AS THE ELECTION looms, Enda Kenny launched a further attack on Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin in the Dáil earlier today.
The Taoiseach stuck to a familiar line of criticising Martin’s involvement with the previous government.
The opposition leader had raised homelessness and asked the Taoiseach whether he had seen the My Homeless Family documentary on RTÉ on Monday.
Martin said it was time the government understood the urgency of the situation facing people after the TV programme showed the plight of some families living in hotels and temporary accommodation in Dublin.
Martin called on Kenny to instruct Nama to build 10,000 social houses as a matter of urgency.
Kenny notably failed to answer whether he had seen the emotive RTÉ documentary, prompting Martin to remark:
You’re out of touch with the reality of what life is like on the ground for many vulnerable families in this country.
However, the Fine Gael leader spent plenty of time pointing out the previous administration’s failings.
These included, Kenny said, requiring the State to make a €3 billion annual payment in respect of the defunct Anglo Irish Bank, levying hundreds of millions of euro in extra taxes and proposing €400 water charges without any relief for householders.
He went on to claim that Martin comes into the Dáil every week having forgotten “every sense of fiscal responsibility”. Kenny told him:
If you want to have NAMA build 10,000 social homes – produce the €2billion and tell me where it’s going to come from.
He also called out Martin for Fianna Fáil’s decision to cut the minimum wage and bluntly told the Fianna Fáil leader:
You have no credibility, zero, zilch, nothing.
There were shouts and heckles from the government backbenches. Over on the opposition side, Michael Healy-Rae was particularly vocal which promoted Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett to do this in the direction of the Kerry deputy:
Later Barrett remarked:
We’ve an awful lot of taoisigh here this morning. Are you all gonna take him on or something?
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