The Housing Minister says he does not think the Taoiseach will be ‘rushed’ into making a decision on when to step down.
Fine Gael Minister Simon Coveney who is to contest for leader when the position becomes available says that the leadership question has arisen out of the events of the last week.
He says this is simply because Enda Kenny has always said he would NOT lead the party into the next election.
However, speaking to Ocean FM News in Sligo this morning, Simon Coveney, said the Taoiseach deserves to and will take the time he needs to make the decision:
The Minister who has responsibility for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government spoke to Ocean FM News after turning the sod for a new development of 22 social homes at Fr O’ Flanagan Terrace, Sligo.
It’s ahead of the regional launch of the ‘Ireland 2040’ plan at the Model in the next hour.
The homes will be a mix of one, two and three bedroom houses and apartments, which are designed to achieve an A3 BER rating, making them some of the most energy efficient houses in the town.
The overall cost of the project is around €3.7m and it will provide valuable construction activity in the town.
Last year, Minister Coveney launched Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which provides for the delivery of 47,000 social housing units through various means.
This includes construction, returning vacant units to productive use, acquisitions, and leasing, involving both local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.
Funding of €5.35bn has been made available to support the social housing delivery under the Action Plan.
The Minister urged local authorities to accelerate the delivery of housing units and make the most out of the major public investment that is going into housing.
And he assured local authorities that the funding is there to support their efforts.
