Damien English

Fine Gael TD Damien English has resigned from his position as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment following questions ...

"We can't expect members of the public to be truthful in their applications, and filling out the forms if those in the public eye aren't doing it as well. Mr English thanked his constituents for their support, adding he will "continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency". "I reviewed this application, made in 2008, and it is clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of my house in Castlemartin.

Fine Gael TD says he informed Taoiseach of decision following questions about planning application from 14 years ago.

Mr Murphy went on to say: “This has become a real pattern, particularly with this Government, there has been issue after issue, in the case of Robert Troy they (SIPO) are starting the process of an investigation of complaint about Robert Troy. “We can’t expect members of the public to be truthful in their applications, and filling out the forms if those in the public eye aren’t doing it as well. So I think it is pretty clear that he broke two aspects of the ethics legislation. He cannot plead ignorance, that’s just not credible, he spoke about this issue previously in the Dáil ... And I think he made the right decision to resign today.” Mr Ó Ríordáin told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that he hoped this could not happen again and that all political representatives had their affairs in order. We can’t have assumptions within the public that those who are involved in public life just aren’t honest.” Labour’s spokesperson on education Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said Mr English’s resignation demonstrated that people in public life needed to be “an awful lot more serious about their declarations, because what he did was wrong”. “Just [on Wednesday] he was telling the Irish Independent that he was in compliance with the SIPO rules. I think he has made the right decision today. I agreed and accepted his resignation.” It says people local to an area are considered to include those “who have spent substantial periods of their lives, living in rural areas as members of the established rural community for a period in excess of five years and who do not possess a dwelling or who have not possessed a dwelling in the past, in which they have resided or who possess a dwelling in which they do not currently reside.”

In a video on Twitter, Mr English said that his failure to declare ownership of the home was “wrong and not acceptable”

I agreed and accepted his resignation.” I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency.” In a video on Twitter, Mr English said that his failure to declare ownership of the home was “wrong and not acceptable”. “He informed me that 14 years ago, when applying for planning permission, he made a declaration to Meath County Council that was not correct. “I reviewed this application, made in 2008, and it is clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of my house in Castlemartin. In a statement on Thursday morning, Mr English, who was a junior minister in the Department of Enterprise said that he had reviewed documentation in relation to a planning application made 14 years ago.

It follows a report by The Ditch whose coverage of former minister Robert Troy's undeclared interests led to his resignation last year.

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency. I would like to recognise the support and sacrifice of Laura and my family at all times. “I would like to recognise the support and sacrifice of Laura and my family at all times.” I will continue to support the Taoiseach and colleagues in Government as they continue to deliver on the programme for Government. “Yesterday in an online article, questions were raised about my planning application from 14 years ago.

Minister of state Damien English has resigned over an issue with a planning application. The Fine Gael TD for Meath West apologised after he admitted ...

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I agreed and accepted his resignation.” I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency.

Minister said he informed the Taoiseach of his decision following questions raised about a planning application from 14 years ago.

Mr Murphy went on to say: “This has become a real pattern, particularly with this Government, there has been issue after issue, in the case of Robert Troy they (SIPO) are starting the process of an investigation of complaint about Robert Troy. “We can’t expect members of the public to be truthful in their applications, and filling out the forms if those in the public eye aren’t doing it as well. So I think it is pretty clear that he broke two aspects of the ethics legislation. He cannot plead ignorance, that’s just not credible, he spoke about this issue previously in the Dáil ... And I think he made the right decision to resign today.” Mr Ó Ríordáin told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that he hoped this could not happen again and that all political representatives had their affairs in order. We can’t have assumptions within the public that those who are involved in public life just aren’t honest.” Labour’s spokesperson on education Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said Mr English’s resignation demonstrated that people in public life needed to be “an awful lot more serious about their declarations, because what he did was wrong”. “Just [on Wednesday] he was telling the Irish Independent that he was in compliance with the SIPO rules. I think he has made the right decision today. I agreed and accepted his resignation.” It says people local to an area are considered to include those “who have spent substantial periods of their lives, living in rural areas as members of the established rural community for a period in excess of five years and who do not possess a dwelling or who have not possessed a dwelling in the past, in which they have resided or who possess a dwelling in which they do not currently reside.”

Minister of state Damien English has resigned over an issue with a planning application. The Fine Gael TD for Meath West apologised after he admitted ...

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I agreed and accepted his resignation.” I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency.

