Claims that unionists should have known about deal

First Minister Peter Robinson and other unionist politicians have continued to insist they were unaware of the deal regarding on-the-runs (OTRs)– despite claims that details of the scheme were in the public domain.

There are still two views about whether this was truly a "secret" process or whether unionist politicians knew, or should have known, there was a scheme for dealing with OTRs.

People such as Denis Bradley and former Northern Secretary Peter Hain, and various Sinn Féin politicians, complained of unionist disingenuousness considering references to an OTR scheme – if not the actual "comfort letter" – at policing board meetings in 2007 and 2010, in the Eames-Bradley report on the past and in a book on the peace process by Jonathan Powell.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness citing these references also contended yesterday that there was information about the scheme in the political and public arena.

One of the references that Mr McGuinness and others cite is the comment by former British prime minister Tony Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell. He said that in 2004 Peter Robinson told him the DUP could move on difficult issues such as the OTRs if Mr Blair wrote to the then DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley blaming former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble for any concessions on OTRs. The DUP rejected Mr Powell's interpretation of events although Mr Trimble suspects he is correct.

Mr McGuinness also referred to a 2010 meeting of the Policing Board where he said PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris made a very "revealing" contribution. "Drew Harris outlined the fact that there was a scheme. Yes, we all accept that there was no mention of a letter [of comfort] but I actually think that that is a superfluous point," said Mr McGuinness.