Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, has today called on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Cork City councillors to explain why they last night blocked a debate on the lifting of the eviction ban.
Teachta Gould said:
“At an emergency meeting of Cork City Council last night, Sinn Féin councillors put forward a motion calling for the reinstatement of the eviction ban.
“Instead of allowing this debate to happen, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – with the support of the Ard Mhéara – blocked the motion and refused to even allow the meeting to happen.
“I firmly believe they did this because they knew they could not stand over a decision that places 975 families and individuals in Cork at risk of homelessness.
“In the Tanaiste’s own city, councillors from his own party couldn’t defend this heartless decision.
“The decision, made by Cork government TDs to back the lifting of the eviction ban, spells disaster for nearly a thousand individuals and families, many of whom will be forced to leave their home in the coming weeks and months. Local Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors cannot hide from the decisions of their party.
“Sinn Fein has contacted Cork City Council as we believe this decision was in direct breach of standing orders.
“Refusing to allow democratic debate in the Council Chamber is unacceptable, especially on an issue that has such grave consequences for so many. There was an agenda for the meeting and it was completely disregarded by councillors, who were eager to avoid accountability from the public.
“The agenda included discussing figures provided by Cork City Council to Councillors. This includes the shocking statistic that only three tenant in-situ purchases have been completed.
“The Council has not yet provided figures on the number of emergency beds available for families and individuals. The Council's website is still clear that they are awaiting further detail on the Cost Rental Backstop. The government’s so-called safety net is invisible in Cork City and the public deserve accountability on this.
“I want to be very clear; 975 families and individuals in Cork city face eviction because of this government.
“Sinn Féin will continue to fight tooth and nail to prevent these evictions, locally and nationally. It is not too late for the government to show compassion. They should change their minds and reinstate the eviction ban."
Speaking after a meeting at the Department of Health to address the lack of provision for adult ADHD diagnoses in the Northern Trust area, Sinn Féin’s South Antrim MLA, Declan Kearney said:
“Today I met with the Department of Health Permanent Secretary to raise the lack of provision for adult ADHD diagnoses and treatment in the Northern Trust area.
“Adults with ADHD are being failed by the NHS in the north and since I began communicating with the Department on their behalf, I have not received any substantive reassurance that time-framed measures will be brought forward to address this unmet need within the health and social care system.
“I told today’s meeting that a fundamental health inequality exists which creates a differential approach towards adults with ADHD.
“The existing system is failing to support these adults. It is unacceptable that they are left to work out their own diagnoses to then be told that neither a NHS clinical diagnosis, or subsequent treatments are unavailable.
“The Permanent Secretary has acknowledged that inconsistencies exist across Trusts in the north. A regional solution to address adult ADHD is urgently required.
“Adults with ADHD should not be subject to an effective postcode lottery for treatment according to what Trust area they live within.
“I impressed on the Permanent Secretary the need to deliver a stipulated timeframe for consistent regional provision of diagnoses and treatment.
“I also requested that the Department engage directly with the Northern Trust to expedite arrangements which provide adult ADHD treatment under the NHS.”
Residents and the wider community will be delighted at today’s confirmation of a major step forward for the Meenan Square redevelopment plan, Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy has said.
The Foyle MLA was commenting after Apex Housing Association confirmed it has purchased the site and was now proceeding with a major mixed-use development there.
Pádraig Delargy said:
“This is a hugely exciting project by Apex Housing in partnership with the Executive Office’s Urban Villages Initiative and Meenan Square Developments Ltd.
“It represents a huge investment in the heart of the Bogside that will see the construction of a new community hub, much-needed social housing and other local amenities.
“It will also signal the total transformation of a site which has become an eyesore and a source of anti-community behaviour which has blighted the lives of local residents for many years.
“With construction now due to begin by next Autumn, I am sure those residents and the wider community will be delighted that, finally, the site is set to be put to a positive use.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has called for "the immediate reinstatement of the ban on no fault evictions".
The call was made after the Residential Tenancies Board issued the Quarter 4 eviction notice figures, showing that a further 4,329 notices were issued in the last three months of 2022.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
"The latest figures from the Residential Tenancies Board show that 4,329 eviction notices were issued from October to December last year. This brings the total number of eviction notices issued in 2022, according to the RTB, to 11,868.
"Significantly, 3,329 of the Q4 notices will fall due in April, May and June of this year. This is on top of the almost 3,000 notices issued in Q3 which also start to fall due from April.
