One in five TDs are landlords as Michael Healy-Rae boosts property portfolio to 25

Nearly a fifth of TDs are landlords or own rental property, while twice that number declared they were landowners, according to the latest annual register of politicians’ interests.

The annual declarations show Michael Healy-Rae, one of the largest property owners in the Dáil, has expanded his portfolio of land and property, registering his ownership of a further vacant premises in Beaufort, Co Kerry. The Independent Kerry TD listed 25 different entries in his declarations outlining land and property he owned last year, which included several rental houses and apartments, a service station and farmland.

In total 29 of the 160 TDs declared that they were landlords or owned rental property in the 2023 register of interests published this week. Some 59 TDs stated they were landowners, which ranged from rental properties to farmland or constituency offices.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly listed two rental properties in his 2023 declaration, an apartment in Sandyford, south Dublin, and a house in Co Offaly. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s entry stated he was a landlord and renting an apartment in west Dublin.

Four-bed period house and mews a short walk from Greystones for €975,000

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Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey declared rental income from properties in Kinsealy and Portmarnock, north Dublin. His entry also listed shares he held in more than 40 companies, which included Amazon, Diageo, Glanbia, Novo Nordisk, Mercedes-Benz, Pernod Ricard and the Kerry Group.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen listed property he was renting in Clara, Co Offaly, while his party colleague Thomas Byrne listed rental income from a property in Co Donegal.

Fine Gael TD Peter Burke listed farmland in Mullingar in an expanded entry, which he stated he had inherited from his late father last year.

Other TDs who declared that they were landlords included Colm Burke, Seán Canney, Michael Creed, Frank Feighan, Johnny Guirke, Alan Kelly, Paul Kehoe, Josepha Madigan, Michael Moynihan, Robert Troy and Carol Nolan.

Michael Healy-Rae also listed several contracts his companies held with State bodies, which included supplying diesel to Kerry County Council and the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees for the Department of Integration.

His brother, Danny Healy-Rae, declared State contracts his plant hire company held with Kerry County Council and Uisce Éireann, formerly known as Irish Water. In many cases TDs’ entries to the annual register of interests saw no change compared with the year before.

Independent TD Mattie McGrath declared holding contracts to supply plant and machinery to Tipperary County Council, Waterford City and County Council, and Uisce Éireann.

Pa Daly, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry, stated he had received income under the Government scheme to provide a monthly €800 payment to people housing Ukrainian refugees in a room in their home.

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