Simon Harris has admitted he did not give a carer in Cork enough time to speak about disability services while he was out canvassing on Friday.
A video taken by RTE News shows the Fine Gael leader on a canvass in Kanturk, where a woman who is a carer tells the Taoiseach “we were ignored” and the Government has “done nothing for us”.
“The disability sector is a joke, you’ve done nothing for us, our people are suffering, I’m very passionate about my job,” she says.
Mr Harris responds by saying “no not at all” and “I’m very passionate about disability too”.
The woman says: “But there’s no mention of (them in the) Budget. You ignored them, you ignore the carers,” to which Mr Harris says “that’s not true” several times before shaking her hand and walking away.
On Saturday, Mr Harris posted to Instagram to say that the main reason he got into politics was disability services and because of how his parents struggled to fight for services for his brother who has autism.
Mr Harris said: “I was in Kanturk last night at the end of a very long day and I was talking to a woman who works in a Section 39 disability organisation and she was raising issues with me, and I want to say I didn’t give her the time that I should have given her and I feel really bad about that because it’s not who I am.”
He then outlined his party’s plans for carers and the disability sector, including removing the means testing for the Carers’ Allowance and to ensure that there are therapies in special schools and special classes.
He said: “I should have taken the time to engage, there’s no excuse on my part in relation to that, but please please know, this is what makes me tick, this is what motivates me.
“I’m going to make sure, as I said at the launch of our manifesto last week, that we make this an absolute priority issue. We’ve got to look after people with disabilities, we’ve got to empower then and we’ve got to support carers better.”
Sinn Fein’s housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin said that Mr Harris’ reaction “showed the true face of Fine Gael” and showed “a contempt for working people”.
He added: “He should apologise not just for insulting that woman but for insulting carers and people (with) disabilities by the utter disrespect that he showed for her.
“So I would like to hear Simon Harris apologise and apologise pretty quickly.”
Speaking at a press event in Dublin on Saturday, Fine Gael ministers Helen McEntee and Paschal Donohoe defended their party leader.
“I think the Taoiseach himself has been very clear that he wished the encounter had gone differently. It had been the end of a very, very long day,” Ms McEntee said.
“What he said very clearly is that he should have given her more time, and should have engaged for longer with her, but this is the reason he got into politics.”
Mr Donohoe said: “His commitment to support carers, his commitment to support those who have additional needs within our society is the north star of Simon Harris’s political career.
“I have seen his empathy. I’ve seen his commitment to this issue again and again and again.
“I had seen, particularly since he become Taoiseach, his desire to place those needs at the heart of government and at the heart of how we can change public policy under a new government.”
He added: “In the course of an election campaign, in all the interactions that we have with people, of course, we sometimes feel within ourselves ‘that could have gone differently’ and ‘could have gone better’. I think it’s particularly the case for somebody who is so committed to looking at how we can support those who need more.”
