THE NORTH’S Regional Development Minister Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy is to appear before an Assembly committee next month to answer questions about the management of Northern Ireland Water (NIW).
The regional development committee met in closed session yesterday to discuss the suspension of the department’s permanent secretary Paul Priestly and a series of inquiries into NIW since four non-executive directors were sacked by the Minister last March following concerns over the tendering process.
Finance Minister the DUP’s Sammy Wilson said Mr Murphy had questions to answer about NIW and he expressed the hope Mr Priestly was not being used as a scapegoat.
“This is a classic ploy,” Mr Wilson said. “Where you know there is going to be some heat because of a particular action you try to find someone to act as a conduit. On the surface of it, the Minister has got similar questions to answer as the permanent secretary has got to answer.” Sinn Féin last night rejected any charge of scapegoating.
BBC Northern Ireland claimed last night it had seen an e-mail written by Mr Priestly to Peter Dixon, a member of the Independent Review Team which had been looking into events at NIW since the four sackings in March.
The e-mail, which led to Mr Priestly’s suspension by the head of the Civil Service on Tuesday, confirms that he drafted a letter for Mr Dixon. Mr Dixon in turn made two amendments to the draft before forwarding it to the North’s Public Accounts Committee, a key Stormont committee of Assembly members which was questioning events at NIW.
One member of the PAC, John Dallat was severely critical of these events. He has said such actions were “deeply worrying”.
Mr Wilson’s DUP colleague and vice-chair of the regional development committee, Michelle McIlveen, said yesterday’s meeting was a welcome start to the investigation of NIW.
“It is important the committee has the opportunity to question not only the Minister but any other relevant personnel so that the public can have full confidence in the operation of government in this area.” She said however, it was inappropriate to question confidence in Mr Murphy as Minister and confirmed the committee had not taken any vote on the issue.
SDLP committee member Conall McDevitt said: “Conor Murphy fired four members of the board of NIW on the basis of a report from the review team he had appointed. Given the events of the last few days and weeks, and particularly those which led to the suspension of . . . Paul Priestly early, there are grounds to question whether that inquiry process was truly independent.