General Election: 'I am determined to transform our health service' Michelle O'Neill

By JAMES GOULD Political Reporter

First Minister Michelle O'Neill pledged today (Monday) to help "fix" Northern Ireland's crisis hit health service.

Speaking to Downtown Radio & Cool FM as part of our pre General Election Leadership series, Ms O'Neill said that she was "determined" to work alongside Executive colleagues to "transform our health service."

"We know the state it's in." she said.

Ms O'Neill added that it was important to focus on "the things that really really count."

"We need to fix how we deliver our health care," she said

"We need to make sure we invest in our health care - we can do that together in an Executive here."

We also asked the First Minister about another key issue - the cost of living crisis.

She said that while this was a direct result of "global circumstances", she believed the "Tories had tanked the economy and driven up inflation."

"It is the ordinary person who is paying the price," she said.

Finally, we asked Ms O'Neill about a party-specific issue - why Sinn Fein did not take its seats at Westminster because of a long-running abstentionist policy.

She responded: "So, for 41 years now we have had the same position and the voters know that when they go to the polls.".

And pressed on whether that policy could change, Ms O'Neill said: "We are fighting an election in 20 days - and the position for Sinn Fein for that election will be the position of abstentionism."