Housing

Ex-FG minister urged O’Brien to intervene in Wicklow property dispute

Last year, Wicklow County Council backed out of a deal to lease homes from Arresico Ireland after it ‘consistently failed’ to deliver social housing units on time

Paudie Coffey: former FG minister is listed as director of Arresico Ireland, which has bought up more than 100 second-hand houses with a view to leasing them to councils for social housing. Picture: Collins

Paudie Coffey, the former Fine Gael minister, asked Darragh O’Brien to intervene in a dispute between Wicklow County Council and a property investment firm he works for.

An email sent by Pinnacle Public Affairs, a consultancy firm set up by Coffey, to the Minister of Housing’s office in September 2022 said the decision by Wicklow County Council to back out of a deal to lease two homes from Arresico Ireland could cause “serious repercussions” for ...