McCarthy disappointed over refusal of Health Minister to apologise to him over comments

Alliance MLA Kieran McCarthy has expressed his disappointment over the refusal of the Health Minister Edwin Poots to apologise over comments he made in the Assembly in Monday during an Assembly debate on the accident and emergency department at the Royal Victoria Hospital on Monday. The Health Minister said: “Mr McCarthy, in true style as that of the village idiot”.

Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “I am disappointed but not surprised by the refusal of the Health Minister to apologise over the insulting comments he directed at me.

“This is the Minister of Health in the Northern Ireland Executive, he really should know better. By making such comments he let himself down and his Department down. This was a childish use of language by a grown man.

“The matter has been referred to the Speaker who will be making a ruling on the language that was used. However, considering the fact that the Minister has now refused to apologise or withdraw his comments, the Speaker must now order him to do so.”

ENDS