Ulster Unionist Basil McCrea complained to the Assembly on behalf of a businesswoman who later assisted him in a staff redundancy process, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

Mr McCrea last week disclosed two of his constituency employees had lost their jobs.

The MLA confirmed he was accompanied at staff redundancy discussions by human resources consultant Catherine Williamson.

He said Mrs Williamson had been present in an independent note-taking capacity.

The Lagan Valley MLA made representations on Mrs Williamson's behalf earlier this year, when she was at the centre of an investigation by the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

In a letter to the PAC in April, Mr McCrea criticised a report by the watchdog Northern Ireland Audit Office relating to the businesswoman's past conduct.

The Audit Office had examined the obtaining of duplicate invoices by Mrs Williamson during her time with a publicly-subsidised hotels body in the late 1990s.

Its report also detailed a “conflict of interest” situation connected to her position on the board of a taxpayer-funded quango, the Northern Ireland Events Company.

This involved her securing a PR contract for a golf tournament that was being financially supported by the Events Company.

The Audit Office findings, which formed the basis for a PAC probe, were strongly challenged by Mrs Williamson, who firmly denied any wrongdoing.

A damning report published by the Assembly PAC in June underlined the conclusions of the Audit Office.

In his letter to the Stormont committee two months earlier, Mr McCrea had echoed the businesswoman's grievances about the process.

The document has not been published, but a copy has been obtained by this newspaper.

While stressing he was not seeking to “prejudice” the PAC's deliberations, Mr McCrea's letter said he was concerned about the “methodology, cost and outcome” of the Audit Office’s report.

He added: “Obviously, I am not in a position to provide detailed analysis but information supplied to me does seem to suggest that the issues of proportionality, fairness and factual accuracy have not been satisfactorily addressed.

“The effect on the individual concerned will be significant and despite efforts on her behalf to explain the situations she has not been afforded the opportunity to do so.

“This investigation appears to add little to the existing knowledge base raising questions of cost and accountability. I understand this latest investigation will have cost several hundred thousand pounds.”

The letter also said: “It may be appropriate for the committee to receive additional information from the person named or indeed from myself if that is more appropriate.”

It added that there was a “general issue” relating to the relationship between the PAC and the Audit Office.

Mr McCrea told the Belfast Telegraph that there was no connection between his representations for Mrs Williamson and her later involvement in his staff redundancy discussions.

He said that he turned to the businesswoman because of her expertise on employment matters.

“When you are faced with a situation where you are not sure what to do — it's not as if the Assembly steps in — any sane person will pick up the phone and ask somebody who is expert in these areas for a bit of advice. It was not any huge undertaking,” he said.

Explaining his representations to the PAC on Mrs Williamson's behalf, the UUP MLA said: “A person came to me with a concern. I did what I would do for anybody, which is draw it to the attention of the appropriate authorities.

“I did it in a public, open and transparent way. I was quite clear that the committee would take cognisance of whatever information was provided and would reach its own conclusions.”

Mr McCrea added that he had only been able to act on the basis of Mrs Williamson's account.

“All I can do on the basis of somebody coming to me with information is to say that on the basis of what I have been provided with, there appears to be information which the committee might take cognisance of,” he said.

Mr McCrea has blamed his two redundancies on the challenge of running two constituency offices, while the sole UUP MLA in Lagan Valley. His sister remains a member of his backroom staff.

MLAs receive £72,000 a year to cover office running costs.