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Sinn F\u00e9in MLA Catherine Kelly has become the fourth member of the party to resign over a delay in the repayment of mistakenly issued Covid relief cash.<\/p>\nSinn F\u00e9in MLA Catherine Kelly has become the fourth member of the party to resign over a delay in the repayment of mistakenly issued Covid relief cash.<\/p>\n
The West Tyrone MLA tendered her resignation to party leader Mary Lou McDonald on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald acknowledge and apologized \u201conce again\u201d for the \u201cclear failure to immediately reimburse public money\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Kelly\u2019s resignation comes following three party activists including former Foyle MP Elisha McCallion and officials in Upper Bann and West Tyrone resigned.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald described Ms Kelly\u2019s \u201cfailure\u201d to return the Covid-19 grant as \u201cunacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cCatherine is a signatory to an account into which a small business grant of \u00a310,000 was lodged in error,\u201d the Sinn F\u00e9in president said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grant was unsolicited and has been repaid in full. The failure to return the grant immediately is unacceptable. Catherine fully accepts that she did not discharge her duties as a public representative in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said the incorrect lodgment of small business grants into three Sinn F\u00e9in accounts had come to the attention of the party leadership over the course of Monday and Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party\u2019s examination of this matter is now complete,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs leader, I once again acknowledge and apologize for the clear failure to immediately reimburse public money.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, Ms Kelly apologized \u201cunreservedly\u201d to the party and to the public.<\/p>\n
She said the party had \u201ccorrectly intervened\u201d in relation to \u201cthe failure to immediately return money that had incorrectly been paid into a party account in West Tyrone\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been a signatory to that account for a number of years and as such had a responsibility to ensure it was operated to the highest standard. That did not happen in this case,\u201d Ms Kelly added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that as a public representative this is not acceptable and therefore I have tendered my resignation as a member of the Assembly with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologize unreservedly to the party, to those who vote for us, and to the wider public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about the matter at the Executive press conference on Thursday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said that the decision not to return the Covid-19 relief funds was \u201cwrong\u201d and that it should not have happened.<\/p>\n
The DUP is investigating whether a landlord it rents a constituency office from received the Covid relief cash meant for struggling businesses.<\/p>\n
If so, this would breach the eligibility requirements for the Small Business Support Grant Scheme. MP and MLA constituency offices cannot apply for the scheme announced by Economy Minister Diane Dodds earlier this year.<\/p>\n
First Minister Arlene Foster said that no DUP member has received the grant, adding the party made sure that none of the party offices received the grant.<\/p>\n
She said the scheme was designed so that it would not benefit politicians.<\/p>\n
The payments were reported on BBC Radio Ulster\u2019s Stephen Nolan Show on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The report said that West Tyrone MLA Maoliosa McHugh\u2019s office was one of the three Sinn F\u00e9in accounts which received the payment.<\/p>\n
Mr McHugh told the program that he had contacted party officials to make arrangements to pay the money back \u201cquite a while ago\u201d, adding that he received confirmation earlier this week that it had been repaid.<\/p>\n
The Assembly\u2019s Commissioner for Standards has been asked to investigate.<\/p>\n
Under the scheme a \u00a310,000 payment was automatically sent to any firm in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief.<\/p>\n
The department said 24,700 grants were paid out under the scheme. Of those, 2% (452) may not have been eligible.<\/p>\n
It has since recouped 70 of those payments and work is under way to recover all ineligible payments.<\/p>\n
It also emerged that 52 wind turbine owners were among those who received \u00a310,000. The Department for the Economy has since ruled that sector ineligible for grants.<\/p>\n