Sinn Féin calls for full statement from Damien English on property interests

Louise O’Reilly called on Mr English and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to clarify what was known to the Fine Gael leader about Mr English’s circumstances when he appointed him a junior housing minister in 2017

Former minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Damien English resigned following revelations about a planning application he made in 2008. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Sinn Féin has said a full and comprehensive statement from Damien English is now required after further revelations emerged about his property interests.

The party’s enterprise spokeswoman Louise O’Reilly called on Mr English and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to clarify what was known to the Fine Gael leader about Mr English’s circumstances when he appointed him junior housing minister in 2017.

“We need to hear from both men,” she said. 

We need to hear from the Taoiseach about what exactly it was that he knew when he made that appointment.

“I mean, this is housing. We're in the middle of a housing emergency. We were still in the middle of a housing emergency five years ago when that appointment was made.”

She said it behoves the Taoiseach to explain exactly what he knew about any potential conflict of interest that may have been there, and former junior minister Mr English needed to be heard from as to why he did not declare a material interest.

Mr English resigned as minister of State on Thursday over a failure to properly declare a property interest. He has since been replaced by Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond.

On Friday, The Ditch revealed that a non-performing mortgage on Mr English’s current primary residence was also sold to a vulture fund.

This followed a report on Monday that a mortgage on Mr English’s undeclared second property was sold to a vulture fund after he defaulted on his mortgage repayments, according to Land Registry records.

Louise O'Reilly of Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin has hit out at the fact that when making a speech in the Seanad in 2018 about the proposed sale of 10,700 non-performing loans, Mr English never declared his interest.

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

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

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

“I think that's something for the Taoiseach to address, and I think the Taoiseach should be concerned about that,” she told the  Irish Examiner. "And indeed, he should satisfy himself that no criminal offence has taken place."

The Ditch reported that Mr English defaulted on his first mortgage and it was eventually sold to vulture fund Promontoria in 2019. Mr English managed to hold on to the bungalow and remains its legal owner.