"This is huge number of eviction notices. While a small number of people will secure alternative private rental accommodation, most will not.
"The result will be an increase in hidden homelessness as people move in with family and friends and an increase in the number of single people and families in emergency accommodation.
"Local Authorities are already at breaking point. Our emergency accommodation system will simply not be able to cope with any significant increase in homeless presentations. Many people will be forced to overhold and in some cases to sleep rough.
"The Government's decision to end the ban on no fault evictions was wrong. It must be immediately reinstated.
"Government must also implement an emergency package of measures to prevent homelessness, accelerate exits from emergency accommodation and increase and accelerate the delivery of much needed social and affordable homes."
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald TD has today announced a wide-ranging frontbench reshuffle, stating: “This is the team that will lead Sinn Féin into the next General Election – a team full of talent, experience and ambition and bursting with the energy to deliver; a team that is ready to deliver change in government.”
“As we enter the last quarter of this government, it is clear that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are out of ideas and out of ambition. The longer they remain in office the more damage they will do. That is why we need change and a General Election as soon as possible.”
Ms. McDonald said:
“Today I am setting out the team that will lead Sinn Féin into the next General Election. There are ten changes including Sorca Clarke and Pa Daly coming onto the frontbench for the first time where they will take on the Education and Justice portfolios. Pa Daly will bring his extensive experience as solicitor to the Justice brief and Sorca Clarke was an outstanding spokesperson on Defence.
“Rose Conway-Walsh takes on the Public Expenditure and Reform portfolio having previously served on the Oireachtas Finance Committee. Indicative of Sinn Féin’s plan for a step change in research and development to make it the driver for the next generation of jobs, Mairéad Farrell will take on the Higher Education, Innovation and Science brief bringing to that portfolio her experience of the Public Expenditure and Reform portfolio, as well her expertise in economics.
“Matt Carthy will bring a wealth of experience from his time as an MEP in the European Parliament to the Foreign Affairs portfolio, and Claire Kerrane will bring a real personal passion for the future of the family farm to the Agriculture brief.
“We believe that Climate and Transport should be taken as stand-alone portfolios. Therefore, Darren O’Rourke will continue to hold the Environment and Climate brief while Martin Kenny takes on Transport and Communications. Similarly, we believe that Youth and Integration need a standalone focus and John Brady will bring his considerable knowledge of these areas to this brief.
“Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire moves to the Social Protection portfolio from Education where he had been a strong advocate on behalf of students and parents. Louise O’Reilly, Kathleen Funchion, Imelda Munster and Aengus Ó Snodaigh will remain in their respective briefs of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Children, Equality and Disability; Tourism, Sport and Media; and Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn will continue as Sinn Féin Chief Whip and spokesperson on Fisheries and the Marine.
“David Cullinane as Health spokesperson and Eoin Ó Broin as Housing spokesperson have led in setting out clear detailed alternatives policies to sort the health and housing crises. Pearse Doherty has shown that he will be the Finance Minister that ensures a government for change delivers on priority areas such Housing and Health.”
Sinn Féin frontbench
Ceannaire an Fhreasúra/Leader of Opposition: Mary Lou McDonald
Airgeadas/Finance: Pearse Doherty
Sláinte/Health: David Cullinane
Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta/Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Eoin Ó Broin
Cearta Oibrithe, Fiontar, Trádáil agus Fostaíocht/Workers’ Rights, Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Louise O’Reilly
Comhshaol agus Gníomhú ar son na hAeráide/Environment and Climate Action: Darren O’Rourke
Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Cosaint/Foreign Affairs and Defence: Matt Carthy
Dlí agus Cirt/Justice: Pa Daly
Caiteachas Phoiblí agus Athchóiriú/Public Expenditure and Reform: Rose Conway-Walsh
Oideachas/Education: Sorca Clarke
Breis- agus Ardoideachas, Núálaíocht agus Eolaíocht/Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science: Mairéad Farrell
Talmhaíocht, Bia agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe agus Oileán/Agriculture, Food (and Rural Affairs): Claire Kerrane
Cumarsáid agus Iompar/Communications and Transport: Martin Kenny
Cosaint Sóisialta/Social Protection: Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Óige agus Lánpháirtíocht/Youth and Integration: John Brady
Leanaí, Comhionannas agus Míchumas/Children, Equality and Disability: Kathleen Funchion
Turasóireacht, Spórt agus Meáin/Tourism, Sport and Media: Imelda Munster
Príomh-Aoire SF agus Iascaireacht agus na Muirí/SF Chief Whip and Fisheries and the Marine: Pádraig MacLochlainn
Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Ealaíona agus Cultúr/Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture: Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy has said the British government should fully replace lost EU funding and this funding should be allocated by a restored Executive.
