I’m the boss: Joan Burton responds to Alan Kelly’s comments

Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton has insisted she is Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly’s boss, after he was reported as saying he was his own boss.

Responding to the deputy leader of the party’s description of power as a “drug”, Ms Burton said every politician would be aware in the weeks ahead that the voters were the people who held the real power.

Mr Kelly was asked about his relationship with Ms Burton in an interview with the Sunday Independent. When asked if she was his boss, he said: "That's not the way we see our relationship. I mean she is the leader of the party and that's a very privileged and great position to be in and I really respect her for that."

He went on to add: “Ah sure, in politics you are your own boss really.”

Ms Burton was asked if she was Mr Kelly’s boss when she appeared at an event in Dublin on Monday afternoon. “Well yes, of course I am, in the sense that I’m the leader of the Labour Party and the members of the Labour Party voted for my election as leader and Alan’s election as deputy leader.

“I’m very happy that Alan has taken on a really significant role in this Government in relation to firstly sorting out the issues in respect of Irish Water and I think making real headway in relation to homelessness. And also in terms of gaining a very significant budget to actually start getting the building of houses underway in this country again.”

Asked if she was concerned her deputy leader was “addicted to power”, Ms Burton said Mr Kelly obviously had a “great way with words” and was a great campaigner.

“I probably have a slightly different approach,” she said at the launch of the ONE Youth Ambassador Programme. “I enjoy being involved with all the activities that politics brings. But politics is an enormous privilege and it’s also a very important undertaking. And at the end of the day, can I just say this, the people who really have the power are the citizens and the voters, and I think every politician will be highly aware of that in the weeks to come, and that’s as it should be.”

Minister of State for Equality and Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has backed Mr Kelly’s comments. “I suppose what Alan is trying to say is that being in Government is the place to get things done. I spent three years as a backbencher and I have to admit I found it very frustrating because you get into politics to achieve things,” said Mr Ó Ríordáin.

“If you’re not in Government, you’re not in a position of power, you do feel a bit useless so in that way having influence and being in a position to do things is pretty addictive; I’d agree with him there,” he said.

“I’d be very disappointed if Labour didn’t get back into Government . . . People who are in opposition for 14 years, wake up every morning and have to be critical about things rather than having the ability or influence to do something positive.

“Labour belongs in Government and some of our members are not necessarily at ease with us being in Government. It can be a safer or easier place to be outside, criticising, campaigning and protesting but I agree with Alan that being in power and using that power for the good of people is where you want to be.”

Mr Ó Ríordáin said he would not be in favour of abolishing Direct Provision as it would put increase the numbers of people on housing lists.

“I don’t know what people mean when they say abolish direct provision because it was set up as a short term measure to stop the phenomenon of homelessness that was creeping in, in terms of those seeking asylum in Ireland,” he said.

When he took office in the summer of 2014, Mr Ó Ríordáin said direct provision was in need of radical reform.

Asylum seekers who are in the system live in a variety of adapted accommodation, including former hotels, hostels, caravan parks and holiday centres.

There has been criticism of the standard of accommodation, the bans placed on work, the cramped common areas, and the inappropriateness of the centres for children.

“If you abolish Direct Provision you have four to five thousand who are going to be on the housing list.”

“What I stand over, is a system where people are in it for six to nine months in excellent conditions with proper oversight but I won’t stand over a system where children are growing up in it.”

“If the centres themselves are excellently run and have proper oversight, cooking facilities, community links, access to health and education, then that’s a system I can stand over,” he said.

“Those who are telling me to abolish Direct provision; where are they going to put the 4000 people. On a housing list? That’s not going to benefit anybody, particularly not those in Direct Provision,” he said.

He said 60-80 people a month were leaving direct provision and moving towards independence,

Payments to children in direct provision were increased last month, from €9.60 per week to €29.80 per week.

The rise is a key recommendation in the report on the asylum system, from a working group chaired by Judge Bryan McMahon, published last June.

The report also recommends payments to adults be increased from €19.10 to €38.74 per week.