SINN FÉIN LEADER Mary Lou McDonald is to meet with Máiría Cahill at Lenister house tomorrow.

In 2010, Cahill alleged that she was raped by an IRA member when she was 16-years-old.

The former Labour party senator who joined the SDLP in July told police she had been sexually abused from 1997 to 1998, and in subsequent years was subjected to an IRA ‘investigation’ of her allegations.

Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire found that the PSNI’s predecessor, the RUC, had information about Cahill’s alleged abuse for 10 years but did not investigate it.

Yesterday the Sunday Business Post reported that a PSNI detective told the Police Ombudsman’s inquiry that members of the party interviewed in connection with Cahill’s abuse allegation did not cooperate.

Another police officer reportedly told the inquiry into the handling of Cahill’s allegetions that an interview with one group of individuals was “difficult and confrontational”.

In September McDonald denied there was a cover-up by her party in relation to the alleged sexual abuse of Cahill.

However she said she regretted that mandatory reporting of abuse procedures “were not in place at the time of Máiría Cahill’s disclosures”.

“For this, I unreservedly apologise,” she said.

Cahill yesterday called on McDonald to meet her tomorrow as both are due to attend a photocall at Leinster House.

She has confirmed that both sides agreed to meet “subject to logistics”.