Martin demanding review of Dail pact

FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin has doubled down on his demand for a “substantive” review of the confidence-and-supply arrangement.

Mr Martin said this review must happen before he will consider renewing the deal which underpins the Fine Gael-led Government. Speaking at the Fianna Fail President’s Dinner in Dublin, Mr Martin used the vast majority of his speech to attack Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael.

He accused Fine Gael leader of trying to “manufacture a political crisis” after a number of ministers called for the review of the confidence and supply agreement to be expedited.

He said the speeches he heard at Fine Gael’s Ard Fheis showed the objective for Fine Gael “is holding power, not what you do with it”.

“I am saying to Fine Gael, please; don’t give us any lectures about responsible politics or the need for stability,” he said.

“There is an agreed process. It requires a substantive review which should be completed. Stop trying to manufacture a political crisis and start focusing on doing your jobs.”

Mr Martin also accused the Government of “massaging” homelessness figures and said Mr Varadkar does not acknowledge a problem until it is at crisis level.

“The housing emergency is the direct result of a Government which refused to undertake even basic planning, ignored population projections and has failed to deliver on any of the four housing strategies published in the last five years,” he said.