Junior Minister Robert Troy has claimed he did not need a fire certificate for a property in Dublin which he co-owns.
Mr Troy also claimed he did not need planning permission to convert the property into a rental.
The Minister of State with Responsibility for Trade Promotion and a businessman subdivided the property in Phibsborough into a number of rental units without planning permission.
In a statement, Mr Troy claimed he did not need a fire certificate or planning permission for the conversion.
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“We received advice from the architect-engineer that oversaw the development of Rathdown Road, that the building pre-dated the Local Government Act 1963 and pre-dated the Building Control Act 1990 and Building Control Regulation 1991,” Mr Troy said.
“The advice was as there was no “material change” nor “material change of use” as a result of the renovations carried out, an application for a fire safety certificate was not required under building regulations.
“However, all works were completed to the relevant fire safety regulations including the addition of a fire escape as part of these fire safety measures.
“I can also confirm Dublin City Council advised no planning was required for 25a Rathdown Road apart from the planning we obtained for the fire escape.
“Dublin City Council inspected this property in 2015 and in 2016 and issued a report in September 2016 which recommended no further action was required.
“I reiterate again my willingness to engage with Sipo (Standards in Public Office Commission), RTB (Residential Tenancies Board) or a Dáil Committee as suggested by Minister (Eamon) Ryan.”
Earlier, the Minister for Environment called for two investigations into Mr Troy’s failure to declare all his property dealings.
Mr Troy has been at the centre of a controversy in recent weeks after he failed to declare all his property dealings to the Dáil register of members’ interests.
Mr Troy is facing mounting pressure over his property interests and was had to make a total of seven amendments to the Dáil register and Sipo.
