Micheál Martin rejects claim Taoiseach overruled housing minister on eviction ban

Homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has refused to back down on his assertion that Darragh O’Brien wanted to extend the eviction ban but was overruled by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said Fr McVerry’s claim is '100% untrue” with “zero evidence to support it.'  Picture: Damien Storan

Homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has refused to back down on his assertion that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien wanted to extend the eviction ban but was overruled by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has become the latest senior Government minister to reject the claim by Fr McVerry and insisted that Mr O’Brien agreed with the overall Cabinet position that continuing with the eviction ban would have made homelessness worse in the longer term. 

“That’s not the situation at all, to be fair to everybody,” Mr Martin said when asked about Fr McVerry’s claim.

Fr McVerry may have had sources. I'm just clarifying the point that that's not what happened. Let’s not make a big deal about it.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said Fr McVerry’s claim is “100% untrue” with “zero evidence to support it.”

However, Fr McVerry said when the Government makes controversial decisions, they “love” a distraction.

He said he “can understand” why the Taoiseach is denying the claim that he overruled Mr O’Brien in relation to the eviction ban, he told Newstalk radio.

I can understand why the Taoiseach is denying it. This is the most controversial and, I think, the worst decision the Government has made in its lifetime and they have to present a united front.

The veteran homeless campaigner said hotels that normally put up homeless families are now full while many other hotels are reverting back to tourism, noting that those facing eviction have “no idea” where they are going to go.

Mr Varadkar vehemently denied the claim by Fr McVerry that he overrode Mr O’Brien on the issue of extending the eviction ban and Mr O’Brien has also denied the claim.

Last night, Micheál Martin said the Government works with the Peter McVerry Trust and the partnership has been “strong with all bodies" to tackle homelessness.

He said the view and the advice received by the Department of Housing was that if the ban was extended, it would result in a continuing exodus of landlords from the market.

"We believe that the measures we have introduced, the additional resources we have introduced, will prevent people from becoming homeless. And that's part of the HAP tenancies and other initiatives that are there,” he said.

He said for Mr O’Brien the focus of the Government will be for a special unit within his department to liaise with local authorities to make sure the tenant in-situ scheme is “adhered to correctly” and assistance is given to people who are issued a notice to quit.

Mr Martin also said it is the view of opposition parties that there should not be an indefinite eviction ban.

“And even Sinn Féin acknowledges that you can’t transform the housing situation in six months.

I think there's been a degree of disingenuous positioning by the opposition on this and a degree of dishonesty by the opposition parties in respect of the eviction ban.

Several Government sources last night claimed the Cabinet was united in the decision to end the eviction ban and believed it was “absolutely the right decision.”