Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE CHAOS OF the housing tsar story this week is a symptom of a longer running dysfunction in the housing department, according to a number of sources within Leinster House and the department.
In the last 24 hours, the tensions at the top spilled over into a row over the appointment of a new housing tsar.
Embarrassingly for the government, this has resulted in the preferred candidate of Housing Minister James Browne withdrawing his name from consideration.
According to sources, this was a result of Fine Gael “blocking” the appointment of NAMA Chief Brendan McDonagh yesterday.
Backtracking has followed, with a suggestion that McDonagh withdrew his name for a job he was never formally in the frame for.
The controversy of the so-called ‘housing tsar’, which has been rumbling on for a number of weeks now since McDonagh’s name was first leaked, came to the fore with accusations that the proper processes were not being followed.
These processes were set up to avoid argy-bargy between the coalition partners.
While McDonagh’s name was out in the ether as being in line for the gig, it was over the weekend that Fine Gael appeared to realise that his €430,000 salary might be a public relations disaster in the waiting.
The naming of McDonagh on the airwaves by Browne as the preferred candidate, also did not go down well.
A spokesperson for Tánaiste Simon Harris said this week that it is better that such matters are not discussed in public prior to the party leaders discussing it.
The leaders’ meeting, generally held on a Monday, is a throwback to when the Green Party were in government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
It was a way to iron out any mishaps or disagreements prior to the Cabinet meeting the next day. Avoiding those public spats was seen as paramount in keeping the last coalition afloat. And it largely worked.
The meeting is a holdover from the last government, with Independent TD Sean Canney attending on behalf of the Regional Independents in government.
This week, the stopgap did not appear to have the desired effect though.
It is being seen as an oversight from the housing minister not to flag it with Micheál Martin ahead of Cabinet.
Fine Gael and Harris made it known that such things should be communicated in advance and thrashed out ahead of time.
In the end, the name was not discussed at the Cabinet meeting, which resulted in a question mark hanging over the new job and in particular over the outrageous salary.
Just hours before the government was left with egg on its face over the tsar controversy, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe denied there are any tensions between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
But fast forward a few hours and news emerged from the Cabinet subcommittee on housing, where it was expected the new tsar would be decided upon, that all was not well.
This controversy exemplifies that there clearly is a dysfunction at play here in the Housing Department and it marks the first major rift between the coalition partners.
Since the birth of this new government, nearly 100 days ago, there have been rumblings that all is not well when it comes to housing – an issue the government says is its number one priority.
Rewind to the Cabinet appointees and there was surprise among most when Browne was appointed to the role as housing minister. Some sources expressed a view that the Taoiseach was in fact in the driving seat and that Browne, though a capable workhorse in his own right, might not be running the show.
Those The Journal spoke to this week said that it was not personal, but that Browne being such a ‘low-key’ character meant he was an unusual choice for the job.
Though none of them doubted his ambitions to solve the housing crisis and his want to get down to work, concerns were raised about his communication skills, his level of knowledge about the challenges at play in housing, and also around the late appointment of some of his key staff members which some claim have had a direct impact on the progress being made.
When it came to former housing minister Eoghan Murphy’s end of days in his department, it was when those within his own party and within government itself were briefing against him that his card was marked.
It has been noted this week that those briefings against Browne have already begun.
At such an early stage in this government, it could be viewed as premature, even unfair, but with political parties such as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael having significant skin in the game when it comes to housing delivery and what it means for their future electoral results, it is not a surprise.
Aside from the man at the top, it is those at mid-level in the department that are understood to be facing challenges and voicing frustrations at what is going on.
One source said they wouldn’t describe it as “major dysfunction” but did acknowledge a few “tricky” issues had arisen of late.
Another agreed, stating there are challenges, but said that things were improving.
Some of these tricky issues have already been highlighted, such as the delegation of powers to junior ministers not having taken place yet.
While it is not unusual for junior ministers not to have their powers delegated to them immediately, there has been chatter about what the hold up is about and whether it plays into talk around tensions.
It is understood it has not hindered the ministers of state from doing their work, and is a matter that is due to be resolved very shortly, The Journal understands.
There has also been issues with the tenant in situ scheme being modified, which has frustrated local authorities and some backbenchers, and may result in a review of the changes, it is understood, with the possibility of more funding being sought from the Finance Minister Jack Chambers to boost the scheme for the year ahead.
Delays in the rollout of cost-rental and affordable housing units has also been mentioned, something the General Secretary Graham Doyle was asked about at a recent housing conference in Croke Park.
He was questioned about the stalling of funding for several Approved Housing Bodies who plan to build thousands of social and affordable homes through cost-rental schemes.
Doyle said that the department has to “keep negotiating or upping” money as part of the National Development Plan, adding: “We can only allocate the money we are given from the centre.”
Money has been secured for the schemes on the department’s books, he confirmed.
While the term dysfunction has been mentioned, it is a description that has often been linked to the department of housing, particularly when it comes to the relationship it has with the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure, essentially the two departments who hold the purse strings.
One source said there is a level of distrust between the two departments and the housing unit, who added that there’s often delays resulting from the stream of funding holdup.
Housing was the number one issue raised during the general election last year.
But 100 days in for this government, the public can only be downright angry at the level of political posturing they have witnessed in the last week on the issue.
For those in Fianna Fáil in particular, there is a definite sense that if it fails to make progress with the housing crisis and if a new “radical” Housing for All 2.0 plan due to be delivered before the summer doesn’t move the dial they know they’ll face the wrath of voters at the ballot box who will accuse them of failing to deliver on their promises.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say