Pressure grows on Damien English to give full account of property dealings

Damien English has not responded to queries since his resignation as minister of State. Picture: Collins Photos

Fine Gael TD Damien English is under increasing pressure to give a full account of his actions that have "damaged public trust in politicians" after more revelations were made about his property interests.

Mr English resigned as the minister of State at the Department of Enterprise this week after it emerged he did not disclose that he already owned a house in Castlemartin, Co Meath, when making a planning application to build a one-off rural home in Cookstown, Kells.

He issued a brief statement confirming his immediate resignation as a junior minister, but he remains a Fine Gael TD and has not responded to queries on the matter.

Further claims were made yesterday on the news website The Ditch that a non-performing mortgage on Mr English’s current primary residence was sold to a vulture fund.

It followed a report earlier this week that a mortgage on Mr English’s undeclared second property was sold to a vulture fund after he defaulted on his mortgage repayments.

Mr English spoke in the Seanad in 2018, while junior minister at the department of housing, on the sale of loans to vulture funds, stating it was important that people were protected in their homes regardless of who owned the loans.

He never declared his interest when making the Seanad speech.

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has called for greater clarity on the controversy. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Sinn Féin’s enterprise spokeswoman Louise O’Reilly has now called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to clarify what was known about Mr English’s circumstances when he appointed him a junior housing minister in 2017.

“Let's not forget there were thousands of people who had their mortgages sold to vulture funds, and that was being debated in the Dáil and Seanad,” said Ms O'Reilly. 

The minister had an interest in that, he didn't declare that interest."

She also said Mr Varadkar must satisfy himself that nothing Mr English did amounted to a criminal act.

“I think that's something for the Taoiseach to address,” she told the Irish Examiner.

Damage to public trust

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin did not respond to queries last night over whether they were satisfied with Mr English’s initial account regarding his property interests.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath, however, said the events that led to Mr English’s resignation as a junior minister “only serve to damage public trust and confidence in politicians and politics”.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath admitted that such sontroversies 'serve to damage public trust and confidence in politicians and politics'. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Mr McGrath said the events surrounding Mr English are “a matter for respective authorities now as to whether they wish to carry out investigations and take the matter further”.

However, for the Government and for the Oireachtas, it does underline the need for reform in the area of ethics and public office, Mr McGrath said.

He said that legislation will be brought forward by the Government this year and stressed that the Standards in Public Office Commission needs further powers and resources.

We do need to finally update and modernise and strengthen the framework for ethics in public life, because events like this only serve to damage public trust and confidence in politicians and politics — and that's not good for our country,” he said.

Mr Varadkar yesterday announced Neale Richmond, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, as Mr English’s replacement.