ON STEWARD’S LODGE

IT IS# put to him that stories emerged last weekend confirming that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is staying at the State-owned Steward’s Lodge in Farmleigh, in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Mr Martin is asked whether, if he was taoiseach, he would use the Steward’s Lodge as a residence, as he would be entitled to.

‘Well, I haven’t contemplated it to be honest with you because I’m not counting my chickens before they’re hatched.’

He has no problem with Mr Varadkar using the Steward’s Lodge.

‘So, I mean I see no issue with it,’ he says.

And he says he and Mr Varadkar have discussed the matter.

‘And he did say to me that he needed it from a communications perspective, particularly during Covid, in terms of access to communications and security. And it was used by previous taoisigh as well.’