Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots has said he has "nothing to answer for" over his handling of concerns a young woman raised about Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct.

He faced questions in the assembly on Monday over his response to the claims, which have surfaced in the wake of Donaldson's conviction for child sex offences.

Donaldson was convicted last week of 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is commissioning an independent review into issues raised in the wake of Donaldson's conviction.

A BBC Spotlight investigation revealed Poots and another senior DUP member were made aware of allegations from a woman who said she had been "exploited" by Donaldson.

Poots told assembly members (MLAs) his "integrity has been impugned".

He said there was "nothing of a criminal or safeguarding nature raised" and the woman was offered "support" but she did not wish to make a formal complaint.

"I have nothing to answer for because I did not engage in any activity to cover up anything or to do anything that was untoward," Poots said.

The former DUP leader added: "It was not my role to do something which she clearly and specifically said she didn't want taken further."

Poots also said he had asked the assembly's chief executive to conduct an investigation in relation to Donaldson's time in the assembly.

"This is an investigation which would allow potential victims of abuse by Jeffrey Donaldson to come forward."

Poots said he would also urge head of the Civil Service, Jayne Brady, and the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to launch similar investigations.

On Friday, BBC Spotlight reported that not long before Donaldson became DUP leader in 2021, the then-North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said he was approached by a young woman who said she had been exploited by Donaldson and that he should not be allowed to lead the party.

Paisley said the woman did not want to make a formal complaint but he said he told Poots, when he was elected leader.

Paisley described her as a "victim" in a text to another politician during the DUP leadership contest between Donaldson and Poots in 2021.

In response, Poots told BBC Spotlight: "We observed at all times the wishes of the young woman."

Poots responded to questions on the matter during a sitting of the Stormont assembly on Monday.

He said that when he and Donaldson were campaigning to become DUP leader in 2021, a party colleague brought the woman's claims to his attention

"There was nothing of a criminal or safeguarding nature raised. The colleague offered her support to take the matter forward as a complaint to several bodies which she declined."

He added he was "absolutely confident" that there wasn't a safeguarding issue at any point "because the person was an adult at all points".

Poots was asked by some MLAs on whether he should step aside during the DUP's review.

He responded: "I have not had one iota of evidence presented to me or indeed to the public of wrongdoing on my part.

"So recusing myself is not something that is necessary at this point, because there is nothing to answer for."

(Left to right) Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly, DUP leader Gavin Robinson and deputy party leader Michelle McIlveen speaking to members of the media on Monday

Earlier on Monday, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the party will leave "no stone unturned" over the actions of Donaldson.

Robinson insisted a review commissioned in the wake of the former DUP leader's conviction for child sex offences would be "independent" of the party, conducted by someone with "impeccable credentials on child safeguarding" and would consider issues including the DUP's safeguarding policies.

He pledged to be "as transparent as possible" in publishing the review, which he expected will take 12 weeks, but added some parts may be withheld due to "personal data" concerns.

Speaking at Stormont on Monday, he said he would not be "turning a blind eye" to the issues raised and the party's actions were "very much about injecting trust".

Robinson said he had yet to speak to Poots about the matter.

"I've commissioned, as you know, an independent process, and I think it's important that they have the opportunity to speak through that process," he said.

The East Belfast MP reiterated that "as a party we were not aware of allegations that have subsequently come to light".

"It is clear there are a number of individuals, either former members of the Democratic Unionist Party or current, who did indicate publicly on Friday that they had information," he said.

"Information that they did not share, information that was not reported through our appropriate channels, and therefore information with which we could do nothing formally about."

Political parties have called for "full transparency" from the DUP around its safeguarding processes.

Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey said the BBC NI Spotlight programme on Donaldson raised "significant questions" while Alliance leader Naomi Long called for a "fully independent and external" investigation.

She added that Edwin Poots should reflect on whether to stand aside as assembly speaker while the review is ongoing.

Stormont opposition leader, SDLP's Matthew O'Toole, said the DUP "simply cannot mark their own homework" and called for clarity on the review's terms of reference.

He also urged ministers to examine whether Northern Ireland's defamation laws are chilling public interest reporting.

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister said the DUP's independent review must be a "thoroughgoing, warts-and-all investigation".

He also said Poots had questions to answer over what he knew about separate allegations against Donaldson and what action he took, particularly given his current role as speaker.

Inside the double life of Jeffrey Donaldson: Political stardom hiding child sex abuse.

Wallace Thompson, a founding member of the DUP, said he thinks Ian Paisley would be "turning in his grave" at the revelations about the "immoral" life that Donaldson lived.

The former DUP special advisor said the party was founded upon "high moral standards" and that it will now be a "monumental task" for it to deal with the fallout.

Doug Beattie wants the police ombudsman to investigate the PSNI about "what they knew" about Donaldson before his arrest

The former Ulster Unionist Party leader, Doug Beattie, told Good Morning Ulster that the Police Ombudsman "needs to investigate" what intelligence the PSNI had on Donaldson a year prior to his arrest in 2024 and whether any of it was "actionable".

The Spotlight programme found that a police detective and a child safeguarding expert identified Donaldson after speaking to the victim known in the sex abuse trial as Complainant A.

A former senior police officer told Spotlight that such suspicions should have been passed to the chief constable.

Beattie said: "Intelligence is not evidence, but we need to know that the intelligence wasn't actionable.

"The other thing I'm really concerned about is if they had intelligence, who else did they pass it onto?"

In a statement the police ombudsman said it is "mindful that legal proceedings are ongoing" but said it would consider correspondence from Beattie and "may seek information from the PSNI in order to carry out an initial assessment".

The PSNI have said it has "conducted a thorough investigation into non-recent sexual abuse allegations. As legal proceedings are ongoing, we will not be making any comment".