Thanks for joining us on our live page this afternoon covering the Assembly, where Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has been answering questions on how her party dealt with former press officer and now child sex offender Michael McMonagle.

You can watch O'Neill's opening comments in full by clicking play on the video below.

Alliance Party MLA Eóin Tennyson asks if it is "really credible" that not a single member of the Sinn Féin assembly team was "aware" of McMonagle's presence at Stormont when he attended an event with the British Heart Foundation in 2023.

O'Neill replies: "I'm very confident that I did not see Michael McMonagle in the chamber".

Independent MLA Claire Sugden asks Michelle O'Neill what conversations she has had with her partner in government, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, about the viability of O'Neill's role and the executive in the wake of the fallout.

O'Neill responds, saying they "haven't spoken about it at this stage".

The first minister says she is "ever more determined to lead the Executive Office" and to deliver on all the commitments they have set out in their programme for government.

In response to a question from the SDLP's Mark Durkan, Michelle O'Neill says Sinn Féin acted quickly after learning of McMonagle's arrest.

"He was immediately suspended from party membership and his employment as a press officer," she said.

"The child protection policy then kicked in immediately.

''Where the other issue arises is because people were giving references without asking permission.''

SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin asks if O'Neill acknowledges that Sinn Féin's actions have "damaged" the first minister's office.

O'Neill responds that she is "very much committed to ensure that this does not occur again," adding that the the issue of references is "crucially important".

"In this scenario, two people gave references without permission. They should not have done so."

Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw also asks about safeguarding policies; she wants to know if O'Neill will work with other executive colleagues to make sure that safeguarding policies are reviewed and updated across government.

O'Neill responds that she will work with her executive colleagues as she wants to ensure that these practices are as up-to-date as possible.

Adding that she wants the public to know that safeguarding is "of the upmost importance to her," and she takes it very seriously.

The DUP's Jonathan Buckley says "the entire McMonagle saga has exposed serious failings in Sinn Féin's child safeguarding policies".

"Even more concerning to this house is that the failure to notify the Assembly and return Mr McMonagle's security pass for this building has also compromised the child safeguarding policy of this very assembly," he adds.

"If there has to be a review of passes, then so be it; that's what we should do," responds O'Neill.

"The passes should have been returned," she adds.

The DUP's Phillip Brett asks: ''Is it the case that this is not just a scandal in relation to child safeguarding but also the possible misappropriation of public funds by Sinn Féin using office cost allowances to employ press officers?"

The First Minister responded: "Mr McMonagle was employed by different MLA's at different times under different responsibilities."

"I am happy to answer any question you have in relation to the role that he played in terms of his employment in any of our teams. We want to be as open and transparent as we can here.''

In response to a question from the DUP's Brian Kingston, O'Neill says she is "ready and willing" to work with the commissioner for standards.

"There's no grey area here," she said.

On Saturday it emerged a human resources (HR) manager within Sinn Féin had been contacted by the British Heart Foundation in August 2023, but O'Neill says the party's leadership had not been made aware of this.

Responding to a question from DUP MLA Paul Frew about if this person is facing disciplinary processes, O'Neill confirms that the person is no longer employed by Sinn Féin.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath asks if the first minister accepts that by not disclosing all of the information related to the investigation around McMonagle the party's handling of the issue has damaged the reputation of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the Executive and the Stormont institutions.

O'Neill says Sinn Féin would not "want to damage the reputation of what is an excellent charity, who do sterling work in terms of promoting heart health, and I look forward to having a constructive relationship with them going forward."

Adding that she has apologised for any reputational damage caused to the BHF.

The Assembly's leader of the opposition, Matthew O'Toole, asks the first minister about footage of her at an event at Stormont in 2023, where McMonagle was in attendance.

"In relation to the photos that were taken in the great hall, are you clear that in the photograph taken of you 10 or 15 feet from Michael McMonagle, that you did not see him?'" he asks.

O'Neill responded: ''My statement of absolute fact is that I did not see Michael McMonagle on that day."

"I was solely focused on the child and on the campaign itself. I very much regret that [the Mac Gabhann family] is being brought into this.''

Alliance Party MLA Nuala McAllister asks about a comment that was made last week by a member of Sinn Féin making the suggestion that if the party had notified the British Heart Foundation, they would prejudice the police investigation.

McAllister adds that PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher says this would not be the case.

She continued to ask O'Neill to apologise for this and ask where this lies in the timeline.

The first minister says she accepts Boutcher's position and says that what she has "put out publicly is when she became aware of it".

UUP MLA Steve Aiken asks what due diligence she undertook on McMonagle's suitability for employment when he was first hired and what safeguarding checks she conducted once she learned that he was being investigated by the PSNI.

"I can assure the member that I took all the same precautions that he does whenever he employs any member of the Assembly," responds Ms O'Neill.

"The same processes that apply to your staff apply to my staff also."

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston asked the question: ''Can you assure us that there will be no more paedophilia scandals that will come out from Sinn Féin?''

The first minister responded: "I want to give a full account of what I know and when I knew it. This is right up there with my priority list of issues of things to be concerned about."

''I have set up my account of what I knew and when I knew it and I hope that provides some assurance to the public," she said.

"I have been as factual as I can in everything I now know.''

Diane Dodds says that Stormont needs the truth, rather than the "denial of responsibility".

She suggests that the first minister "tried to create distance" between herself and McMonagle.

The DUP MLA asked Ms O'Neill how the people of Northern Ireland can have "confidence when you appear not to know the facts, refuse to be fulsome in your explanation, and deny responsibility, apologising only for the press officers and not the Sinn Féin cover-up?"

O'Neill says she welcomed the fact that she had the opportunity to set the record straight.

''I want the public to be assured that safeguarding is of paramount importance to me, particularly when it comes to young children.

"Had I known, I would have stopped."

The first minister has apologised to the British Heart Foundation for the "reputational damage" caused for how Sinn Féin dealt with former press officer and now child sex offender Michael McMonagle.

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Michelle O'Neill said she regretted that this has happened.

O'Neill admitted over the weekend that "serious omissions" were made in earlier accounts provided by the party over references given for McMonagle from two press officers.

You can follow along live by clicking play at the top of this page.

Michelle O'Neill tells MLAs that Michael McMonagle's "actions are utterly reprehensible"

"He is being fully held accountable under the law, his crimes have inflicted significant harm on his victims and there is nothing more reprehensible than the abuse of a child," she said.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill has started by telling the Assembly that she is "absolutely and totally committed to ensuring that the strongest and most robust child protection and safeguarding processes and policies are in place."

"As a mother and a grandmother, I assert my absolute determination, both political and personal, to protect all children," she said.

O'Neill added: "The issues that have arisen over recent days result primarily from the actions of two former press officers, who have now resigned from their employment and Sinn Féin."