Housing tsar gouging the tax payer and no process around appointment
Housing tsar gouging the tax payer and no process around appointment - The Labour Party
Labour housing spokesperson has called on Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to provide full detail on the appointment process of the housing tsar.
Questioning the Tánaiste in the Dáil today, Deputy Sheehan said:
“This Government is quickly becoming a Government of pulling strokes. It’s laughable that the Tánaiste said on the floor of the Dáil that “process matters” when he and his Fianna Fáil colleagues are attempting to ride roughshod over the normal public appointment process through the provision of a €430,000 salary to a effectively outsource the Housing Minister’s responsibility.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have fast learned a few tricks from their Government colleague Micheal Lowry.
“Fine Gael need to be clear with the public – do they agree with the manner in which Brendan McDonagh’s candidacy was announced, backed up by Minister James Browne on RTÉ radio this week?
“It’s now clear that the ordinary public appointment process only applies when it suits. There’s a dangerous precedent being set by the party of prudence.
“There’s still no clarity as to how the Strategic Housing Activation Office will work, and how it will be underpinned by legislation. Parliamentary questions that I submitted have met with subpar responses.
“A price tag of almost half a million euro to appoint an official to check the Minster’s homework is outrageous. It’s gouging the tax payer. We already know that the Taoiseach is scrambling trying to pick up the pieces of the failing Housing for All policy. We can’t keep throwing good money after bad.”