Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that he will seek legal advice on whether or not Damien English broke planning laws by not declaring he owned a home.
However, he insisted that Mr English does not need to resign as a TD, noting that he has already “paid the ultimate political point”.
The Meath West TD resigned as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise over his failure to declare ownership of a property when applying for planning permission for another Meath home in 2008.
READ MORE: Former minister Damien English did the 'right thing' by resigning, says Micheal Martin
Planning laws in Meath required him to declare if he had previously owned a property before receiving permission to build a one off rural dwelling.
Following the publication of a story by online outlet The Ditch, the Meath West TD said that he had reviewed documentation in relation to the planning application made 14 years ago.
He acknowledged that it was “unacceptable” that he had not properly declared the property and that he had tendered his resignation to the Taoiseach.
Following Brexit talks in Belfast, Mr Varadkar said he would not make a judgement on whether or not Mr English had broken the law or planing law. However, he said he would seek legal advice on the matter.
He said: “It’s not for me to say. I’m not an expert in planning law.
“I can certainly seek legal advice on it and I’d rather do that than answer. I will [seek advice]
“I want to be very clear, when it comes to any breach of planning law or any breach of any other law, it’s not Government that has a decision on it.”
The Taoiseach said that he did not think it was necessary for Mr English to resign from his Dáil seat as he had “paid the political price” by resigning as a minister.
Mr Varadkar said that the fact that there have been four ministerial resignations shows that there is “accountability”. However, he agreed that TDs should be honest in the first instance and should not have to be held to account by the media.
Fine Gael sources suggested to the Irish Mirror that it is expected that Neale Richmond, who missed out on a junior ministry during the reshuffle last month, could be in contention for the role. They noted that this would be the “obvious” choice.
One source said that it would be “surprising” if Mayo TD Alan Dillon received the role but that he could have “geography on his side”.
Other names mentioned included Alan Farrell and Emer Higgins. One source noted that every female Fine Gael politician bar Ms Higgins has been appointed to a position.
Mr Varadkar said that the role will be filled in the next couple of days.
Speaking in Belfast on Thursday, Mr Martin said that Taoiseach called him after midnight to say Mr English had resigned.
The Tánaiste said that he was correct to stand down as minister.
He said: “He took the right decision in light of the issue that had arisen, albeit 14 years ago.
“He made the decision himself and came to the Taoiseach and indicated the situation.”
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