Michael Noonan rejects claim he ‘did a runner’ from families of sex abuse victims

Minister accused of trying to evade foster home abuse families

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has strongly rejected claims that he “did a runner” from families of sex abuse victims who tried to speak to him about abuse allegations when he was minister for health.

Mr Noonan yesterday dismissed a claim from a former Fine Gael councillor and chairman of the South East Health Board Garry O’Halloran that the minister “ran” from him as he tried to discuss the abuse allegations in the South-East.