Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she will making a full apology to the teenager who received inappropriate texts from the party's former senator, Niall Ó Donnghaile.
She said: "He will be given a full unequivocal apology. For me he is a young person who deserved to be fully comfortable within Sinn Féin. What happened to him was wrong. Niall Ó Donnghaile's behaviour was unacceptable and utterly inappropriate. No young person should have experienced that."
Ms McDonald also confirmed she will correct the Dáil record regarding her statement last week in which she said the teeanger was 17 when the incident occured.
The teenager said in yesterday's Sunday Independent that he was 16 at the time, not 17 as stated in the Dáil by the Sinn Féin leader.
Ms McDonald said: "It is very important that the record of the Dáil is accurate, so of course it will be corrected."
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the correction was "entirely appropriate."
"I think it's really appropriate that she does correct the record, and obviously if there is any more information or anything else that needs to be corrected that that would be done..."
Minister McEntee added that the last few weeks illustrated that Sinn Féin did not have the appropriate structures in place and was "not fit for Government".
O'Neill says records show teenager was 17 at time
Sinn Féin deputy leader and Stormont's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said party records state that the teenager who was sent inappropriate texts by the former senator was 17 at the time.
Asked during Stormont questions this afternoon to clarify what age the boy was, Michelle O'Neill replied: "I can confirm that according to our records the young person was in in fact 17. That's the records we have in our files in terms of membership."
The First Minister also said she was "deeply sorry and angry" that the young boy had to "endure any inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour" and that Niall Ó Donnghaile had faced consequences for his actions.
Ms O'Neill also again insisted that Sinn Féin had followed an child protection protocols and that "the protection of a young person was our primary concern".
DUP MLA for North Belfast Brian Kingston said the party expections to question Ms O'Neill "at the scrutiny Committee for The Executive Office on Wednesday regarding all safeguarding and misconduct matters of public concern".
'More clarification is needed'
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he would like to know what Ms McDonald intends to do, while Tánaiste Micheál Martin said serious questions remain to be answered by Sinn Féin.
Speaking in Dublin earlier, Taoiseach Simon Harris said that instead of addressing the teenager's request, Ms McDonald had spent the weekend demanding an apology over a media satire.
"Because I thought from listening to her in the past, from listening to all of us in the past. I thought we now adopt a victim-centred approach to these issues," he said.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said more clarification was needed "as to why Sinn Féin opted not to fully inform the Oireachtas as to the reasons behind Niall Ó Donnghaile's resignation".
Speaking in Cork, he said: "More clarification is needed in respect of that entire saga, not just in terms of the Brian Stanley affair but also in terms of Niall Ó Donnghaile and to what degree was the Oireachtas blindsided and to what degree was there a cover up in preventing the Oireachtas from knowing fully as to the reasons as to why he resigned.
"So I think that is a matter parties will deliberate on between now and the end of the week."
Meanwhile, Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman said he agreed with the Taoiseach that the focus on Ms McDonald needed to be on the statements that she put out at the time that Mr Ó Donnghaile resigned.
Mr O'Gorman said he believes her judgement was "flawed" in terms of the way "she heaped" praise on him in light of the reason that he was resigning.
He said that there "may be an opportunity for Deputy McDonald to clarify the record of the House".
Ms McDonald told the Dáil last week that she was "deeply sorry and angry that this young person had to endure this inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour", adding that the party contacted the PSNI and social services on being informed.
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Additional reporting Eleanor Burnhill, Jennie O'Sullivan
