A TOP Northern Ireland official got £10,000 compensation after complaining he was offended by having to walk past portraits of the Queen and Prince Philip, Parliament has been told.
Lee Hegarty is said to have claimed the massive payout on human rights grounds – and got a new picture put up of former IRA leader Martin McGuinness meeting Her Majesty.
3
3
The “scandal” in the Northern Ireland Office was revealed by former DUP MP Lord Maginnis in the House of Lords on Wednesday night.
He told peers: “It has come to my attention that around £10,000 was paid in compensation to a civil servant who was offended at having to walk past portraits of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
“This individual, who had worked in the NIO for between 15 and 20 years, claimed that under human rights legislation it was unfair to him to have to work where he was offended by portraits.
“The portraits were removed and the offended party, a Mr Lee Hegarty, was consulted on what should replace them.”
‘HURT FEELINGS AND DISTRESS’
Lord Maginnis said a photo was put up of the historic meeting between the Queen and Mr McGuinness in Belfast instead.
He said the case was “settled secretly” and that no record could be found of the damages for “hurt feelings and distress”.
“This quite scandalous episode has since been shrouded in secrecy. Repeated attempts to find out about this shameful case through freedom of information have been rebuffed.”
Lord Maginnis contrasted the treatment of Mr Hegarty – now a senior figure in the Parades Commission – with that of victims of historical abuse.
“We have lost all sense of reality when a portrait of Her Majesty can cause offence to a civil servant but we do not bat an eyelid when we deny closure and justice to unfortunate people who have been abused in the most outrageous manner imaginable.”
He urged the department to restore the portraits of the Queen and her husband.
Last night the NIO, which has offices in Belfast and London, said: “We will not comment on individual personnel matters.”
3
