Peter McVerry apologises over claim Varadkar overruled Housing MInister on eviction ban

Olivia Kelleher

Homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has issued an apology to the Taoiseach after he received "unfortunate" and "inaccurate" information which suggested that Leo Varadkar had overruled Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien on extending the eviction ban.

Fr McVerry had made the claim during a radio interview on Monday. In an interview with South East Radio, Fr McVerry said that his understanding was that the Minister O'Brien had wanted to extend the ban and was acting in preparation for same only to be "overriden by the Taoiseach."

"And that is why the was no preparation made during the five-month ban for mitigating the effects for ending this ban."

Mr Varadkar subsequently told Newstalk Breakfast that the claim by Fr McVerry was "100 percent untrue" and that there was "zero evidence" to support it.

However, in an interview on The Neil Prendeville show, on Cork's Red FM today, Fr McVerry said that the information he had received was in inaccurate.

"The phrase I was given was that the 'Taoiseach had over-ridden the Minister.'

"In light of the Taoiseach's denial, which I accept as true, I believe that phrase was unfortunate and inaccurate suggesting as it does a conflict or dispute between the Taoiseach and the Minister.

"So whatever the circumstances leading up to the decision to end the ban, which are now irrelevant as he decision has been made, I accept that the Minister, along with the rest of the Cabinet and the Taoiseach, made the decision together to end the ban. "

Fr McVerry said that his comments had proved to be a distraction from the real issues facing the country.

"Well I want to put an end to this because it is a distraction from the real issue. The real issue is where do people go when they are evicted? So this is a distraction. Governments love distractions. The phrase that I was given was inaccurate.  This is a clarification and an apology to the Taoiseach. "

Earlier in the interview he again expressed the belief that the decision to lift the ban was the worst in this government's history and will bring a "tsunami" of misery.

The temporary eviction ban came to an end last Saturday. Fr McVerry has described the ending of the eviction ban as a "horror movie for renters."