Damien English 'wasn't satisfied' with how he dealt with planning controversy

Damien English resigned in January following revelations published online that he had provided false information on a planning application in 2008. Picture: Collins

Former junior minister Damien English has admitted that he did not reach his own “high standards” over a planning controversy that led to his resignation earlier this year.

The Meath West TD resigned in January following revelations published online that he had provided false information on a planning application in 2008.

The Fine Gael TD had failed to declare that he had already owned a home when seeking planning permission to build a new home.

Mr English made his first comments on the matter since he resigned this morning, telling RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne that he was “not satisfied” with how he had dealt with the planning application.

“For myself, in relation to a planning file, I wasn’t satisfied with how I dealt with that. When it was brought to my attention very clearly and I read back over the file, it was very clear to me that it was wrong and I had to resign,” Mr English said.

“I set a high standard for myself and I didn’t reach that and to me, that’s very black and white. The ins and outs and the detail and so on, which I’m not going into, they’re practically irrelevant because I’m responsible for the wrong information on the file and that’s it.” 

Mr English added that he was previously unable to comment on the matter due to a Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) complaint made against him.

Earlier this week, Sipo confirmed that Mr English would not face an investigation over the incorrect planning application.

When asked if he would move to sell or rent the house he owned in Castlemartin, Co Meath, Mr English said that the house was a “family matter”.

“I’m not going into all that because that’s my own personal dealings. I’ve dealt with this as much as I possibly can. I, very clearly, immediately put my hands up and said I was wrong on this in relation to the planning.

“I had to do what I felt was right in last January and that’s what I did, because there’s no doubt about this, what I did was wrong.”