McDonald grateful for business class on ‘gruelling’ Australia visit

Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald confirmed today she had returned from Australia yesterday on business class - but said no public funds were involved.

Ms McDonald and Sinn Féin MP Francie Molloy went on an eight-day speaking tour across Australia, visiting Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

Controversy erupted at the weekend when it emerged she had travelled business class. “Yes, I returned by business class. It cost €4,000, the ticket, which is expensive,” she said as her party’s two-day think-in got under way in Termonfeckin, Co Louth, this morning.

“This was paid for by party funds. There’s no taxpayers’ money involved. To be honest with you, given just how gruelling the schedule was... I was very glad that those who organised the trip had the foresight to afford me that level of comfort.”

Before leaving for Australia, Ms McDonald said she would be talking to Irish workers on temporary visas in Australia about their rights in the workplace, and promoting trade union membership among the Irish community.

Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the Government's health policy is "in tatters" after Taoiseach Enda Kenny "chastised" Minister for Health Leo Varadkar.

“I noticed how the Taoiseach publicly repudiated and chastised the new health Minister, who happened to say ‘I can’t deliver on what has been said’. Clearly their health policy is in tatters.

“This is a Government which I think is just hanging on, just hanging onto power, trying to go the full-term as opposed to doing what it promised to do when it was elected.”

Earlier this week, Mr Kenny called on Mr Varadkar to bring timelines to Cabinet indicating when free GP care for under-6s would be implemented.

Department of Health briefing material given to Mr Varadkar in the summer described some proposals championed by his predecessor James Reilly as “unworkable”.

Earlier, Mr Adams accused Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan of making “totally inappropriate” comments over the deadlock on budgetary issues in the Northern Executive.

Last weekend, the recently appointed Minister accused Sinn Féin and the DUP of failing to deliver basic services to those who elected them.

“As opposed to defending the political institutions and promoting the agreements and working [to make] sure the British government delivers, he talked about these two ‘problem parties’.”

Mr Adams described Mr Flanagan’s comments as being “driven by electoralism” and not by the need to develop and defend the political process.

“We have a responsibility in government to defend people’s rights,” Mr Adams told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

He said Sinn Féin would not accept a diktat from a “Tory minister” - whether in Enda Kenny’s cabinet or in David Cameron’s cabinet.

Defending his party’s record in Stormont, Mr Adams said the view that Sinn Féin was “running scared” of making tough decisions was “unfair” and a “lazy analysis”. “I think it is very, very patronising,” he added.

It was not the case Sinn Féin would not do a deal with the DUP, he went on.

“There are three things happening and one is that the unionist leaders including Peter Robinson have reneged on deals which they have done with Sinn Féin in the past.”

Mr Adams accused the Irish and British governments of not fulfilling their obligations. He said the British government has been cutting the block grant Stormont received each year from the UK Treasury.

“Our fight is not with the DUP. Our fight is with the Tories in London, and that battle isn’t over yet.”

Outlining the party’s think-in agenda, Mr Adams said Sinn Féin would review the political situation across the island and “prepare for government” in the South.

He said: “We want to get some ‘joinedy-upness’ between the people in the North, the South, the Border corridor... to deliver for people and to make things better for everyone.”

Mr Adams refused to be drawn on the Scottish referendum on independence, saying it was “essentially a matter for the people of Scotland”.

He said the vote would have a “profound” impact on the union - regardless of the outcome.

“I think whatever happens now in this referendum - given the scramble by the London establishment, making new promises of increased devolution - whatever happens, whether they vote for independence or they don’t, they are going to have profound effects on the union.”