Taoiseach hits out at Martin comparing him to sinning priest

The Taoiseach has hit out at Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin comparing him to a priest who secretly goes behind the altar to engage in sin himself.

The comments came after Mr Martin raised a number of public projects including Cork's Dunkettle Interchange and the National Children's Hospital and asked that the Government provide an updated cost of projects under the National Development Plan (NDP).

Mr Martin accused Leo Varadkar and his Government of obfuscation in relation to revealing costs adding that the rumour around Cork city is that the Dunkettle project had risen far beyond the €115m indicated price.

"The language we are getting from the Department is obfuscation after obfuscation, so Taoiseach I will ask for clarity on those specific projects that I have mentioned and also will you commit to update the detailed tables of cost on projects under the NDP for the next four years," Mr Marin said in the Dáil.

Referring to a previous Dáil exchange earlier in the day where the Taoiseach suggested that Fianna Fáil wanted to scrap a number of road projects, Mr Martin appealed to Mr Varadkar "not to be petty, silly and idiotic in terms of his response by asking whether I am for or against the Dunkettle interchange".

Responding, Mr Varadkar said: "I am always amused and bemused that Deputy Martin likes to accuse me of being partisan and personal yet as is evidenced by his name calling today he is very capable of being partisan and personalised himself.

He kind of reminds me of one of those parish priests who preaches from the alter telling us how to avoid sin while secretly going behind the altar and engaging in any amount of sin himself.

Mr Martin said the original cost of the Dunkettle Interchange project was €100m, which then rose to €115m, but he suggested that the actual cost has now increased further.

"There is absolutely nothing happening on the site and people are mystified as to what is actually going on. And with the greatest respect Taoiseach, people are fed up of hearing about 2040 and 2030 and we are going to do and do that.

"There are many projects announced for the Cork region and the joke around town is 'sure we can't get past the Dunkettle roundabout' which was to happen years ago," Mr Martin said.

The comments followed a number of fiesty and personal attacks in the Dáil yesterday, including one in which Mr Varadkar told Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty that "when the truth is spoken in this House, people cannot take it".