Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

Haughey and Harney's housing interests

Morgan calls on ministers to 'come clean' on lobbying

BY ROBBIE SMYTH

Charles Haughey, Mary Harney and the Irish banking sector were all working hard this week in representing the unequal two-tier Ireland, where the haves always win at the expense of the have nots. Surprised? Forget about the debate on the justice of the war on Iraq for just a moment and think about the nature of justice in Irish political and economic life. This week has thrown up three examples of how all-pervasive injustice and inequity is in Irish society today.

At the heart of this stands the current Dublin government and particularly its Tánaiste, Enterprise Trade and Employment minister Mary Harney. Along with four other serving ministers, she wrote to Environment and Local Government Minister Martin Cullen to lobby him on behalf of property developers and builders who wanted to ditch the social housing requirements in the Planning and Development Act 2000.

The provisions relating to two-year time limits on planning permission to stop land hoarding by property developers and a requirement that 20% of all development land be kept for social housing projects was ditched last Christmas, when the coalition rushed an emergency bill amending the 2000 Planning Act through Leinster House.

Mary Harney, Dermot Ahern, Seamus Brennan, Mary Coughlan and Tom Kitt all lobbied Martin Cullen.

UNHEALTHY DEMOCRACY

Sinn Féin spokesperson on the Environment and Local Government, Arthur Morgan, TD, strongly criticised the ministerial lobbying of Martin Cullen. He said: "Revelations that Mary Harney led the charge of a number of ministers to have the social provisions of the 2000 Planning and Development Act axed show clearly the disproportionate influence of developers and big business through their government placed agents." This was, he said, "unhealthy for democracy and leaves the ordinary citizen at a severe disadvantage".

Morgan highlighted that with "housing waiting lists and homelessness numbers at an all time high, it is worth noting that there are no ministers writing to Minister Cullen about this issue". Also forgotten, according to Morgan, was the pre-election promise made by Fianna Fáil to set time limits and targets for tackling homelessness and housing waiting lists.

"Once again, we have a government for the wealthy, for tax exiles and other vested interests. We don't have a government for the people," said Morgan.

"It comes as no surprise that the PDs' two largest donors last year were Ryanair's Michael O'Leary, who uses his wealth to buy a taxi plate for his chauffeur to beat the traffic ordinary people have to put up with, and Treasury Holdings, one of Ireland's largest and most profitable property development companies.

Morgan called on all ministers to "come clean on what representations were made to them and by which companies in the run up to the gutting of the Planning and Development Act 2000 so that the electorate can see who is formulating government policies".

HARNEY'S FAVOUR TO HAUGHEY

It is interesting that one of the net beneficiaries of the government gutting of the Planning Act is none other than Charles Haughey, who might have to sell some of his 270 acres of lands at Abbeville surrounding his Gandon-designed mansion.

If this land was sold now, it would be worth more than before the Planning Act was amended, as there are now no requirements for social housing.

This, though, is not the first favour Mary Harney has done Haughey, intentionally or otherwise. Her inappropriate comments in 2000 accusing Haughey of obstructing the McCracken Tribunal led to the dropping of the actual charges against him. The media coverage of the comments prejudiced the prosecution's case.

So, with all of these events, Charlie Haughey must have managed a smile or two this week. €5 million is the bargain price he has been ordered to pay for over 30 years of illicit millions given to him by Ireland's rich and powerful.

MORE DOUBLE STANDARDS

Though much of this was squandered on lavish restaurants, designer clothes, entertainment and indulging his interests in activities such as horse racing and sailing, Haughey still managed to amass considerable property, including a sumptuous mansion and estate, a personal island complete with holiday villa and of course, the luxury yacht.

Haughey and his family have come to an agreement with the Revenue Commissioners to pay the €5 million in taxes and penalties on the €11 million in "gifts" and payments uncovered by the Moriarty Tribunal as having been received by Haughey between 1979 and 1996.

The week of double standards does not end there. The Irish banking community, already one of the most profitable in Europe, has found new ways to line its shareholders' pockets.

Last week, the European Central Bank cut eurozone interest rates, making many mortgage holders happy, as it should mean lower monthly payments. However, Ulster Bank, National Irish Bank, AIB, BoI and Permanent TSB did not pass on the full cut to mortgage holders. They did though cut interest rates in Special Savings Incentive Accounts (SSIA).

The failure to pass on the full value of the cuts to borrowers while cutting immediately interest rates for investors has been criticised by among others the Independent Mortgage Advisers Federation, who believe there is "no competition" in the mortgage market. There are, though, considerable profits for the companies involved and once again no government ministers lobbying Charlie McCreevy or the Central Bank to act on this profiteering.

Maybe we should all write to Mary Harney, as she is clearly a minister who can get things done. The address is Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Make sure you mark the envelope "private interest", as Mary rarely acts in the public one.