Humphreys questioned on record in Cabinet during RTÉ debate
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Fine Gael presidential candidate Heather Humphreys has defended her record in Cabinet during a televised debate.
It comes after former transport minister Shane Ross said Ms Humphreys opposed measures on drink-driving reforms before Cabinet agreed to the proposals and they were voted into law.
Speaking during the RTÉ debate, she said: “I did not oppose it at Cabinet – and Cabinet is confidential – and that’s the bottom line here, and I’m not going to breach that confidentiality.
“I did not oppose the legislation. I voted for it, as I said, not once but twice.”
She said: “You should not be drinking and driving, and that is it. End of story.”
Elsewhere, presenter Aine Lawlor pressed the candidate on her record on providing for people with disabilities.
Senator Tom Clonan previously said Ms Humphreys “very strongly pushed” for tiered welfare support for disabled people while she was social protection minister, and spread “huge fear and consternation” among the disability and caring community.
The former social protection minister said she withdrew the proposal for tiered welfare support because she knew activists were unhappy with it.
“I have done so much over the years to help people with disabilities. I brought in a number of different measures.”
She was also asked about the disappointment of the O’Farrell family of her brief time as Minister for Justice.
Shane O’Farrell was killed in a hit-and-run crash almost 14 years ago and his family said Ms Humphreys failed to back a campaign for an inquiry.
She said: “What the O’Farrell family have gone through is absolutely awful – they lost their son, Shane, and I often think about them.
“There was a process when I was in Justice, and can I say I am glad that they have received an apology from the State, because they deserved it.”
Meanwhile, Ms Humphreys said she believed that a woman is an “adult female” as she said she would describe someone who underwent a male-to-female transition as a “trans woman”.
Speaking to reporters after the debate, Ms Humphreys said it was an issue with “complexities” and added that trans people need support.
Responding to a question regarding the issuing of a gender certificate for a trans prisoner, Ms Humphreys said: “A woman is a female adult and a man is a male adult. That’s my belief.
“But we know the world is not black and white, and there are complexities there. Obviously, it’s a difficult situation.”
Asked if that meant she would not classify someone who had undergone a male-to-female transition as a woman, she said: “No, I would actually classify them as a trans woman.”
She said: “They’re in transition. This is a very complex subject. Let’s face it, it’s not black and white, and it’s something that needs sensitive discussion, and people need assistance, and they need support.
“They need the support of their community. They need the support of their family, and sometimes they need medical support.”