Fine Gael TD told Meath County Council he didn't own a house, when he already did elsewhere.

The report also says: “The applicant has submitted documentation in the form of invoices, mobile phone bills, bank statements and insurance documents for the past 5 years which link him to the family home at Castlemartin.” It adds: “On the basis of the information submitted the applicant has strong linkages specific to the application site and as such satisfies the Local Housing Need criteria in relation to rural housing as per the Meath County Development Plan.” The MCC planning report says that according to the local needs form submitted with the application “the applicant currently resides in the family home at Castlemartin and has done so for the past 30 years.” A “local need form” must be filled out as part of the application process for one-off housing in the countryside which asks about their background in the area and includes a question on whether or not the applicant or applicants own a property. The document says the application site is a “strong rural area” under the definition in the County Development Plan and the applicant is required to establish compliance with the local housing need policy it sets out. This includes those who have spent substantial periods of their lives living in rural areas for a period in excess of five years and “who do not possess a dwelling or who have not possessed a dwelling in the past, in which they have resided or who possess a dwelling in which they do not currently reside.” He said he had informed the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar after he reviewed the application and it was clear that he “failed to inform Meath County Council” (MCC) about the ownership of a house in Castlemartin.

Damien English said he informed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of his decision on Wednesday night.

"We can't expect members of the public to be truthful in their applications, and filling out the forms if those in the public eye aren't doing it as well. "It was his view given the circumstances that his position was not tenable," the Taoiseach said. Mr English thanked his constituents for their support, adding he will "continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency".

Yesterday, The Ditch reported that Mr English had not declared the ownership of a dwelling on a planning application to Meath County Council. The law requires ...

I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency.” “I would like to thank the people of Meath West for their ongoing support as their TD. Yesterday, The Ditch reported that Mr English had not declared the ownership of a dwelling on a planning application to Meath County Council.

Damien English has resigned after discrepancies in a planning application he submitted in 2008 were made public.

I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency." "This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so. I agreed and accepted his resignation.”

It follows revelations about false information he gave to Meath County Council in a planning application. To get permission for one-off rural housing in Co ...

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency. I will continue to support the Taoiseach and colleagues in Government as they continue to deliver on the programme for Government.”

In a statement this morning Deputy English said having reviewed the planning application it was clear to him that he had failed to inform Meath County Council ...

I think he has made the right decision today." Labour's Spokesperson on Education Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said: "We can't expect members of the public to be truthful in their applications, and filling out the forms if those in public eye aren't doing it as well. We can't have assumptions within the public that those who are involved in public life just aren't honest." It is not good enough that these cases are coming to light as a result of the work of investigative journalists. This is especially true when it comes to the housing sector which is in a state of permanent crisis. I agreed and accepted his resignation," the Taoiseach said.

In his resignation letter this morning, the Fine Gael TD for Meath West said: “Yesterday in an online article, questions were raised about my planning ...

But the nature of it was such that there was no choice in the matter. Did he make the correct decision in resigning? That is the standard. English, and his party leader Leo Varadkar, knew once the story broke that it was an open-and-shut case. Did he have a choice? What he did in 2008 was wrong and he will not begin doing reparation. That’s not to diminish the reason for Damien English’s resignation as a Minister for State. For English, however, there was no room for manoeuvre. In Troy’s cases it was omission, failure to declare all relevant information about the properties he owned. In English’s case he applied for permission to build a once-off rural home on family land. In his resignation letter this morning, the Fine Gael TD for Meath West said: “Yesterday in an online article, questions were raised about my planning application from 14 years ago. It is wrong now.

The Tanáiste said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar contacted him late last night to inform him of Mr English's decision to resign as junior minister. Mr Martin said it is ...

Mr Martin said it is his understanding that Mr English took the decision himself to resign. This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so,” he said in a statement. He said it will be a difficult day for Mr English and his family following his decision to resign.

Fine Gael TD Damien English has resigned from his position as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment following questions ...

According to the publisher, the English language edition of Spare sold more than 1,430,000 units in all formats and editions in the United States, Canada and the UK on January 10th when it first hit bookshop shelves. The comments came as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are all set to hold talks in the North on Thursday as part of efforts to resolve the dispute over the post-Brexit trading arrangements. The EU and the British government are not “anywhere close to a deal” on issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, “Westerly winds will be very strong and gusty today, in the west at first, progressing eastwards in the afternoon,” the forecaster said. The orange warning for Donegal will commence at 2pm and remain in place until 8pm on Thursday, while the yellow alert is due to last until 2am on Friday. [has resigned from his position](https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/fine-gael-td-resigns-as-junior-minister-following-questions-over-2008-planning-application-1417163.html) as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment following questions surrounding a planning application he submitted in 2008.

