"I can see that people are more than angry, and I really am sorry."

Those are the words of former Sinn Féin minister Caral Caral Ni Chuilin about her decision to attend the funeral of high-profile republican Bobby Storey, at the height of the Covid pandemic. 

She is the first Sinn Féin politician to face questions at the UK Covid-19 inquiry about the decision to attend the funeral in west Belfast in July 2020.

Earlier the inquiry heard that the presence of republican ministers at the event was severely damaging to relations in the Executive.

Health reporter Deborah McAleese reports and Political Editor Tracey Magee