Matt Carthy

Two Sinn Féin TDs will attend interviews with the PSNI in Belfast this afternoon.

Donegal TD Pierce Doherty and Cavan Monaghan TD Matt Carthy are being interviewed in connection with the protest at Garvahy Road in Portadown earlier this month.

The interviews are scheduled to take place at Musgrave PSNI station.

It comes after Belfast's High Court upheld a decision to prevent an Orange Order parade from marching through the predominantly nationalist area.

Last week, the IFA held a lobbying event to set out its stall on the next cap to local TDs.

And Niamh Murphy spoke to IFA President Francie Gorman and to Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy in Boswells.

Francie Gorman, President of the IFA.

Francie, what message are you trying to get across today?

Now, Sinn Féin has proposed increasing standard residency to eight years and the implementation of a basic language competency as an alternative to the government's proposals on citizenship.

And joining us now is Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin's spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration.

Good evening to you, Matt.

This long term residency permit that you're talking about, in what way does it differ from citizenship?

But again, just to say there is no suggestion that I'm aware of that Angus Osnodig is under any investigation himself.

And he is only too eager to support those investigations that are being undertaken by both the Gardaí and the charities regulator.

Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration.

Thank you very much for joining us.

Now, the charity's regulator has said there's no evidence that the trustees are involved in the activities under investigation.

But Deputy O'Snoddy's colleague, Matt Carthy, he was asked about this at Leinster House a short time ago.

Well, I think in the first instance it's very important to be just categoric.

Angus O'Snotty is not under criminal investigation and in fact he has set out very clearly that he's very happy to engage with the Gardaí and the charity's regulator in relation to any of these matters and I'm sure will answer all relevant questions in due course.

In the first instance I know that Angus has sought an emergency meeting of the board where all options will be on the table and that he is engaging or at least seeking to engage with the charities regulator and the Gardaí at any level that they wish and of course he has set out that his priority is the staff in the first instance but also the beneficiaries of the work of the charity who as far as I can see played absolutely no role in any alleged wrongdoing.

So full backing for Angus O'Snoddy there from Matt Carthy.

Harry, what has the Dublin South Central TD said himself?

He hasn't really been commenting publicly on it other than the statement to which Matt Carthy referred.

But does this just mirror what the government has already laid out? Tonight, we're joined by Fianna Fáil Senator Dee Ryan.

Matt Carthy, TD, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice, Migration and Home Affairs, and news reporter with the Irish Examiner, Gráinne A.

Do get involved in the conversation.

Send us your comments.

I'll try and get to as many of your texts as possible.

Now, citizenship aside, let's roll on with that.

Matt Carthy, what exactly are you proposing with these new plans?

So this is a policy document that we've been working on for quite a number of months and it reflects what I consider to be a very long-standing need to reform our citizenship rules.