Stormont parties clash for second day over FM role in Drumcree dispute

Stormont parties have clashed for a second day in the Northern Ireland Assembly over First Minister Michelle O'Neill's involvement in a street protest against the Drumcree parade.

The Sinn Féin vice-president was accused of being "on the run" by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after not attending to answer an urgent question on the issue for a second day.

Sinn Féin said the assembly session coincided with "other urgent business" as O'Neill was travelling to Dublin to discuss the parading dispute with the taoiseach (Irish prime minister).

The assembly speaker Edwin Poots said the first minister had "given an assurance" that she would "attend the chamber at our next sitting on Monday".

Unionist parties have accused O'Neill and other senior Sinn Féin figures of acting unlawfully over their involvement in the protest at Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

The demonstration blocked an Orange Order march, due to be held on Sunday morning, from passing along the mainly nationalist road.

On Monday, Poots accused the first minister of showing "gross contempt" to the assembly for not attending to answer an urgent question on the matter.

But O'Neill said she disagreed with the speaker, adding: "I'm very confident in my role in supporting a community that's under siege."

The urgent question was rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but Poots said the first minister had informed him "she is now not available due to another urgent engagement".

"I have been given an assurance that the first minister will attend the chamber at our next sitting on Monday," the speaker told the assembly.

The DUP assembly member added: "Given the circumstances we are in, I think members will understand that ministers and party leaders are involved in various discussions.

"I am content that this resolves the matter and gives the opportunity for the assembly to discuss these matters and to hold the minister to account."

There were tetchy exchanges across the chamber as members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) discussed the issue.

DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen said the first minister "was on the run yesterday and she's still on the run today".

Addressing other parties across the chamber, Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey said the first minister was "not afraid of any of you".

"While some try to use this house to inflame the situation, Michelle O'Neill is out trying to de-escalate it," she added.

"She isn't afraid of anyone. She is there to de-escalate the situation and I think others need to do the same."

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly rejected suggestions her party was raising tensions.

The DUP minister argued it was O'Neill who was "on the Garvaghy Road at the weekend chanting, encouraging people to break the law".

"She needs to come to this house and answer questions and subject herself to that scrutiny," she added.

Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan claimed unionism was being led "by the tail" over the Drumcree dispute by the loyalist activist Jamie Bryson.

He asked DUP MLAs on the opposite benches: "Could one of you not stand down and co-opt him and then he could be officially the leader of the party?"

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows described the assembly proceedings on Tuesday as a "pantomime" with "barely any business" achieved in the chamber.

"This is a farce and another day wasted, and it has to lay at the door of Sinn Féin who at their heart cannot obey the law," he added.

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) assembly member Matthew O'Toole, leader of the assembly's official opposition, said they had "very strong feelings about the rights of the people on the Garvaghy Road".

But he questioned whether "both the main parties today are dragging this assembly into disrepute with the spectacle here".

"I don't think it does anybody any good in Northern Ireland," he added.