Stormont Speaker reprimands MLAs following remarks around Education Minister

Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots has reprimanded MLAs following what he termed a number of incidents in the chamber.

He made a statement after SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said he was happy to retract a remark made in relation to Education Minister Paul Givan, and challenged Mr Givan to do likewise.

It followed exchanges between Mr Givan, SDLP MLA Cara Hunter and Mr Durkan during a debate on free school meals provision last week.

Mr Givan made a remark to Ms Hunter about being absent from the Chamber during the motion she proposed.

Ms Hunter responded she had been absent for a “matter of minutes” to use the bathroom.

Later in the debate, Mr Durkan made a remark that Mr Givan was “more interested in the toileting of my female colleague” than in hungry children, adding “what a weirdo”.

Mr Durkan said he received correspondence from the Speaker on Monday morning.

“I retract any term that I used that caused hurt but I genuinely didn’t think that Minister Givan, who has casually called people in this chamber sectarian, antisemitic, never mind praised the perpetrators of a genocide, would be so offended by a playground jibe,” he told MLAs.

“Perhaps Minister Givan will have the good grace to consider and retract things that he has said and done that have caused considerable hurt.”

Mr Poots said he had a statement on the issue.

He said while he encourages robust debate and ministers being held to account very vigorously, MLAs should “focus on challenging issues and not persons”.

“Over the last few weeks I have had to deal with a number of issues whether in the chamber or in writing, reminding Members that it is not in order to accuse another Member of being antisemite or homophobic, I pointed out to a minister that they should not accuse a Member of asking a stupid question, making clear to a Member that she’s not to tell another Member to wind their neck in,” Mr Poots said.

“Last week during the debate between the minister and Mr Durkan and Cara Hunter, you did make the remark Mr Durkan, ‘he’s more interested in the toileting of my female colleague. What a weirdo’, the import of which is really not on.

“It was a personal attack and it was a crude personal attack.

“Furthermore when the issues of Members, particularly women, being subject to abuse and unwanted attention is such a serious one, to make a comment to another Member was in poor taste.

“That is an issue to reflect on.”