Micheál Martin dismisses election ‘hot air’ and says Coalition should run to February

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has dismissed what he called “hot air” speculation on the timing of the next general election.

He said he believed the Government should go to full term, and named February as his preference for polling day.

Addressing the question of whether by-elections would need to be held before then, Mr Martin said legal advice he had received suggested that would not be the case.

Mr Martin was speaking at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party think-in at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney, Dublin.

The Fianna Fáil leader said when the party entered into the Coalition Government, it took on “challenging” portfolios including housing, health and agriculture, and had “made a difference” in power.

He said the party was in a “healthy position” and said it was preparing for a general election.

Mr Martin cautioned against “half-baked” proposals on childcare and called for a “comprehensive blueprint” on how a mooted Department of Infrastructure would work.

He added: “What we need in terms of infrastructure is to cut through a lot of barriers that successive governments have created in respect of getting public capital programmes through. I think the situation regarding Children’s Hospital created an over caution within the public service, within the system generally, in terms of capital projects.”

He said he believed Transport Infrastructure Ireland needed to be given “clear direction” that there would be budget allocations to build roads and no delays.

He added: “In a three-party government, compromises have to be made. I think the NDP (National Development Plan) could have been delivered faster on roads, but for policy reasons, perhaps wasn’t delivered as fast as it could have been.”

He was asked about comments by the Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, who told The Sunday Times that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had put their political survival ahead of good policymaking.

Mr Martin said: “We’re edging towards election time, it’s obvious that Roderic and the Green Party are obviously trying to create a niche for themselves and maybe create an identity going into that election.

“I understand that fully, but for our part, I would say we took the hard departments.

“There was very little movement in housing prior to us taking it over.”

He said further work on housing was needed and that his priority was to get the Budget delivered, the finance Bill passed as well as other draft laws within what he called a “tight” timeline.

Asked about when he thinks there should be an election, he said: “We should go full term… Full term is February.

“I think there’s a lot of hot air going on now about the timing. I mean, I think all of those people who are briefing all of you that it would be November 15th are now the same people briefing you that it’s Valentine’s Day.”

He added: “I don’t think any by-election will be held before the next general election, because, simply put, if you were to hold a by-election in December or in January with an immediate general election in the aftermath…

“My understanding is that the legal advice would sustain that proposition that I’m putting to you.

“So I don’t see any by-elections before the next general election and I’ve been consistent in terms of saying February would be an ideal date to hold it, but I think the immediate focus is on the Budget.”