Carál Ní Chuilín breached the Assembly’s code of conduct after taking part in a November meeting of Stormont’s Executive Office committee without declaring that her son was being investigated over damage to a portrait at Belfast City Hall.
The Assembly’s standards commissioner ruled that no sanction will be imposed after her unequivocal apology, but the finding leaves in place a formal breach over a meeting she said related to redress measures for victims of institutional abuse.
November meeting at Stormont
At the meeting, Timothy Gaston named Naoise Ó Cuilín and asked whether Ní Chuilín wished to make a declaration of interest, noting that it was “regarding her son has been named on social media as being involved in the damage of that portrait”. Ní Chuilín replied that she had “nothing to declare, absolutely nothing to declare” and added: “I am here to scrutinise in front of us today draft legislation affecting victims and survivors, and that’s what I’m here to do today, and I have no interest to declare at all on behalf of myself or anyone else,”
The commissioner later concluded that the matter was under consideration at that November meeting and that Ní Chuilín failed to uphold the principles of openness and leadership by not declaring an interest. The ruling matters for any member serving on a committee where a family link could shape how the meeting is read, because the point is not whether charges follow but whether the issue is live enough to require disclosure.
October 23 2024 meeting
The complaint covered two committee meetings, but only the November one was upheld. On October 23 2024, the City Hall incident was referenced only incidentally, and the commissioner found no breach at that meeting. Ní Chuilín disputed that the matter had been under consideration at either meeting, drawing a line between a passing reference and a discussion that engaged the code.
The damaged portrait of Lord Wallace Browne at Belfast City Hall in October was investigated by police as a hate crime. Naoise Ó Cuilín later resigned as a Sinn Féin staff member, and no criminal charges were brought after the Public Prosecution Service said there was no reasonable prospect of conviction as “key gaps remained” in the available evidence.
Standards Committee response
Timothy Gaston and Trevor Clarke complained to the Assembly’s standards commissioner over the two meetings. Cathy Mason said allegations of breaches of the Assembly’s code of conduct were taken “very seriously” and that it was right that an independent investigation had been carried to establish the facts. Cathy Mason said the committee noted that there were mitigating circumstances in this case.
Ní Chuilín had said in her letter of apology that she believed a declaration was not necessary “because no charges were made against him”. The ruling now fixes the procedural fault in one meeting and closes the immediate disciplinary question with no sanction, leaving the record to stand on the breach itself.
