Wright apologises to party colleagues

DRINK-DRIVING Fianna Fáil TD GV Wright last night made an emotional apology to his party colleagues for the embarrassment caused by his offence.

The shamed Dublin North TD told his fellow TDs at a meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party of his deep regret.

The letter of apology and resignation from disgraced tax evader Michael Collins was also read out to the meeting, but the Limerick West TD was not present.

Also last night, Fianna Fáil’s anti-smoking ban backbenchers won the battle against Micheál Martin but are still set to lose the war. The majority of FF TDs who spoke at the meeting demanded a compromise in the forthcoming blanket smoking ban.

But the minister for health responded to the sceptics by saying that he was still going ahead with the ban next January.

Parliamentary Party chairman Séamus Kirk said he was surprised by the number of TDs against the ban.