‘Travellers refusing houses is ridiculous’
Áras candidate Casey criticises dispute over stables
PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Peter Casey has blasted as ‘ridiculous’ a situation ‘where the Travellers were refusing four-bedroomed houses because they weren’t being given stables’ with the property.
The Dragons’ Den star was yesterday discussing the housing crisis during an interview on RTÉ Radio 1.
Mr Casey was challenged on Morning Ireland for reportedly making a statement about how he didn’t understand why homeless people would complain about being put up in hotels.
The Presidential candidate went on to say: ‘Yeah, I mean the ridiculous situation down in Cork where the Travellers were refusing four-bedroomed houses because they weren’t being given stables with them. I mean, you’ve got to step back and ask yourself.’ The interviewer corrected him and said he understood the situation he was referring to had actually occurred in Co. Tipperary.
‘Tipperary? I’ve been on the road a lot and I’ve been getting soundbites but they turned down houses because they didn’t have stables. I mean, that’s, where are we going to with this? It’s just nonsense,’ Mr Casey said.
When challenged again about his reported comment regarding homeless people living in hotels, the entrepreneur conceded he ‘may have said something’. ‘I mean, there’s people being put up in hotels and I think that’s sad when we’re at the situation where we can’t… that’s just a symptom of the problem though.
‘The problem is lack of investment in rural Ireland. And Dublin is overheated and we haven’t got the ability… we’re obviously starting now to build high-rise buildings, we’re starting to get involved in lower cost houses.
‘In, for example, in America, they’ve timber frame houses in a matter of months. Whereas over here, they’re all brick and concrete houses… takes far too much time.’
During the bizarre interview, Mr Casey insisted he was a feminist. He also said he would produce his own personal accounts ‘if the other candidates give theirs’, and that he had instructed his accountants both here and in the United States to have them ready to be audited and inspected if required.
‘I am quite happy to give out all my reports and expenses, as soon as Michael D Higgins gives his,’ he said.
The Derry native also revealed he would give his second preference to Joan Freeman.
Meanwhile, President Higgins appeared on Virgin Media One’s Ireland AM in the first television interview of his campaign to be re-elected to the office.
Mr Higgins insisted the controversial €317,000 fund is ‘not an allowance’ to him and is ‘an allowance to whoever is incumbent of the Presidency’.
He dismissed any suggestions that it was used for anything other than its function, and said the balance will be returned to the Exchequer.
emmajane.hade@dailymail.ie
‘I’ve been getting a lot of soundbites’