Conor Murphy said:
“The Executive successfully delivered ESF funding for years, but this money was lost as a result of Brexit.
"The British government promised to replace the funding in full and decided to allocate the replacement funding itself.
"The British government has waited until the day funding runs out before telling community groups whether they have replacement funding.
“That is nothing short of cruel, as workers who have been on protective notice for months didn't know this morning if they would have a job tomorrow.
“Many groups have lost out on funding, meaning a collapse of vital services which help people take up work.
"The Shared Prosperity Fund has been a disaster.
“The British government should fully replace lost EU funding and this funding should be allocated by a restored Executive."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has said that the disappointing administrative blunders in accrediting the Coombe Cervical Screening Laboratory were avoidable and demonstrate the need for greater investment in domestic screening laboratories.
He added that a single point of failure must be avoided.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“Avoidable blunders have delayed the repatriation of 10% of cervical screening tests, which is a blow for patients and the health service.
“This is not a reflection on the quality of screening in Ireland – the screening service operates to the highest standards. The issue here is an administrative failure, which is highly disappointing.
“It is vital that women and people continue to participate in cancer screening programmes.
“The consequence of the indefinite closure, until the lab is properly accredited, is that samples will continue to be sent abroad due to the lack of domestic laboratory capacity.
“Repatriation of the majority of Cervical Check screening needs to be a political priority, and a priority for the health service. Investment in lab capacity, across the board, is needed to increase patient safety, and to improve the functioning and performance of the health service.
“The NCSL’s accreditation must be given the highest priority, and the lab must be reopened as soon as possible. There are existing staffing difficulties, and further delays will exacerbate this.
“Investment in the workforce and alternative capacity elsewhere in the State must be delivered to avoid a single point of failure in any eventuality going forward."
Sinn Féin Seanadóir Fintan Warfield has welcomed a Supreme Court judgement that current Seanad voting provisions are unconstitutional, and said reform must be enacted immediately to extend voting rights.
Speaking today, Seanadóir Warfield said:
“Today’s Supreme Court judgment, holding that the limitation of the Seanad franchise to NUI and TCD is unconstitutional, should serve as a wake up call to Government. I welcome the judgement and it is crucial that the required reforms are now delivered without delay.
“Sinn Féin worked tirelessly on the Seanad Reform Implementation Group. A full report and draft legislation were developed that would radically reform the Seanad.
“It proposed one six-seat university constituency that would replace the NUI and Trinity constituencies. The new six-seat constituency would be elected by graduates who hold a Level 6 degree or above.
“Sinn Féin fundamentally believe that a majority of the Seanad should be elected by the public including Irish citizens in the north and overseas. The Seanad Reform Implementation Group provided for that.
“Sinn Féin also won a series of key amendments to this Report and Bill that would provide for a greater gender balance amongst candidates; and that the Taoiseach gives consideration to diversity, gender balance and representation from marginalised communities when nominating 11 Senators as per the constitution.
“Our Seanad must be representative of the diversity of Irish life, to ensure that people get equal and fair representation. Sinn Féin will continue to advocate for fair reforms to deliver this equality. The Seanad must be reformed to be fit for purpose in the twenty-first century.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that the latest homeless figures from the Department of Housing show the ban on no fault evictions was working.
The Dublin Mid West TD added that if the government wants to stop the inevitable rise in homelessness from tomorrow it must reverse its decision to end the eviction ban.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“The February homeless figures from the Department of Housing show a marginal drop in the total number of people in emergency accommodation funded by that Department.
“Last month there were 11,742 people, including 3,373 children, in emergency accommodation. That is a drop of 12 people on the January figures.
“The ban on no-fault evictions resulted in a further decline in family presentations last month with 10 fewer families and 58 fewer children in emergency accommodation.
“However the figures also show an increase of 66 single people and 13 pensioners in emergency accommodation in February.
“There is also a worrying increase in overall homeless levels in Dublin.
“What these figures show is that the ban on no fault evictions was having a positive impact, stabilising the number of people in emergency accommodation.
