Minister for Housing reverses decision not to meet Dublin Lord Mayor
James Browne
has reversed a decision not to meet Dublin Lord Mayor
Emma Blain
over the tenant-in-situ scheme after he issued a one-line 'blanket refusal' to meet her despite her writing to him three times on the issue.
The mayor, who is a Fine Gael councillor, wrote to Mr Browne three times during March and April on behalf of the council. Its members had agreed to seek a meeting, looking for assurances about future funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme.
Under it, a local authority buys the property off the landlord, leaving the existing tenant in place. Councillors were looking for a guarantee on future funding for a scheme they agreed was very successful in preventing homelessness.
Ms Blain received no reply to the first two letters. After the third letter, an official in Mr Browne's office wrote a one-line email to Ms Blain stating: 'The Minister has acknowledged receipt of this letter. Unfortunately he is unable to facilitate this meeting request.'
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The email also addressed Ms Blain as Emma, rather than her title as Lord Mayor.
Ms Blain has since raised the matter with Taoiseach
Micheál Martin
and asked him to intervene with the Minister.
James Browne's letter to the Lord Mayor addressed her as 'Emma'. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
She pointed out the invitations were open-ended and deliberately flexible in terms of time and date to accommodate the Minister's availability.
In a letter to the Taoiseach, Ms Blain said she had received 'only a single, one-line email stating that he is 'unfortunately unable to facilitate this meeting request'.
'Given that no specific date was proposed, this response can only be interpreted as a blanket refusal to engage.'
She continued: 'This refusal to engage – on an issue of such significance – is profoundly disappointing. It shows a marked disrespect for the office of the Lord Mayor and to me as the first citizen of Dublin, as well as to the elected members of Dublin City Council who are working hard to protect tenants at risk of homelessness.'
She asked the Taoiseach to intervene in the matter.
Earlier, Ms Blain's office wrote to Mr Browne's office to advise the Lord Mayor should be addressed as Lord Mayor, and not by her first name, similar to other elected representatives.
A spokeswoman for Mr Browne said the Minister would now meet Ms Blain on the matter.
'The Minister's office has today issued an invite for the Lord Mayor to meet him directly next week on the matter of second-hand acquisitions and the delivery and status of that specific scheme by Dublin City Council.'
It stated it hoped the meeting could be confirmed on Wednesday.
Ms Blain's stance was supported by the Social Democrats' housing spokesman Rory Hearne, who criticised Mr Browne's refusal to meet the mayor and councillors.
'Dublin city councillors have confirmed that large portions of the tenant-in-situ funding are already committed to closing 2024 acquisitions – but it is not known how much exactly,' he said.
He said they were looking for funding certainty for a scheme that has worked really well.
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