Healy-Rae lists Ukrainian refugee accommodation contract in register of TDs’ interests

The Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has included a contract for supply of accommodation to Ukrainian refugees in his returns to the Oireachtas Register of Members’ Interests for 2022.

The Independent TD said there was no inconsistency between his company supplying accommodation and his calls on the Government to put a cap on the total number of Ukrainian refugees who come in to Ireland.

Mr Healy-Rae has declared 17 apartments and houses for letting through Roughty Properties Ltd, of which he is a director. All but one of the properties are in Co Kerry. He has also declared a B&B guest house at Oakpark, Tralee, Co Kerry among his property interests.

The register of interests of members of Dáil Éireann for 2022 was published this week. All 160 TDs are required to declare interests which might touch on their roles as TD. The headings include additional occupations; shares; directorships; land and property; gifts; travel facilities; and contracts.

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Under the contracts section of his return, Mr Healy-Rae discloses that his property company has a contract for supply of accommodation with the Department of Integration. In a note, he states it is for the supply of accommodation to Ukrainians.

When contacted, Mr Healy-Rae would not be drawn on the number of Ukrainian refugees being accommodated in property owned by him, or about the nature of the contract with the department. The contract was signed during the course of 2022.

He told The Irish Times the law required him to declare his contracts but there was no requirement to supply the details.

“You are supposed to declare your contracts. I supply diesel to Kerry County Council. Do you want to know how many gallons of diesel I supply?” he said.

In his public statements on international protection, Mr Healy-Rae has said that an open-door policy does not work. He has also said that while doing what is right is paramount, there was a limit to what could be done. In January, following a violent incident in Killarney, he said there was an over-concentration of people seeking international protection in the Co Kerry town.

“The point about this is that when you offer accommodation to somebody it’s not just accommodation, it is healthcare, there are schools. There’s all the other supports we need,” he said.

“We had doctors coming out saying there was not enough medical support for all the people who were living in Killarney.

“When you are looking at housing you have to look at the whole body of everything that is involved. That is exactly what I’ve done. I have debated it at Oireachtas meetings, debated it everywhere.

“That was the concern I had. I can understand why people are coming from Ukraine. Why are people coming from Georgia? There were 261 who came two years ago. There were over 2,600 last year.”

Mr Healy-Rae said there was “absolute consistency” in his approach to this issue and the contract he holds with the department.

He has listed 24 entries under land and property in his returns, including his own home, farmland and business in Kilgarvan; as well as rental properties in Kilgarvan, Killarney, Kenmare, Castleisland and Tralee. The only property listed outside Kerry is student accommodation in Grove Island, Limerick.

He has one share declaration which is for the New York Times Co. He is a director of four companies, and holds contracts with Kerry County Council for supply of diesel, and for providing accommodation to tenants under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme and Rental Accommodation Scheme.