When Damien English and his wife Laura applied for planning permission to build their 262sqm bungalow in Cookstown, Co Meath in 2008 they were required to ...

The Office cannot disclose if a complaint has been received but if is deemed that an investigation is required a hearing will have to take place and that will be done in public. Meath County Council says it does not comment on individual cases but said: "Once a final grant of planning permission is issued, the role of the planning authority is to ensure compliance with the conditions of the planning permission." The local needs clause was borne out of a necessity to recognise the needs of those with family ties to an area and allow for some one-off rural housing. In his resignation, Deputy English admitted he "failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of a house in Castlemartin" adding "this was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so". Meath County Council sought to concentrate development in urban centres and restrict the development of one-off housing reducing pressure on the countryside. The Assessment is required by anyone applying for a one-off house in a rural area in the county and is laid down in the County Development Plan.

Leo Varadkar described his Fine Gael colleague as an 'extraordinarily decent person'.

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency. “I think he made his decision himself. I think that was the right decision.” “I think he’s paid it in terms of the political aspect of this. “I don’t think it’s necessary at all that he should resign as a TD. “Yesterday in an online article, questions were raised about my planning application from 14 years ago. “I often hear people say that nobody in Ireland ever resigns. “I think it’s very difficult personally for him, I think he’s been a good minister and has been a good parliamentarian for the last number of years. It is a big political price to pay,” Mr Varadkar said. That can’t be said about this government. “He made it clear to me that he felt it was beneath the standards that would be expected of a member of government.”

Mr Varadkar said that he will seek legal advice on whether the now-former Fine Gael junior minister has breached any planning law.

Mr Varadkar said it is a matter for the local authority. Meath, when making a planning application to Meath County Council to build a one-off rural home in Cookstown in Kells, Co. He did not disclose that he already owned a house in Castlemartin, Co.

The resignation centres around the property affairs of the Meath West TD.

The Office of the Planning Regulator says that "if you discover that you have undertaken unauthorised development, you may apply for permission to retain it" but that "this approach should not be relied on in order to avoid seeking planning permission before starting work". This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so,” he said. The publicly-available Meath County Council planning file for the construction of the home says that “the applicant currently resides in the family home at Castlemartin and has done so for the past 30 years" and that Mr English, who was first elected to the Dáil in 2002 "is employed as a Public Representative by Dáil Éireann in Dublin and also has a constituency office in Navan". I agreed and accepted his resignation,” Mr Varadkar said. According to the 2007-2013 Meath County Development plan, those looking to build in such areas should be able to show a "local need" and this is limited to those “who do not possess a dwelling or who have not possessed a dwelling in the past, in which they have resided or who possess a dwelling in which they do not currently reside". Mr English stepped down as a junior minister — not as a TD — because of his failure to declare that he owned the home in Castlemartin when applying for planning permission to build a family home in 2008.

Three in the race, with Dublin Rathdown TD Neale Richmond said to be the frontrunner.

He served as chair of the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs from 2016 to 2020. He beat James Reilly in 2016 to hold on to the one Fine Gael seat in 2016 and was re-elected again in 2020 despite a tough day for his party. The Fingal TD has been in the Dáil since 2011 and has served on a number of high-profile committees, including the Public Accounts Committee.

Fine Gael TD's failure to declare ownership of Meath house in planning application for one-off rural home nearby raises additional issues.

He did not disclose his ownership of the house in Castlemartin in a “Local Need Form” that must be submitted as part of planning applications to build in rural areas. “All planning applications are assessed in accordance with national, regional and local policy and ministerial guidelines that are in operation at the time of the decision,” it said. He and his wife Laura later successfully applied for planning permission to build a bungalow on a larger piece of land in the Cookstown area in 2008. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has written to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) asking them to investigate. The front garden contains chopped-up trees and is overgrown. It was the Fine Gael TD’s failure to declare his ownership of the house in a planning application to Meath County Council for a one-off rural home nearby that led him to fall on his sword and go as minister of State for enterprise.

Former junior minister Damien English is expected to escape any further sanction despite admitting to lying on a planning permission application for his ...

