BLAME SINN FÉIN OR FIANNA FÁIL IF THERE’S A SNAP ELECTION: LEO
ANY general election that might happen in the next few months would be Sinn Féin or Fianna Fáil’s fault – not Fine Gael’s – Leo Varadkar has said.
The Taoiseach is reported to have warned Fine Gael TDs and senators that a snap election may be on the horizon if Sinn Féin table a motion of no confidence in the Government, or Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, over its handling of the housing crisis.
It’s believed Fianna Fáil would find it hard to row in behind Fine Gael on such a sensitive topic, which in turn could collapse the Confidence and Supply Agreement that keeps Fine Gael’s minority government in power.
The Government has come under renewed pressure in recent days after it emerged that previous Department of Housing estimates as to how many new homes were built between 2011 and 2017 were overestimated by 30,000.
The number of new ESB connections – which governments have traditionally used to estimate house completions – gave a figure of 84,500, while the CSO put the figure at 53,578.
There was some solace for the Government, however, as the CSO figures did show that a 46% increase in new home completions last year to 14,500.
The Taoiseach yesterday said he had ‘absolutely 100%’ confidence in Mr Murphy. He added: ‘I’ve no interest in a snap election. My focus is on securing jobs in the economy, negotiating Brexit, securing more houses and dealing with some of the issues in healthcare.
‘If Fianna Fáil wants to cause an election by refusing to renew the Confidence and Supply Agreement, or if Sinn Féin wants to cause it through a motion of no confidence, then they will be the cause of it,’ he said.
Mr Murphy yesterday maintained ‘huge progress is being made’ in tackling the lack of housing across the country.
‘That’s the important thing we have to focus on, the data and the progress it tells us that is being delivered,’ he said.
The Housing Minister pointed out that on top of the 14,500 new homes built last year, more than 2,500 came out of vacancy, while a further 1,000 ghost houses were completed.
However, he appeared to struggle when asked how many previously occupied homes had become unoccupied.
When asked why the CSO wasn’t asked to include this in its calculations, the minister suggested he had the correct net figures despite not knowing what the true level of obsolescence might be.
Obsolescence is typically 0.5% – or 8,000 houses last year.