'I'm a human and I make mistakes', says Harris after Cork carer interaction
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The Taoiseach has said that he "is human and made a mistake" in his interaction with a Cork carer.
Simon Harris on Saturday apologised to care worker Charlotte Fallon after a video of her challenging him on the Government's record on disability services went viral over the weekend. She had challenged Mr Harris while he was canvasing in a Kanturk supermarket.
Asked about the incident on Sunday in Mayo, Mr Harris said that he was "holding his hands up" on the incident but was not "over-analysing" it.
"I'm human, I make mistakes. But you know what I do when I make a mistake? I own it," he said.
"I mean, there have been far too many occasions during general elections in this country and abroad where something goes wrong on the campaign trail and people dilly-dally and debate for days.
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The Fine Gael leader went on to say: "I think people, I hope people, like to see humility in politics. If you get something wrong, you own it."
Mr Harris said that he had engaged with Ms Fallon and was committed to improving disability services.
He said he has had "hundreds of conversations with people" during the campaign and some conversations were "very complimentary about the work of Government", adding that there were "some conversations where people raise difficult, harrowing cases".
"I got that one wrong ... and no matter how many times I say that, that reality won't change. So I made the decision to put my hands up and to apologise. That's what I do. I'm a human and I make mistakes."
Mr Harris said that he wasn't concerned about an opinion poll published on Sunday which showed that Fine Gael support has dropped by four points, and now gives Mr Harris's party just a two-point lead on Fianna Fáil.
"I think we always know the polls reset from the elections, because I've heard lots of people talk about that right back to Bertie Ahern — who makes that point on a regular basis — and it's been very clear to me, really since day one of this election campaign, that this is going to be a very tightly contested, close general election.
"What I would say to the Irish people is this we need, when the results are out and the ballots are counted on Saturday, we need to be able to put together a strong, stable Government, because we are living in very difficult and challenging times.
Mr Harris said that, aside from the national poll, there were 43 local contests and the polls he has seen on a constituency level are "good news".
Separately, the Taoiseach would not be drawn on reports that party chief whip Hildegarde Naughton campaigned with a councillor who was expelled from Fine Gael after sending inappropriate messages to a staff member.
Patsy O'Brien is running in the Mayo constituency as an independent, but Mr Harris said that the situation was being treated confidentially.
"A complaint was made to our party, the now independent councillor was suspended, was expelled, and has contested the local elections — a Seanad election — and now a general election against Fine Gael," Mr Harris said.
"I've been very clear that my party took the right action in acting to expel them on the basis of gross misconduct. Due process obviously has to be followed.
"My party is in touch with the complainant. If the complainant has asked media, as well as my party, to keep that engagement confidential, I want to respect their privacy."
The Taoiseach also denied that there was a €5.5bn hole in his party's manifesto's financial projections.
Economist Barra Roantree had written that all of the major parties had not followed the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council's projections for the money needed to keep public services running at their current level.
Mr Harris said that the Fine Gael numbers predict that services will cost more or less what they have done in recent years.