“A person building a one-off house cannot afford to be cheeky with the council or to take any risks. “There is a lot of reliance on trust in the system and sometimes the trust gets abused,” Mr Logue said. When planning permission is granted for a development, an applicant has five years to construct the property and apply the relevant conditions attached to the planning file. In his resignation statement, Mr English apologised for his failure to declare the property, saying it was “wrong” and “not up to the standard required”. In March 2006, when he was an opposition TD, Mr English spoke about the dangers of not being truthful to a local authority about housing developments However, sources in both the Government and planning said he was unlikely to face any further sanction because the statute of limitations for his local authority to pursue him had already lapsed.

TD resigned from junior ministry after it emerged he failed to disclose key information when applying for planning permission.

[Paul Murphy](https://red.irishexaminer.com/maintopics/person-paul-murphy_topic-8264.html) has made a complaint to the [Standards in Public Office Commission](https://red.irishexaminer.com/maintopics/organisation-standards-in-public-office-commission_topic-43727.html), but said that whether Mr English remains a TD is “a matter for him and the electorate of Meath West”. Mr Varadkar also said Mr English has paid the ultimate price and it was not necessary for him to resign as a TD as well. 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 he is not an expert in planning law. He said: “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 English said that when he reviewed the application following the revelation by The Ditch website, it was “clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of my house in Castlemartin”.

Dublin Rathdown TD 'could have considered himself unlucky' not to secure promotion in December party reshuffle.

Indeed, most of the Fine Gael Ministers of State are clustered in counties around Dublin or in the midwest. Mr Richmond is one of a small number of Fine Gael TDs who are said to be in consideration for the vacant Minister of State job. While the Minister of State roles are decided formally by the Coalition, the de facto situation is that decision will be made by Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar.

It was an uncontroversial planning application that attracted no comment from external agencies, no local observations, no objections or appeals.

In less than 18 months, he had it started and finished. Meath County Council would not comment on an individual planning application and it side-stepped questions about its general policy on the granting of permission based on false information. “There’s a lot of reliance on trust in the system and sometimes the trust gets abused.” The Department of Housing and Planning was asked whether creating an offence of providing false information would be considered but it had not replied at time of publication. “In a court or a tribunal, you have to swear an affidavit or give an oath and there’s penalties for providing false or misleading information, but that’s only if you bring a planning matter to court. But even if lies are told, such as denying ownership of an existing home in the area, Mr Logue feels local authority planning departments are not best set up to uncover the truth.

Speaking following the Cabinet decision this morning, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “I was very happy to nominate Neale Richmond for this important position. “ ...

“We are still competing paper-based forms for example by way of annual returns, so it is outdated. This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so,” he said. “The Oireachtas does need to take this seriously. I believe that legislation will be brought forward by the government over the course of this year. We do need to finally update and modernise and strengthen the framework for ethics in public life because events like this only serve to damage public trust and confidence in politicians and politics. “Neale is an exceptionally capable politician and parliamentarian who has been to the forefront of issues arising from Brexit, including its impact on Irish business and trade.

Mr English resigned from his ministry at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on Wednesday night.

“It is an issue that was flagged in the Programme for Government. “It does need to be modernised. “During my time as Minister for Public Expenditure we did complete comprehensive review of Ireland’s statutory framework for ethics in public life. “For the Government and the Oireachtas, I think it does underline the need for reform in the area of ethics and public office. Because it is now 20 years since legislation was brought in. The Minister for Finance said the resignation of Damien English underlines the need for reform of ethics in public office.

The Dublin Rathdown TD becomes the new Minister of State with responsibility for Employment Affairs and Retail Business and the Department Social ...

I know that he will be an excellent Minister of State in both of these important Departments.” Prior to becoming an elected representative, Neale Richmond worked as a Projects Manager for the European Movement Ireland, and in the Oireachtas and the European Parliament. He added: “I have asked Neale to work closely with Ministers Simon Coveney and Heather Humphreys on maintaining Ireland’s strong employment base in the face of challenging global conditions, and to aim for ongoing growth in all of Ireland’s main employment sectors.

Mr Richmond has been a TD since 2020 and has contributed regularly on issues around the European Union, Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol…

“I have asked Neale to work closely with Ministers Simon Coveney and Heather Humphreys on maintaining Ireland’s strong employment base in the face of challenging global conditions, and to aim for ongoing growth in all of Ireland’s main employment sectors. I know that he will be an excellent Minister of State in both of these important Departments.” He is a first time TD but has also served a full term in the Seanad.