Fr McVerry apologises for claim Varadkar overruled O'Brien 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 Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien on extending the eviction ban.

Fr McVerry had made the claim during a radio interview with South East Radio, in which he said his understanding was that Mr 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 per cent untrue" and that there was "zero evidence" to support it.

However, in an interview on The Neil Prendeville show, on Cork's Red FM on Wednesday, Fr McVerry said the information he had received was 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 his comments had proven 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 Fr McVerry again expressed the belief that the decision to lift the ban, which took effect on April 1st, was the worst in this Government's history and will bring a "tsunami of misery".