Taoiseach refuses to apologise for remarks about people turning down social housing

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty accused the Taoiseach of seeking to 'shift the blame for the Government's failed housing policies away from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and place it onto the victims of this crisis' Picture: David Creedon

The Taoiseach has refused to apologise for comments made about people who turn down social housing, but is happy to rephrase his remarks.

Leo Varadkar has been strongly criticised for claiming there are "plenty of cases" in his constituency of people who have "refused multiple offers of social housing".

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty said the remarks had caused "real hurt and anger" among those who are caught up in the housing crisis.

Mr Doherty accused the Taoiseach of seeking to "shift the blame for the Government's failed housing policies away from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and place it onto the victims of this crisis".

He told the Dáil: "It creates the impression that those faced with homelessness are choosing to be in this situation. This is not true for those living in emergency accommodation or, indeed, for those thousands of others who are sofa surfing or back in the box room of their parents' homes."

However, Mr Varadkar said the Donegal TD had "misquoted" and "misrepresented" him.

"I have never sought to blame anyone for the housing crisis or for homelessness, not anyone, not the people who experience it nor the people who try to help them, whether this is the Government, the local authorities, NGOs or anyone else."

The Taoiseach added: “If it would help and if it would help to contain the deputy and his outburst, I’m happy to rephrase the term ‘plenty’ to ‘some’.”

West Cork 'not Jurassic Park'

Raising a number of road projects, independent TD Michael Collins told the Taoiseach that West Cork is "not Jurassic Park" and claimed Mr Varadkar "does not seem to grasp the crisis" in his constituency.

Mr Collins said the Taoiseach, who recently visited the area, is "always welcome to West Cork, one of the most stunning parts of our country", but he added it was "not Jurassic Park, where you drive in and drive out waving and smiling".

"We live there with the unfinished bypasses and those that have not been done at all."

He invited the Taoiseach to West Cork to discuss the "roads crisis funding" for bypasses and passing bays "so the people of Goleen, Ballydehob, Schull and Skibbereen, all the way into Clonakilty, Bandon and Kinsale" can have the same road structure as elsewhere in the country.