TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has used a Stormont committee to name the son of a Sinn Féin MLA as the person alleged to have been involved in the damage of a portrait of a DUP lord mayor at Belfast City Hall last year.

The PPS announced on Monday it would not be bringing a prosecution against the man who had been previously suspended from his role in the Assembly and resigned from Sinn Féin. The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to sustain a prosecution.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill told the Assembly last October that the individual had made the party chief whip aware of “their involvement” in the damage of the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne.

However, the PPS said a later statement from the chief whip said the individual “made no admissions” to being at the event and denied any knowledge of the damage.

At a meeting of The Executive Office Committee at Stormont on Wednesday, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the son of North Belfast MLA Carál Ní Chuilín, Naoise O Cuilín had been “named on social media” and questioned whether Ms Ní Chuilín wished to declare an interest on the issue.

“What I want to ascertain is, if Ms Cullen (Ní Chuilín) wants to make a declaration of interest at this stage due to the interest that is around this issue regarding her son, who has been named on social media as being involved in the damage of that portrait,” Mr Gaston said.

“The second thing I would like to raise is that Junior Minister (Aisling) Reilly will be in attendance today and in light of Naoise’s employment with the Junior Minister at that time, as a translator I understand, does the Junior Minister also need to declare an interest when dealing with this issue?

“The third issue I would like to raise is relating to the meeting on the 23rd of October, if indeed what we read online is true and it is Ms Cullen’s (Ní Chuilín) son that is involved in that discussion in here where it was raised by Harry Harvey, and indeed Carál interjected in that discussion.

“So there needs to be clear parameters going forward that if there is family members involved, that the member declares an interest and either takes herself out of the room to make sure the integrity of this committee is maintained, and I have serious concerns of that meeting, that if what we read is true, then there should have been a declaration of interest declared on the 23rd of October and that didn’t happen.

“That was a failing that was allowed to happen.”

In response, the Sinn Féin MLA said she had “nothing to declare” and that the issue being raised had nothing to do with the issue to be discussed at the committee, an oral briefing for an inquiry into Mother and Baby Institiutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses.

“First of all Timothy, my name’s Ní Chuilín and you know it, so I’d just ask that you respectfully address me by my name

“I’ve nothing to declare, absolutely nothing to declare. I’m here to scrutinise in front of us today, draft legislation affecting victims and survivors.

“I have no interest to declare at all, on behalf of myself or anyone else.

“I actually don’t think it’s in the remit of this committee at all, so I just want to put that on the record. I think this committee’s business is on the agenda and others have chosen to add this issue on which has got absolutely nothing to do with victims and survivors of institutional abuse to the mother and baby scandal.”