Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said he does not believe a €430,000 salary to lead the Government's new Housing Activation Office would be appropriate, insisting "we have to get this right".
Mr Harris was speaking on RTÉ's The Late Late Show this evening after NAMA chief executive Brendan McDonagh, who had reportedly been considered for the position and could have retained his existing salary, confirmed he no longer wants the role.
Asked whether a potential €430,000 salary is appropriate for a job which is meant to involve overseeing housing reforms to help people who cannot currently afford a home, Mr Harris said: "I don't".
However, he said, "this isn't about any one person", adding "I think what's most important is we get the skillset right".
Mr Harris said the Government wants to set up "an office" in response to questions over the reported creation of a housing 'tsar', and said it is crucial the Government gets the housing question "right for the next generation".
Asked if he "blocked" the potential appointment of Mr McDonagh at the Government's leader’s meeting on Monday evening, he said: "I don't like the word block, I just didn't think it was a particularly good idea".
Mr Harris said he wanted to "think it [the potential appointment] through", and that "when I thought it through the Taoiseach agreed with me".
Mr Harris repeatedly said the creation of the Housing Activation Office is "about breaking down the silos" and "knocking heads together", a reference to various individual public sector groups involved in the housing process.
He rejected opposition criticism of the move, saying: "They would say that, pot shots on the Friday before a bank holiday weekend".
Asked if any senior official will want to lead the Housing Activation Office given it has already faced controversy even before it is fully established, the Tánaiste said: "Oh, I think there's lots of people out there who want to play a role."
Mr Harris also said he has kicked himself "very hard" over his interactions with disability care worker Charlotte Fallon in Kanturk during the general election campaign.
Last November, Mr Harris was forced to publicly apologise after he walked away from Ms Fallon while visiting north Cork during the election campaign.
In the footage, recorded by RTÉ News, Ms Fallon was raising concerns over disability pay and services.
Mr Harris apologised to Ms Fallon the following day.
Asked on about the situation, which dominated much of the final days of the general election campaign, Mr Harris said "you can imagine I've thought about this so many times".
He said "you can imagine I've kicked myself very hard over this".
He said it irked him as "there isn't an issue I care more about than disability".
However, he said he is "not going to make excuses" and that "you've got to learn [from mistakes]", before saying "it was a long day, I was a bit burned out that day".
Asked about the resulting general election, Mr Harris accepted his party's result was "worse" than what was predicted two weeks before the incident, but "better" than six months before that as well.
He said "everybody goes into elections hoping to win," and that in his view his party is "in a reasonably good place".
Tánaiste 'committed absolutely' to passing Occupied Territories Bill
Mr Harris said he is "committed absolutely" to passing the long-delayed Occupied Territories Bill into law and will meet with Independent Senator Frances Black who first tabled the bill next week.
Mr Harris said the Government "will bring forward legislation" and the coalition will give "a further update on the timeline for that next week".
He acknowledged the bill has faced delays, with critics suggesting this is partly due to the potential international impact it could have on Ireland.
However, defending what the Government says is the focus on ensuring the bill will survive any potential legal action, he said: "I'm not going to do something that's just to be seen to be doing something".
Mr Harris confirmed he will meet with Independent Senator Frances Black to further discuss the still awaited legislation next week, saying that in relation to Palestine that Ireland is "going to have to do more".
He said "we're watching children in Gaza being starved" and that what is happening by the Israeli defence forces towards Gaza is "unconscionable", before also saying he wanted to be clear that he believes "Hamas are despicable" and that all hostages held by the group "should be released".
Asked separately about US President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, Mr Harris - who is now Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs - joked that his new role means he is "learning diplomacy".
He said "the people of the US decide who they elect as president", adding that it is "important we don't respond to every single comment or every single tweet" from the White House.
