We look forward to a comprehensive review of all the concerns that have been aired over the last number of days."

Alliance leader Naomi Long has asked the speaker to publish the procedural advice he was given when rejecting Ms Mallon's urgent question.

"To say time pressures is not good enough – there are three deputy speakers who could have stepped in and taken responsibility to rule on it," Mrs Long said.

"I welcome the speaker’s unreserved apology, however, it would be helpful in terms of restoring confidence for him to publicise the procedural advice he was given in relation to this matter."

Meanwhile the controversy surrounding Dee Stitt should not overshadow the 'positive contribution' being made by many loyalist paramilitary figures, Martin McGuinness told the assembly.

The Stormont deputy first minister, who reiterated a call for Stitt to step down as CEO of Charter NI, said it was important to involve people with past or even current links to the UDA in efforts to achieve reconciliation.

He made the remarks after he made clear that projects benefiting from SIF will not lose out because of the Stitt furore.