Council meeting row over discussion of BUPA jobs

STANDING orders were suspended at a Cork County Council meeting yesterday, amid fears that a recent High Court ruling could jeopardise 500 BUPA jobs in Fermoy.

A row erupted between Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Alan Coleman and Fine Gael’s Cllr Liam O’Doherty when the latter proposed that standing orders be suspended to discuss “the serious issue”.

Mr Coleman, who later defended VHI, said Mr O’Doherty was abusing the standing orders system. But he was overruled by the mayor of Co Cork, Cllr John O’Shea.