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LAST UPDATE | 2 May
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said it was correct to “think through” the new housing tsar role but denied “blocking” the appointment of Brendan McDonagh.
It comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin admitted the Government did not “perfectly execute” a plan to appoint someone to lead a new office in the Department of Housing.
Nama chief Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration for the new role yesterday, citing the controversy surrounding the position as head of the new Housing Activation Office – particularly the reported €430,000 salary.
Martin said McDonagh, who he spoke to yesterday, does not want to be part of the ongoing dispute.
But he rejected suggestions that Harris blocked McDonagh’s appointment, and said the coalition will “persevere” in finding someone else to lead the new office.
Discussions took place at yesterday’s Cabinet subcommittee on housing on the matter, with sources stating that Fine Gael “blocked” the appointment of McDonagh at the meeting.
Speaking on the Late Late Show tonight, Harris said he is “very supportive” of setting up a Housing Activation Office and that “it makes a lot of sense”.
When asked if he “blocked” McDonagh’s appointment, Harris said he doesn’t “like the work ‘block’”.
“I just didn’t think it was a good idea to go straight ahead with the appointment of any kind of individual person on a set salary, without just taking a little bit of time to think this through.”
He said the Taoiseach “agreed” after “talking it through”.
“We made a good decision this week,” said Harris. “But let’s get this right, we only get one chance to get this right. We don’t want is for this office marred in controversy from the start.”
Meanwhile, Harris said the salary of €430,000 is not a “fair amount” for the role.
He described the office as a way to “break down silos” and “knocking heads together and not accepting the buck passing anymore” and said it was a “good step”.
“But I also think it was right to pause on the next step, because had we just ploughed straight on, I think we would have regretted that.”
He added that the controversy this week surrounding the role won’t put anyone off it in the future and said: “There’s lots of people out there who want to play an important role and there’s no doubt that we’re able to find the appropriate people to fill this office.”
Housing Minister James Browne had said that McDonagh was his “preferred candidate” for the role.
Speaking in Cork this afternoon, Martin said that no Government party has an issue with the establishment of the office, which is in the Programme for Government.
The Fianna Fáil leader said that Browne started working on setting up the office, and was asked to work “with speed”. He said it was agreed to appoint an external person to head up the new office in March.
“Brendan McDonagh’s name did surface in internal meetings in the Department of Housing during March and April, because it was known that he would be coming to an end of his time in Nama, and therefore the idea [came about] of a secondment to the role,” Martin said.
He said Browne spoke to Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe about the potential appointment “as would be normal”, as Donohoe “would be the line Minister” for Nama.
Martin said there was “no issue with the quality” of McDonagh.
“Paschal would have worked with him and has very strong admiration for him. So as everybody around the table, issues that arise, salary had never been discussed, to be fair,” he added.
“The focus of the Secretary General in housing, in his discussions with the NTMA, was around the mechanism of secondment. That’s the story, basically. The Minister went through the process from a substance perspective.”
Martin said Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe worked with Brendan McDonagh and has very strong admiration for him. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
He added: “We’re going to continue on. We’re going to persevere. We’re going to establish the Housing Activation Office. It’s not about one individual.
Asked if the Tánaiste blocked McDonagh’s appointment, Martin said:
No, that’s not correct.
“I met with Simon Harris yesterday and spoke to Sean Canney and Brendan McDonagh himself. He doesn’t want to be part of a controversy of this kind.”
Opposition parties have criticised the Government over how it proposed to appoint the housing tsar.
During Leaders’ Questions yesterday, Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said it was “embarrassing” that the Government was prepared to pay someone half a million euro to take on the Housing Minister’s duties.
However, Martin accused Sinn Féin of “hypocrisy” after they proposed setting up a similar office in their general election manifesto.
He criticised Mary Lou McDonald describing the appointment as a “job share” with the Housing Minister.
“If you read what Eoin Ó Broin wrote in his manifesto, he said he would set up a housing activation office on a non-statutory basis, without legislation,” Martin said.
“That is hypocrisy, and I just stand back from it all and say, what is the agenda here?
Okay, you can criticise us for not executing this perfectly, or whatever, but that’s not the point.
“The point is, why is there tendency more about tearing down, attacking as opposed to, this is a policy they had proposed themselves. If you look at the proposal that emanated from government, in respect to the Programme for Government, it’s identical.
“Yet we get this huge outroar in Leinster House and in Dáil Éireann,” he said, calling for more “honest, sincere debate”.
“I’d be open to criticism any day to week, but I would like a bit more sincerity from the opposition. Sinn Fein can’t have it both ways.”
Speaking to reporters in Belfast today, Mary Lou McDonald said the Government’s handling of the appointment has been “an absolute fiasco”.
“They clearly have no plan in respect of housing delivery. We’ve seen housing prices soar, homelessness rise, rents rise, and a real sense of doom in what has been a crisis now for many, many years,” the Sinn Féin leader added.
McDonald also told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were “unable to rationalise” the role.
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