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00:00So, anyway, sorry, there's five minutes, that's up.
00:02Who's next?
00:03Harry, please, go ahead.
00:04Thank you very much, Chair, and First Minister, I would like you to hear me out in my question
00:12before you decide if you can answer or not.
00:15I think it's a reasonable question, is that okay?
00:18Belfast City Hall event on Saturday evening passed organised by Glór na Móna and the
00:24damage which took place to a former Lord Mayor's portrait.
00:28Were there any other of your members of your party in the vicinity of this attack, and
00:33are you aware of anyone trying to stop this attack?
00:36Harry, just before we go on, it has to be in relation to the work of the Executive Office,
00:42and you're aware of that.
00:45Can you couch your question in relation to?
00:47Chair, I'll just point out, if I intervene, the Junior Minister, Riley, was present at
00:51this event and gave a statement in the Assembly Chamber Monday morning about her attendance
00:56at that event.
00:57In other words, she was there as Junior Minister, not as TAO.
00:59She was there as TAO.
01:00She's a Gaelic arts, she's a Gaelic arts.
01:01She's a Gaelic arts, Minister.
01:02She's a Gaelic arts, Thomas Height.
01:03Can I raise a point?
01:04Sir, this is the point that I raised with you, that this is straying into party politics,
01:12as opposed to being genuine about safeguarding.
01:13And I know other members have raised genuine safeguarding questions, which I was wanting
01:17to be here to be open and transparent, but some of this stuff is just straying completely
01:22beyond your own legal advice I'm quite sure.
01:25Can I raise a point, please?
01:26In fairness, I understand we did not share the legal advice with you, First Minister.
01:33I do have it in front of me, and I am happy for either clerks to correct me if I am wrong.
01:37The legal advice said that the witnesses could not be compelled to answer if they felt it
01:43was not within the vows of the committee, not that the chair had to rule it out.
01:48Is that correct?
01:49That is correct.
01:50So, who is the onus would be on the witness not to answer?
01:54There is also on the committee members to ask questions in line with our responsibilities
01:59as committee members.
02:00I am asking that.
02:01Yes, but we also had the discussion that questions need to be related to TAO.
02:06You cannot kind of say one day that that applies and then another day it does not, so either
02:11it applies or it does not.
02:12This is a confidence issue.
02:13The chair feels that the legal advice did advise us that there was risk in people asking
02:17questions.
02:18It is on the Member.
02:19We are actually eating into Harry's time.
02:21Have you got any questions, Harry, that relate to the work of the Executive Office?
02:24For the First Minister, please.
02:26It is just basically, was there anyone trying to stop the incident?
02:30No, that was my question.
02:32Do you want to make any comment on what I said?
02:34Not within the remit of the committee.
02:36Are there any other questions you would like to ask?
02:38No, thank you.