Niall Collins responds to allegations about his property record

“In September 2008 at a statutory meeting of the Limerick County Council the sale of a property in Patrickswell was approved and sold following a transparent and open sales process, which was open to all,” the statement read.

“For the record I was not a member of the council in September 2008, having been elected as a TD in May 2007. Prior to the sale in 2008, the property was advertised in the local public press.

“When the council executive recommended to the Bruff LEA committee that the property should be put up for sale in January 2007, neither I nor my wife had any pecuniary or beneficial interest in that property.

“There was no disagreement to the executive’s recommendation.” 

Mr Collins will face pressure to make a statement and take questions in the Dáil over the issue. 

He has addressed some but not all the allegations made by The Ditch.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has written to the Dáil Business Committee seeking time to be allocated in the Dáil this week for Mr Collins to make a statement over allegations published on the online news website.

“Basically, what we need to hear from Niall is whether what is reported in the Ditch is true or not,” Mr Murphy said.

Limerick County Council was not forthcoming with releasing the documentation which has already been issued to The Ditch under Freedom of Information.

Last month, Mr Collins made a statement to the Dáil following previous reports by The Ditch about a planning application he made to build a two-storey house in Patrickswell, Co Limerick.

He said the details of the article about the planning application were “misleading and inaccurate”.