“Despite this, the government is determined to end this crucial protection for renters today.
“Thousands of households are now at risk of losing the roof over their heads and the government still cannot answer one simple question - where are people to go?
“The decision to end the eviction ban is appalling, particularly in the absence of having a plan in place. This is why we need a temporary extension.
“The coming days and weeks will be a time of huge uncertainty and stress for people who live in the rental sector. There are a growing number of working families, single people and pensioners contacting our offices because they have nowhere to go.
“If the government wants to stop the inevitable rise in homelessness from tomorrow, it must reverse its decision to end the eviction ban.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Matt Carthy TD, has said that he was disappointed that Minister Charlie McConalogue has not delivered additional new supports to Sheep Farmers despite the challenges faced by the sector.
Speaking during Dáil statements on the Irish Sheep Sector on Thursday, Deputy Carthy said that the Minister had indicated that he had asked officials to examine potential supports.
However, in this week’s debate Minister McConalogue said that officials were simply monitoring developments.
Deputy Carthy said that the failure of government to deliver Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding to this sector is inexcusable and he accused the government of failing to adequately support sheep farmers.
Teachta Carthy said:
“I am disappointed that the Minister and Minister of State have spent 20 minutes of Dáil statements outlining that there are no new supports to be provided to sheep farmers.
“When I raised this issue as a priority oral question at the beginning of March, the response stated that the Minister had directed officials in the Department to examine potential supports. Here we are at the end of the month and the Minister tells us that officials are now being asked to continue to closely monitor developments. We are actually further away from what sheep farmers need, which is direct new supports, than we were a month ago.
“Sheep farmers have weathered an unprecedented confluence of challenges over the past couple of years. We have had the pandemic, Brexit, the utter collapse in wool prices and the huge input cost rises. Sheep farmers are now under incredible pressure.
“There must be recognition of the crucial economic difference these farmers make in delivering over €476 million in exports alone. They are driving economic activity in parts of the country that otherwise would not see it. They are doing this against the backdrop of Governments that have not acted accordingly to provide the support they need.
“One of the arguments often lost in the debate is just how important and crucial the sheep farmers are to our sustainability goals. As it stands, the majority of sheep farmers are very close to being organic farmers.
“The reason why farmers do not move to fully organic, as the Minster is encouraging them to do, is because there is no market yet for organic sheep products, at the level that would be required to encourage farmers to do so. That is because the Minister has continuously failed to act on Sinn Féin's call for Bord Bia to have a ring-fenced budget for organic produce.
“It is simply not good enough to continuously say that the Government has no role in the market; that the agrifood regulator for example, should have no role in competition; or that the sheep sector cannot meet the high test, as described by the Minister, required for European supports.
“Farmers understand the swings of the market better than anybody. That is why sheep farmers always set money aside during good times to carry them through to the bad times. They try to match and prepare for the economic cycle and invest when the opportunity arises. However, they cannot take punch after punch without assistance from Government.
“Just as farmers put money aside in good times to prepare for the bad, Governments have to also invest to foster an agrifood system that has in-built resilience to help them absorb the blows during more economically challenging times.
“The truth, and the problem is that the Minister has not invested sufficiently in our sheep farmer. The sheep welfare scheme which provides an additional €2 per eligible ewe does not even cover the level of inflation that has been faced by farmers. What is required is a scheme to the tune of €20 per ewe, as Sinn Féin has advocated."
Wool prices “through the floor”
“Wool prices have been falling through the floor for years now. This was once a very valuable commodity from which farmers derived an income. Wool is now considered - unbelievably - to be virtually a waste product; something to be disposed of. This does not have to be the case.
“As the Minister will know, Sinn Féin proposed an emergency package for the wool sector to cover the cost of sheering. Unfortunately, Government kept responding that there was a wool feasibility study emerging and said there would be no funding provided in the meantime. When that study was actually published, rather than answers to the questions that were put, what we got were the questions being repeated. All the while we have had farmers left to carry the can, wondering if their enterprises and farms can remain viable and certainly wondering whether they will be in a position to pass it on to the next generation.
