Planning and building process is too slow amid housing crisis, Micheál Martin admits

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed frustration at the slow pace of the planning and building process and the failure of the system to respond swiftly to innovation.

Mr Martin told the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk that the system was too slow and called for more modular homes and timber homes, rather than a fixation on conventional building methods.

The Taoiseach acknowledged that system was too slow given the nature of the current crises in housing and refugees, adding that the system for accommodating students could also be improved.

In response to criticism about the handling of plans to move 135 Ukrainian women and children from a hotel in Killarney to Westport, Mr Martin said that there should never be a fear about correcting a situation.

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The handling of the move was previously criticised by Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, who described the short notice provided to families as “unacceptable”.

But the Taoiseach paid tribute to Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman and his department amid what he described as “extraordinary pressures” on the system for dealing with people fleeing the war in Ukraine and those seeking international protection.

Mr Martin expressed concern that there was a danger of anti-refugee feeling, especially given the emergence of far-right political parties who were “gaining traction” elsewhere in Europe.

On the subject of the post-game IRA chants caught on video in the dressing room of the Irish woman’s soccer team, the Taoiseach said he did not believe that malice had been intended. But he warned that a broader reckoning with violent history was required.

“We need to take the culture of the gun out of politics,” he said. “That’s the broader story of the past.”

Mr Martin acknowledged that he “got it wrong” when it came to the issue of Shane Ross not appearing on RTÉ about his biography of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.

The Taoiseach told the Dáil on Tuesday in response to a question that Sinn Féin’s litigation against media outlets was having a “chilling effect” on reporting, and said that “apparently” a party had been given “access to the interview to listen to it”. RTÉ and Sinn Féin denied the claim.

The Taoiseach told Mr Kenny on Thursday that Sinn Féin was suing “a lot of media” and do not want people talking about their past, accusing the party of a co-ordinated agenda.

When asked if he would consider a career in politics in Europe after his tenure as Taoiseach, Mr Martin, who is 62, said he was focused on the current issues and was not focused “beyond this government”.

There was hard work to be done “to get through this”, he said. It was important for the public to see that three political parties can work together. “That’s a good thing to do.”