THE comments of Wexford by-election candidate Verona Murphy on asylum seekers were “out of order”, according to Fine Gael minister Damien English.

Ms Murphy has been caught up in controversy after suggesting earlier this week that some immigrants “almost have to be re-programmed” so that they’re integrated into Irish society.

Fine Gael backed the candidate after she “wholeheartedly” apologised for saying that terror group Islamic State (Isil) was “a big part of the migrant population” in Ireland.

Speaking this afternoon, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Mr English told Independent.ie that it was important that the candidate apologised for her comments.

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“Her comments were wrong, out of order and she knows that now,” he said.

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Ms Murphy visited an emergency reception centre in Co Waterford last night in a bid to quell the controversy.

“In the last day or two, she has experienced what it is all about and has had a chance to meet people who are coming through the asylum seeker process and learned a lot from that as well,” the minister added.

“That’s the important part of that for me.”

He said that Ms Murphy’s comments were not in line with the party’s philosophy.

“I don’t agree with what she said, it is not Fine Gael philosophy.

“She has taken back those comments and apologised and I think that it is important that she did that and did that immediately, because I would not have been happy with those comments at all,” he added.

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