Assembly chairman urges members to be more cautious

The Northern Ireland Assembly's speaker Lord Alderdice has called on members to be more careful in what they say in the Assembly chamber.

The caution came during proceedings in the chamber after South Antrim Northern Ireland Unionist Norman Boyd withdrew his remarks - made last Monday during a debate on the 'breakdown of law and order' - that Sinn Féin Fermanagh assembly member Gerry McHugh had been convicted of murdering a postman.

Mr Boyd withdrew the remarks after Mr McHugh made a personal statement condemning the remarks as "untrue, thoughtless and stupid".

Speaking on Monday February 4 Mr McHugh said: "At no time have I ever been charged or convicted with the murder of anyone, let alone a postal worker. Mr Boyd's comments were entirely without foundation and his allegations have no connection with any material fact or connection to reality."

After the retraction Lord Alderdice warned members who use parliamentary privilege to be more responsible in future.

He said no member should use parliamentary privilege to place another member's life in danger.

"If this is the attempt of any such comment it is a criminal attempt to place the life of another member in any form of danger," he said.

"The inevitable consequence must be to place the accused, in this case utterly wrongly accused, and their family in danger." (AMcE)