Pat Sheehan

Pat Sheehan

Role: Sinn Fein MLA Constituency: Belfast West Party: Sinn Féin Last updated: 27 May 2026

Bio

Key Information

• MLA for West Belfast
• Sinn Féin
• In May 2026, Sheehan accused Department for Education and Education Authority officials of "lying to and gaslighting" committees during an Education Committee session over SEN reform. The Department called on him to substantiate or withdraw his remarks; he responded: "I stand by my remarks."
• The FDA union subsequently called on First Minister Michelle O'Neill to condemn Sheehan's remarks, saying she must make it "unequivocally clear" such comments are unacceptable.

Recent Developments

• 27 May 2026: Sheehan accused Stormont Department for Education and Education Authority officials of "lying to and gaslighting" Assembly committees during an education committee session on controversial new Special Educational Needs (SEN) regulations. He favourably compared the Children's Law Centre — an NGO specialising in children's rights — to his experience with Stormont officials. The Department of Education called on him to "substantiate his allegations or withdraw them." Sheehan responded: "I stand by my remarks." (Source: The Irish News)

Twitter/X Discussion

Source: Nitter search, 26 May 2026

No significant discussion found on Nitter/X for this period — section created on setup.

Reddit Discussion

Source: Reddit, 26 May 2026

No significant discussion found yet — section created on setup.

Sources

• Northern Ireland Assembly: https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/
• BBC Northern Ireland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/northern_ireland