SF Minister Grilled Over Ex-Water Boss's Past

NI Water, the beleaguered Northern Ireland government owned company, is under pressure again today with allegations over its recently resigned boss further muddying the waters - and so is the Sinn Fein Minister responsible.

South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell has challenged the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy to confirm whether or not he had prior knowledge of an allegedly 'spent' criminal conviction against former Chief Executive Laurence MacKenzie.

The revelations, said the SDLP MP, went to the "very heart of the governance of the organisation and the decisions taken under the watch of both Minister Murphy and Mr MacKenzie".

The MP said that the agreed payout of £96,000 to the departing top executive following the Christmas and New Year chaos over freezing weather conditions and prolonged water shortages should be put on hold.

He said that until the Assembly had an opportunity to fully examine all elements surrounding MacKenzie's appointment and eventual resignation that any such payout should be delayed: "If Mr Murphy knew about Mr MacKenzie's past record in its entirety and still allowed him to be appointed then his judgement has to be questioned.

"And if he was not made aware by his Civil Service departmental security checks of the court appearance of Mr MacKenzie then it also raises further questions about just who is running the Department," he alleged.

"The Minster's decision making and his judgement has been weak and ineffectual.

"The tragedy for Northern Ireland and for the long suffering consumers of NI Water is that he will continue to swim against the tide of public opinion no matter how discredited his stance is," Dr McDonnell concluded.

In a later statement, Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said he had been advised that NI Water was looking into the issue.

"The Minister was not aware of this issue until it broke in the media," a statement said.

Rehabilitation

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, it is an offence for a public servant to reveal details of spent convictions other than in the course of official duties - which could explain why Minister Murphy was unaware of such a past history.

Revealing a conviction after a specified length of time - the rehabilitation period - carries a threat of being sued for libel, as does any inference of being unfit for such high office.

The point of the 1974 Act is to allow those guilty of relatively minor offences to 'live down their past' and to more or less ignore past sentencing in job applications, for example in the appointment process for Mr MacKenzie's position.

(BMcC/GK)