Mary Lou McDonald has announced a “complete overhaul” of Sinn Fein’s governance procedures as she apologised for the party’s handling of a sex crime investigation into one of its former press officers.

The Sinn Fein president addressed the controversy around Michael McMonagle after days of intensifying calls from political rivals in the Dail, including Taoiseach Simon Harris, for her to respond to the matter publicly.

Her statement was issued shortly after Northern Ireland’s First Minister and Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill told the Stormont Assembly she was “deeply sorry” for damage caused to the reputation of a charity which employed McMonagle after he left the republican party.

Earlier, DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly distanced herself from Sinn Fein’s “attempts to blame other organisations” in the fallout from the row.

Her remarks came after the head of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in Northern Ireland said the charity had been dismayed when their due diligence over the appointment of McMonagle appeared to have been questioned last week by senior Sinn Fein figures, including Ms O’Neill.

In another development on Monday, the Assembly confirmed that McMonagle was employed directly by Ms O’Neill and three other Sinn Fein MLAs across two periods, when his salary was paid for by Assembly allowances provided from the public purse.

Last month, McMonagle, 42, from Limewood Street, Londonderry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He will be sentenced in November.

He was first arrested in August 2021 and Sinn Fein has said it suspended him as soon as it became aware of the police investigation.

His term of employment with Sinn Fein at the Assembly formally ended in July 2022.

McMonagle then went on to get a job with the British Heart Foundation, which did not know he was under investigation for child sex offences.

Sinn Fein has been under mounting pressure after it emerged that two former party press officers provided references for McMonagle in 2022 for the BHF job.

The press officers quit more than a week ago after Sinn Fein began disciplinary proceedings against them.

Ms McDonald insisted she had taken “decisive action” when she became aware that the two references had been given.

She said the actions of the two press officers who provided the references – Sean Mag Uidhir and Caolan McGinley- were “unforgivable and absolutely unacceptable to me”.

Neither press officer has commented publicly on the references they gave since they quit the party.

“I have asked the incoming general secretary (Sam Baker) to immediately initiate a complete overhaul of governance procedures within the party,” said Ms McDonald.

“We will do everything necessary to ensure that an incident like this never arises again. The general secretary will take external professional advice in this work.

“I will ensure that there are clear processes so that there are no grey areas whatsoever where an individual has been suspended or ends their employment with Sinn Fein, to ensure that there are no future issues in relation to handing back work passes (Sinn Fein failed to return McMonagle’s pass to the Assembly authorities) and to make absolutely clear that references cannot be provided by individual members of staff.

“There must always be accountability for wrongdoing. That is why when I was made aware of this issue on Wednesday September 25 2024 decisive action was taken.

“Those who gave references in this case were guilty of gross misconduct, they no longer work for the party and are no longer members of the party.

“I deeply regret that the British Heart Foundation has been caught up in an issue, not of their making. They do incredibly important work and I look forward to continuing our work with them now and in the future.

“I apologise for the distress that has been caused by these events. I am committed to ensuring that an incident like this is never repeated again.”

Following days of headlines, on Monday Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots selected an urgent question from DUP MLA Diane Dodds which asked if the furore had diminished confidence in the First Minister’s office.

Responding in the Assembly, Ms O’Neill, who described McMonagle as a “monster”, said: “As a mother and as a grandmother, I assert my absolute determination, both political and personal, to protecting all children and to protecting all other vulnerable people.”

She then set out the sequence of events which led to the resignation of the two press officers as she said “legitimate concerns” had been raised.

Ms O’Neill told the Assembly: “In August 2021, when Michael McMonagle informed Sinn Fein of his arrest and questioning concerning serious criminal offences, the party took decisive action.

“In line with our child protection policy and human resources handbook, he was immediately suspended from party membership and his position as a press officer with his employment terminated in June 2022 when his contract ended.

“I was made aware of his suspension and I had no further contact with him.”

Ms O’Neill repeated her insistence that she did not know McMonagle had attended a Donate for Daithi event at which she was present in February 2023 hosted by the British Heart Foundation. Daithi Mac Gabhann is a young Belfast boy in need of a heart transplant.

She said: “My sole focus was on Daithi and supporting the family through the works of the campaign, and I was not aware that Michael McMonagle was at this event, and I had no knowledge either that he had gained employment with the British Heart Foundation.”

Ms O’Neill then told MLAs she had since established that the charity had contacted her party’s then-HR manager last year, after McMonagle was charged.

She said: “This contact from the British Heart Foundation was not brought to my attention or the Sinn Fein leadership at that time, and that was a serious omission.

“Members will know that I spoke with Fearghal McKinney, the head of the British Heart Foundation, to discuss this situation.

“This is an organisation that does sterling work providing support, research and obviously, services, and I am deeply sorry for the reputational damage caused to the British Heart Foundation, and I regret that this has happened, and I apologise for this.”

She added: “I want to be very, very clear that the issue of child safeguarding is of paramount importance to me and I will do everything that I can to ensure that a situation like this never arises again.”

Earlier, Ms Little-Pengelly urged Sinn Fein to be open and transparent in response to questions around McMonagle.

She told MLAs: “There are serious questions about the current situation that have to be answered and as leaders we have to be honest and we have to be credible, and I think very many people out there will feel it has simply not been credible thus far.

“Therefore, I urge the people involved to be open and honest and credible on this matter.”

Meanwhile, the Assembly has confirmed that McMonagle was paid out of Ms O’Neill’s staffing allowance between March and May 2020, at a time when she was Stormont deputy first minister.

Parties can hire staff from Assembly funds provided to them centrally, or individual MLAs can hire from their own staffing allowances.

An Assembly spokesman said: “Michael McMonagle was employed jointly by former MLAs Daithi McKay and Mitchel McLaughlin in a full-time position from May 6 2014 to October 31 2014.”

The spokesman added: “Michael McMonagle was employed by Michelle O’Neill MLA from March 2 2020 to May 31 2020 and then by Jemma Dolan MLA from June 1 2020 to July 8 2022 in a full-time position.”

Mr McKinney, head of the BHF in Northern Ireland, said the charity had suffered reputational damage over the matter.

He said the charity was dismayed when their due diligence appeared to have been questioned last week by senior Sinn Fein figures, including Ms O’Neill.

“This caused enormous distress and anxiety among our staff and unwavering supporters,” he told the BBC.

“It was quite clear that whenever comments were made about due diligence that there was only one other organisation that employed him since he was employed by Sinn Fein, so clearly there was a reflection on us.”

He said any damage to the charity could undermine their good work.

“When this happened and there was damage caused, as we saw it, to our reputation, added damage we thought around the public comments that were made, we had to do something to make sure that the record was put straight,” he said.

“We’re content that we have done everything in our power in order of keeping all our supporters, all our staff and the wider public that’s connected with us safe, and they know that that’s the standard that the British Heart Foundation applies.”