Northern Ireland’s Attorney General John Larkin QC has said his role in Stormont’s political crisis will remain that of a lawyer and “nothing more of that”.

Mr Larkin, speaking to The Irish News, declined to comment on the RHI scandal in his first public appearance since it rocked the Northern Ireland Assembly.

At one stage during the unfolding crisis, Health Minister Michelle O’Neill suggested an investigation could be “undertaken by an independent judicial figure from outside this jurisdiction and be appointed by the Attorney General”, but the Attorney General’s office said that it had no power to establish an inquiry.

Mr Larkin told The Irish News: “I’m not going to comment on RHI for all kinds of reasons, but there are certain conventions that exist in relation to advice that the Attorney General gives.

“So for example it is a convention that the fact that advice is sought isn’t disclosed.

“I’m not sure that necessarily came within that convention because it wasn’t so much about advice, it was about potential involvement, but you know what if you are in an - at least partly - public facing role you got to expect a certain amount of that stuff.

“One of the great things about this job is that all of the ministers in the Executive know that when they come to me they have my utmost, undivided attention on that particular issue.

“Now you might have a number of them seeking advice on the same topic and maybe going away and comparing it, but I’m there for all of them.”

On the looming snap election, Mr Larkin added: “I’m not going to get involved in that at all, that’s a matter for the politicians and not for me.

“I’m just a humble lawyer - I give the best advice I can, nothing more than that”.