Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg was asked to skip the queue to take the Covid-19 vaccine “to safeguard her relative’s health”, the newly appointed CEO of St Vincent de Paul home, Jorgen Souness, said.

Buttigieg told Parliament earlier this week that Souness had tried to make Buttigieg skip the queue for the Covid-19 vaccine in 2021. Back then Souness was responsible for the vaccination programme during the pandemic. He was promoted to CEO of SVPR on 5 October.

In reply, Souness said that in 2021, during the initial COVID-19 vaccination rollout, “our approach was to categorize patients starting with staff, followed by immunocompromised and the elderly population.

“During this process, when the Honourable Claudette Buttigieg and her relative joined the queue, we were vaccinating the adult population.

“We did not insist that the Hon Buttigieg take the vaccine, but we did suggest to divert the Honourable Buttigieg and her relative from the queue in order to safeguard her relative’s health.

“Other employees working within the vaccination unit, were present during these proceedings and can readily verify the foregoing.”

In her speech in Parliament, Buttigieg said that although he (Souness) “insisted” that she should skip the queue, she continued to refuse.