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By Sean Moriarty

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae said his much publicised row on live television in the Dáil on Wednesday is taking the limelight off the real reason he was engaging with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.

Deputy Healy-Rae was asking the Minister for answers regarding the increase on VAT on hospitality sector services when the row broke out – suspending the Dáil for some time.

The Kerry TD had been asking the Minister to keep the VAT rate under review as promised when the Government increased the charge from nine percent to 13 percent in last year’s budget.

During the debate, Healy-Rae took offence at Donohoe’s suggestion that the Kerry Deputy chose not to go into Government in 2016.

Healy-Rae was outraged by the remark and repeatedly told Donohoe: “You told a lie, you told a lie”. The subsequent outburst was broadcast live and has been shared multiple times on social media platforms.

“What people are missing is the reason I had the floor in the first place,” Healy-Rae told the Killarney Advertiser yesterday (Thursday).

“I was holding the Government to account. They said they would monitor the situation when they introduced the increase in VAT last year, but from what I am hearing from the people and businesses of Killarney and Kerry, is that the charge is having a negative effect on their businesses. I was holding the Minister to account and in the middle of, for reasons best known to himself, he told a lie about me and this would have gone on the Dáil record unless I challenged him and put the record straight. I was in the middle of a terrible important debate. If the Minister told lies about me to avoid the question in hand, only he can answer that.”