Browne's reputation 'seriously wounded' after housing tsar candidate withdraws

It is understood that there had been some belief among Fine Gael ministers that James Browne had 'messed it up' by allowing Brendan McDonagh's name to become public. File Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Housing minister James Browne's political reputation has been "seriously wounded" among colleagues after his pick to be the new housing tsar withdrew from consideration amid a coalition row.

Nama chief Brendan McDonagh had been Mr Browne's pick to lead the housing activation office, but told Mr Browne on Thursday that he would no longer like to be considered following a week of public scrutiny, opposition backlash, and coalition tension — particularly around the fact that Mr McDonagh would have retained his €430,000 a year salary to run the office.

Mr McDonagh’s decision to pull out of consideration came amid claims the appointment had been "essentially blocked" by Fine Gael, after disagreement arose over how the secondment of Mr McDonagh emerged.

It is understood that there had been some belief among Fine Gael ministers that Mr Browne had "messed it up" by allowing Mr McDonagh's name to become public before Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris had been made aware. 

Both men had been clear in recent days that no decision had been made on who would lead the office, ahead of Thursday's Cabinet subcommittee on housing — where the appointment was delayed.

"It's been handled really poorly by James [Browne]," a source said, adding it was "a completely unforced error". A government source said Mr Browne's reputation had been "seriously wounded".

A spokesperson for the housing minister confirmed on Thursday evening that Mr McDonagh was no longer in line for the job, opting to pull out amid controversy over his selection.

“He said he was honoured to have been approached about the role at the [housing activation office],” a government spokesperson said.

In light of the controversy that has arisen, he no longer wishes to be considered for the role

One Fine Gael minister was highly critical of the process of selecting Mr McDonagh, describing the situation as an “absolute mess”, likening the move to former chief medical officer Tony Holohan's botched secondment to Trinity College.

“I don’t know what they [Fianna Fáil] were at. Have they not learned from Tony Holohan? You have to follow a process,” they said.

Frustration

The minister added the process of naming Mr McDonagh had “pissed off” a lot of people in Fine Gael, while a senior party source said the "entire episode has been a disaster".

A second Fine Gael minister said the floating of Mr McDonagh's name in public had caused considerable frustration within Fine Gael, with there having been no discussion within Government about salary.

"The decision made was just around the unit," they said, rather than an individual to lead the new office.

While Mr McDonagh will no longer take up the position, Mr Browne will continue with the establishment of the new housing activation office, though sources have suggested it may now have "no central figure" and would see experts from across the housing sector work together under senior Department of Housing figures.

Mr Browne is due to report back to the Cabinet committee on housing after “consultation with party leaders on all aspects”, a government spokesperson said.

The botched appointment has been set upon by opposition TDs, with Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan describing it as “shambolic”.

“From the beginning of his appointment to the department, minister Browne has acted with utter incompetence from the get go,” Mr Sheehan said.

“There now needs to be a position advertised in the normal public appointment manner including a job description and salary."