Sinn Fein ministers at Storey funeral damaged relations - and key minutes of meetings have gone missing, Covid Inquiry hears

On the opening day of the UK-wide hearing in Northern Ireland, the inquiry heard that the issue of how public confidence was affected by the presence of Michelle O’Neill and Conor Murphy at the mass gathering will be discussed.

Up to 2,000 republicans, including many Sinn Fein political figures, attended the west Belfast funeral of the IRA leader in June 2020 while Covid prevention legislation restricted public gatherings to a maxium of 30.

As many unionists at the time called for Ms O’Neill to step down as deputy first minister, the NI Assembly passed a motion calling on her to apologise for attending the funeral.

On Tuesday, Counsel to the Inquiry, Clair Dobbin KC, said: "We undersand that the executive of the TEO hasn’t been able to find the notes of the Executive Committee meeting that took place after [the funeral].

"The typed minutes simply note that the deputy first minister discussed the circumstances in which she attended the funeral, but it appears that that incident of itself was to prove damaging to Executive Committee relations”.

Ms Dobbin also referred to the independent review into the circumstances of the policing of the funeral, the police investigation to establish if anyone broke the regulations by attending the funeral, and the subsequent decision that no one would face prosecution.

In the weeks following the Storey funeral, Ms O’Neill told MLAs that she would always apologise "for any unintended hurt that was caused" but did not apologise for attending the funeral.

The then NI Secretary Brandon Lewis said he understood that some people were "frustrated and angry" at what happened.

The row continued to sour relations around the Executive table and Ms O’Neill made a more fulsome apology in April 2021, saying: “I am truly sorry that my actions have contributed to the grief or the heartache that has been felt and experienced by many people who’ve lost a loved one during this pandemic.”

Ms O’Neill added: “That was never, ever, my intention and for that I offer my heartfelt and unreserved apology to those families that have lost a loved one.”

The original assembly motion calling for an apology was signed by the other four parties that made up the Executive – the DUP, SDLP, Alliance and Ulster Unionists.

The censure motion in April 2021, that recalled MLAs back early from their Easter recess, called on assembly members to "condemn" Ms O'Neill and Mr Murphy for "their actions which have caused immense hurt and undermined the executive's public health message".

Nichola Mallon of the SDLP said at the time that "this is no longer about a funeral… it is now an issue of why Sinn Féin believes they are above the restrictions, above the law, above the public health advice".

On Tuesday, commenting on the ‘no prosecution’ decision in relation to the funeral, Counsel to the Inquiry, Ms Dobbin, said: "One sees that the decision not to prosecute was based on the lack of clarity in the regulations, and the policing approach which had been taken in the lead up to the funeral as well.

"And obviously that issue – as to whether the regulations were so unclear as to not being enforceable – is an important one across all of the work of Module 2.”

Ms Dobbin added: “But it also raises issues, or questions, as to the extent to which damage was done, in terms of relations in the Executive Committee, the perception obviously of bereaved people in Northern Ireland having regard to the funeral as well, and third, whether or not damage was done to public confidence in Northern Ireland.”