Former Alliance Party MLA Refutes Lobbying Sinn Féin MP Regarding Standards Investigation

A former assembly member for the Alliance Party has rejected allegations of attempting to influence a Sinn Féin MP concerning a standards inquiry into his behavior. Patrick Brown characterized these claims as “further politicking,” following Chris Hazzard’s expression of feeling “uneasy” about the interaction. The specifics of the Sinn Féin allegation are detailed in a report issued last week by the Standards Commissioner. The commissioner had been examining the unauthorized disclosure to the media of confidential information pertaining to an investigation into Mr Brown. This inquiry centered on a complaint regarding Brown’s actions concerning Shimna Integrated College in Newcastle, County Down. Investigations conducted by Commissioner Melissa McCullough are reviewed by the Northern Ireland Assembly’s standards and privileges committee. Composed of members of the legislative assembly (MLAs), this committee advises the broader assembly on the imposition of any potential sanctions. In an email sent to the commissioner on 22 April, Hazzard asserted that Mr Brown had requested a meeting in his office on 4 March “for a quick chat.” The South Down MP further stated: “He then proceeded to ask that I use whatever influence I had to ensure he had a fair hearing from the committee.“He stressed that he believed the complaint was vacuous but he wasn’t being given a fair opportunity to put forward his case.” Hazzard characterized this as an “inappropriate approach” and indicated that he informed Mr Brown he would not discuss the matter with any committee member. He further commented: “In all honesty I didn’t really think about the discussion again for a few weeks but recently it has sat uneasy on my mind and I felt it was best to bring it to your attention.” On the subsequent day, the Alliance Party released a statement announcing Mr Brown’s resignation “with immediate effect due to personal reasons.” In July, the committee released its report, which concluded that Mr Brown had violated Stormont’s code of conduct through his behavior concerning the integrated school. Brown labeled the complaint lodged against him as “vexatious.” The committee opted against further investigation into Hazzard’s claims, stating that it was “not an effective use of public resources.” Brown additionally stated that the standards and privileges committee did not contact him regarding Hazzard’s allegations during the inquiry and asserted that “if there were any merit to these claims they would have been included in the Commissioner’s report.” Hazzard’s communication was made public on Friday within a report from the commissioner concerning alleged disclosures to the media. This disclosure stemmed from a complaint by Brown regarding BBC News NI’s inquiries earlier this year concerning Hazzard’s email. The commissioner’s 129-page report concluded that an “unauthorised disclosure of confidential information” had occurred. Brown expressed satisfaction that the committee had investigated the breach and implemented future safeguards, yet conveyed disappointment that the source of the breach remained unidentified. Carál Ní Chuilín, a Sinn Féin MLA and chair of the standards committee, stated that new measures have been implemented to “further strengthen its confidentiality procedures.” She emphasized that it is “imperative that the confidentiality of complaints is upheld until the consideration, investigation and adjudication of complaints has concluded.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.