Sinn Féin stance on using ex-convicts as government advisors 'astonishing', says Simon Harris

Mr Harris also said: "Remember the Gilmore For Taoiseach Mugs? The Mary Lou for Taoiseach hoodies could be joining them yet."

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris says it would be astonishing if Sinn Fein were to hire anyone with a serious criminal conviction to serve as an advisor in the next government. Photo: Naoise Culhane

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris says it would be astonishing if Sinn Féin were to hire anyone with a serious criminal conviction to serve as an advisor in the next government. 

Mr Harris was responding to a discussion about Sinn Féin potentially becoming the largest party in the next government, based on recent opinion polls. Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy was asked this week if he would support a ban on convicts being used as advisors to a Sinn Féin government. 

Mr Carthy said it was a "silly question" which was unlikely to ever become an issue, but stressed he did not believe in telling people they could not serve.

"These are people who were released under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Most of them are probably reaching pension age now," he told RTÉ.

"But I wouldn’t support what is a discriminatory proposal that would suggest that, because somebody is a former political prisoner, they can’t play an important role in the political discourse of this island.

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"It would be bizarre to suggest that someone like [former deputy first minister] Martin McGuinness would be excluded from ever having played a role in the politics of the country."

However, Simon Harris described the response from Mr Carthy as astonishing.

"The idea that we even have to say whether we think it's a good idea that somebody with a criminal conviction would be appointed by the government of Ireland to advise the government. I mean, would they be an advisor in the Department of Justice? Would they be an advisor in the Department of Defence? 

"I think this is quite an astonishing thing, that the main opposition party, a party that wishes to lead the government of this country is not willing to say clearly that it doesn't believe in hiring people with a criminal conviction to take up sensitive roles in government.

"Government advisors obviously have access to lots of information, including sensitive information. And I think it's important that people reflect on that in relation to appointments."

Mr Harris added that he does not "buy the narrative" that the next election will see Sinn Féin leading the Government. He said that an election was "some way off".
"These are matters for the people of this country to assess, and I don't buy into the foregone conclusion that the outcome of the next election is decided. We're a long way out.

"Remember the Gilmore For Taoiseach Mugs? The Mary Lou for Taoiseach hoodies could be joining them yet."