A Stormont committee has heard that a former top civil servant alleged he was pressured by the education minister to promote another official within his department.

Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan told the education committee on Wednesday that Mark Browne, the former permanent secretary at the Department of Education, had made the accusation. Browne served as permanent secretary until November 2024, when he was replaced. An investigation was later held into the circumstances of that replacement, but its outcome has not been made public.

Sheehan said the accusation was that the minister had bullied or pressurised Browne into trying to promote another official. Education minister Paul Givan has previously told the assembly that allegations of bullying were made against him by an unnamed civil servant. Givan said a confidential Civil Service HR review had rejected those assertions.

Jayne Brady, head of the Civil Service, was questioned by MLAs at the hearing. She said she was the line manager for permanent secretaries. When Sheehan asked when she first became aware of the allegations against the minister, Brady said it was not appropriate to discuss personnel issues in open session.

Sheehan argued the matter was one of governance, not personnel, and questioned the secrecy. Brady said there were protections for confidential processes, including in employment law.

The committee chair, Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, said the committee was considering using rare legal powers under Section 44 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to compel DE witnesses to appear. This follows Givan instructing his officials not to attend the committee, citing what he called "unacceptable behaviour" by Sheehan at a previous hearing in September. At that hearing, Sheehan had questioned senior DE official Suzanne Kingon about her social media activity, and Kingon said she was prepared to withdraw.

Mathison has called the minister's move "unprecedented and unacceptable". Sheehan has rejected any suggestion that he bullied or harassed officials.