FINE Gael refused to allow Senator Catherine Noone to do broadcast interviews to explain herself after she described the Taoiseach as “autistic”.

Ms Noone held talks with Fine Gael officials where she requested that she be allowed to explain herself in a broadcast media interview.

However senior party figures, including director of elections Paschal Donohoe and general secretary Tom Curran, decided against this after she went underwent a mock interview with officials from the Fine Gael press office.

Earlier today, a Fine Gael election candidate said Senator Noone should no longer be running for the party after she described the Taoiseach as “autistic”.

Councillor Thomas Walsh, who is running in Sligo-Leitrim, was speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime on Wednesday when he was asked why Fine Gael had taken no action against Ms Noone but had expelled – and later reinstated – Jude Perry and his mother over the promotion of former Fine Gael minister John Perry’s by-election campaign.

“You’d have to question that,” Mr Walsh said.

“I think Catherine has apologised and so she should and I think she should get a better understanding of autism. We have taken this very seriously, we’ve invested in services, we’ve more ASD services than ever before.”

Asked if Ms Noone should still be running, Mr Walsh said: “In my opinion, no.”

Ms Noone has “apologised profusely” to a leading autism awareness campaigner after she described the Taoiseach as autistic.

Ms Noone called AsIam founder and chief executive Adam Harris, who is a brother of Health Minister Simon Harris, on Tuesday night to apologise.

A spokesman for AsIam said on Wednesday: “As far as we’re concerned, the personal issue about Catherine Noone is closed. She apologised profusely, we accepted her apology. There is a broader issue in relation to autism awareness, but that’s the end of the matter insofar as it relates to Catherine Noone as far as we’re concerned.”

Fine Gael has faced calls to abandon the Ms Noone’s Dáil campaign. The Fine Gael candidate in the Dublin Bay North constituency, said she was “truly sorry” and withdrew remarks made about Mr Varadkar to a journalist from ‘The Times’ website while she was canvassing last week.

“He’s autistic like, he’s on the spectrum, there’s no doubt about it. He’s uncomfortable socially and he doesn’t always get the inbetween bits,” she said.

Speaking in Wexford as he opened the New Ross bypass bridge on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said the senator had contacted him of her own volition to apologise for the remark.

“She called me this morning to offer her apologies to me,” he said.

“I said she did not need to apologise to me – she needed to apologise to the members of the autism community – people who may have autism in their families, many of whom were hurt by what she had to say.”

“She is doing that – she is going to engage with the autism charities and advocacy groups and apologise to them.”

“She is going to learn a little bit more about this issue.”

“Certainly one of the things that the Government is doing, as you know, is that we have set aside about €2m for an autism awareness and education campaign.”

“It is evident to me from this and from many other things that there are a lot of people in our society who do not understand autism – who see it as some form of illness or disorder rather than being a condition in the way it is.”

“There is an opportunity for a lot of people and not just in politics to learn from this and learn a little bit more about neuro-diversity.”

Mr Varadkar said he did not have to indicate to Ms Noone that an apology over her controversial remark was required. “I think she knew very well herself that she had to do that,” he said.

Mr Varadkar indicated that this was the end of the matter as far as he was concerned.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney had earlier slated the comments as “offensive, ignorant and wrong.”

Speaking at Fine Gael campaign event in Dublin, Mr Coveney said: “She is following up on that to try and reinforce that point by writing to organisations and the families concerned

“This should not have happened.

“As deputy party leader I want to apologise for the fact that it happened. The apology is very sincere and comments like that type are not acceptable.

“I hope we can put that issue to bed.”

• Read more: ‘Inexcusable’ – Senator Catherine Noone apologises for ‘autistic’ comments about Taoiseach

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