Taoiseach to get legal advice on Damien English's failure to declare property interest
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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he will seek legal advice on whether Fine Gael TD Damien English has breached any planning laws.
Mr Varadkar was speaking to reporters in Belfast following a meeting with all five parties in Northern Ireland. Mr English resigned as minister of state at the Department of Enterprise over a failure to properly declare a property interest.
He did not disclose that he already owned a house in Castlemartin, Co. Meath, when making a planning application to Meath County Council to build a one-off rural home in Cookstown in Kells, Co. Meath.
The law requires that anyone wishing to apply to build a one-off home must declare that they do not already own a home or have owned a home in the past in which they have resided.
When asked if Mr English breached any planning laws and whether Meath County Council should open an investigation into the matter, Mr Varadkar said it was not for him to say and that he is not an expert in planning law.
Mr Varadkar said it is a matter for the local authority. However, Mr Varadkar went on to say that he will seek legal advice on whether the now-former Fine Gael junior minister has breached any planning law.
“I want to be very clear that when it comes to any breach of planning law or any other law it’s not the government that has a decision on it,” Mr Varadkar added.
Mr Varadkar also said Mr English has paid the ultimate price and it was not necessary for him to also resign as a TD.
The Taoiseach said politicians have to adhere to certain standards and while tendering his resignation to him last night, Mr Varadkar said Mr English “took the view that he hadn’t met those standards”.