Economy Minister Conor Murphy held more than 250 meetings with ‘external organisations’ in the first eight months since the institutions were restored, fresh figures reveal.
The Sinn Féin minister’s busy diary saw him meet business bodies, British government ministers and occasionally members of his own party during some 278 meetings from February up to the end of September - an average of more than eight meetings a week.
Meanwhile, his party deputy leader and First Minister Michelle O’Neill held an average little over two-and-a-half non-departmental meetings per week.
From February to September, Ms O’Neill had 87 meetings with external organisations. Her Executive Office counterpart Emma Little-Pengelly held 104 similarly caterogised meetings during the same period, a number of them joint engagements with the first minister.
In the weeks immediately after the restoration of the institutions, the pair held up to two dozen meetings together but latterly there were fewer joint meetings, the data shows.
Their engagements included a controversial meeting with Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang at Stormont Castle in May.
The Executive Office later declined to publish notes of the meeting, arguing it could harm “international relations”.
Publishing details of meetings with the external organisations was a pledge in 2020’s New Decade, New Approach deal, which saw Stormont restored after a three-year gap.
The aim, according to the guidance issued to ministers and their staff, is “for greater transparency and openness within government to rebuild the trust of citizens”.
Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Pam Cameron held 49 and 47 meetings, respectively, with external organisations - less than two a week over the eight-month period.
Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir held the second highest number of meetings with groups and representatives from outside his department, racking up a total of 241 such engagements between February and the end of September.
Education Minister Paul Givan had 215 meetings, more than double the number of Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald, whom records show had 94 meetings.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons conducted a total of 119 external meetings, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and his successor Robin Swann together had 115, while Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd had 95.
Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on a quarterly basis, though there was more than a two-month lag between the end of September and the latest quarterly data being published on December 5.
