 In September 2008, Cairns admitted that he asked for a National Assembly rule to be "clarified" to determine whether he could claim expenses for a second home in Cardiff.A rule change introduced in late 2006 by the Assembly's House Committee allowed him to claim expenses related to a flat in Cardiff even though his main home was reclassified as being situated in the Vale of Glamorgan.While taking part in BBC Radio Cymru's weekly radio show, "Dau o'r Bae", on 13 June 2008, Cairns was asked to apologise on air for referring to Italians as "greasy wops", and immediately did so.