Meet the candidates: Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil (Longford Westmeath)

Here is our Q&A with Robert Troy, who is running for re-election to the Dáil, having served as a Fianna Fáil TD since 2011.

Do you think the controversy over your failure to fully declare your property interests will impact on your chances of securing re-election to the Dáil?

I hope not. I regret the mistakes made on my Standard in Public Office (SIPO) forms, however they were unintentional, and I was in no way trying to conceal anything, a point which was acknowledged by SIPO's Counsel in June.

I had declared all of my interests on the forms however they were listed under the Occupation section only, and should also have been included under the Land section. It was a human error, and I apologised for it and resigned from my position as a Minister.

I hope the people of Longford and Westmeath accept that this was a genuine mistake and judge me on the work I have done for our area.

What is your proudest achievement as a TD over the past five years?

I am proud of my time in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Regional Enterprise Plan which provided up to €180m across the region for enterprise development projects. I advocated strongly for enhanced investments in the Midlands, in particular for Westmeath.

When it comes to housing, why should the Irish people vote Fianna Fáil back into power when homelessness is at a record level?

First and foremost, the homeless situation in this country is not acceptable. My party acknowledges this and works tirelessly to help people who find themselves without a home. Housing is Fianna Fáil's number one priority.

People should vote for Fianna Fáil because we have built more houses during the last Government term than the previous two Governments combined. We have put in place a number of schemes and incentives to help people buy, build, renovate or rent a property. We have pledged to resolve this issue but as people know it takes time to build and time to see changes happen in housing. I believe we are now seeing the benefit of these changes and progress will accelerate now that we have passed the new Planning and Development Bill.

If you were marking the performance of the current government out of 10, what would you give it?

I would give it an 8. I am giving credit for our handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, our handling of the economy and the progress across the board in all Departments. I do think we have more to do in housing, health, climate, immigration and public service reform.

What would be some of your priorities for Athlone and South Westmeath if you are re-elected to the Dáil?

The provision of housing, transport and services. I also want to work to ensure legislation allowing TUS to provide student accommodation is accelerated, to support students and relieve the pressure on the rental market. I know the ongoing situation with Lissywollen is causing significant concern. I have asked Minister O'Gorman to pause the plans here until an agreement is reached with the community.