Alan Kelly orders ‘early’ call on house openings

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly ordered all local authorities to tell him "early" about the opening of local authority houses so he could officiate at them, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show.

On June 5th, Bairbre Nic Aongusa, assistant secretary at the Department of the Environment, emailed the heads of all local authorities, saying that announcements should be notified “well in advance”.

Later that day, she emailed senior departmental officials to say she had been “instructed” to do so by the Minister.

Last year, Mr Kelly’s office demanded similar notice from the County and City Management Association, the chief executives of the four Dublin local authorities and the Irish Council for Social Housing.

The instruction has caused tension, particularly over the opening of 52 homes in the Glen in Cork city, Mr Kelly's office wrote on June 2nd to complain about the late notice given for a June 12th opening.

A departmental official said the date had been agreed with Cork City Council and Lord Mayor of Cork Mary Shields, who was due to leave office in June, "and this was to be her last official event".

Mr Kelly’s office replied: “The Minister has instructed that this opening is not to proceed on the 12th June . . . he will give the council a date in June when he is available.”

The opening went ahead on the planned date.