"In terms of prices, the crux of the problem our sheep farmers suffer is the consequences of unchecked, often cartel-like practices in the meat processing industry. The Minister brought forward a Bill on an agrifood regular. The heads of Bill were clearly not fit for purpose, a view that was shared by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Minister has accepted many of the recommendation from that committee, along with some of the amendments Sinn Féin put forward on Committee Stage. There still remains a particular chasm between the approach of Government and the approach that is actually required. If the regulator is a position to make a different to sheep farmers and other vulnerable sectors, it has to be able to address anti-competitive practices that might not fit into the narrow definition of an unfair trading practice, but which are crucial to the operation of meat processors and the fact that vulnerable and important sectors are very regularly operating at below cost level.
“I am astounded that the Minister managed to make an opening address on the Sheep Sectpr without referencing Brexit. Few sectors are as exposed to the consequences of Brexit as the red meat sector. British trade deals which we now see on the go with New Zealand and Australia pose a significant threat and will only be compounded if the EU proceeds to sign its own deals without having protections in place.
“Yet Ireland was one of the few countries that had the potential for dedicated supports to offset the worse impacts of Brexit. It was the stories and the potential impacts on our peripheral farmers, particularly those in the west and in Border regions, and the implications of Brexit, that ensured the European Union established a Brexit adjustment reserve fund. It was the stories of those farmers and the communities from which they came, that ensured Ireland got the bulk of that funding to the tune of €1 billion. Yet virtually no money has gone directly to those very people who secured the funding in the first place; in fact the Minister has apparently signed off on siphoning money from the Brexit adjustment reserve into other funds. When asked, the Minister retorts with the complications and the frustrating bureaucracy involved with deriving money from the Brexit adjustment reserve and giving it directly to farmers. However, there was no difficulty in taking the first €100 million of that money and providing it to meat and food processors. They got a fair share but farmers have not.
“Our sheep farmers are under enormous stress and little fluctuations in the price will not address that. What they want is direct support through a welfare scheme, as Sinn Féin have advocated for in successive budget submissions, and we need Government to intervene. We need a strong intervention both domestically and at a European level, to ensure the Brexit adjustment reserve fund is used to support the people it was established for in the first place.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has called on the Minister for Health to deliver and sustain a significant investment in capacity in the health service on a multi-annual basis to tackle severe and record-breaking levels of overcrowding.
Teachta Cullinane was responding to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Trolley Watch figures for March, which indicate a severe and sustained upward trend in hospital overcrowding over the last five years. The INMO recorded more than 69,000 patients without a bed in the period covered by the failed Winter Plan.
The TD for Waterford said that HSE organisational failures and a lack of funding certainty had limited the HSE’s ability to respond to capacity challenges, and called on the Minister to implement a multi-annual workforce and capacity expansion plan.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“Extreme levels of overcrowding are being reported every month, every week, and every day at almost every hospital. The INMO has recorded yet-another record-breaking month, which is also seen in the HSE’s own declining performance statistics.
“The trolley scandal has spiralled into a constant threat to patient safety, and it is only getting worse. ESRI researchers have estimated a bed deficit of 1,000 inpatient beds by the end of this year.
“Government announced a significant investment in beds in October 2020, but then they stopped, and we will still be waiting for many of those beds until next year. The HSE has not delivered physical capacity expansions at pace. The Health service is suffering the consequences of bad planning, a failure to sustain investment in capacity, and a lack of funding certainty.
“Healthcare workers cannot see a way out of this crisis because there is no plan. The Minister has failed to grapple with this challenge. But this crisis can be solved with political will and sustained capacity expansion as part of a multi-annual plan.
“Government must urgently publish a multi-annual capacity expansion plan to deliver much needed hospital beds, additional diagnostic capacity, and expanded theatre capacity to equip hospitals to deal with the volume of care coming their way.
“This plan must also address Sláintecare reforms and community capacity, such as intermediate care beds and home support to deliver more care outside of hospitals and speed up discharge from hospitals.
“No improvement can be achieved without a paradigm shift in workforce planning. We need a radical increase in the number of healthcare workers we are training, and a serious change in approach to retention in the health service. Too many are leaving early in their career for opportunities abroad or in other sectors.
“Government has failed to act on each of these measures for far too long. The Minister for Health has no credibility until he produces a comprehensive multi-annual plan to expand capacity and tackle this crisis.”
Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon has said health and social care workers deserve fair pay and safe working conditions.
The party’s health spokesperson said:
“Health workers are entitled to fair pay and safe conditions. They are stretched to the limit and burnt out from working long hours.
“Chronic understaffing and extra pressure put on already stretched workers is unsafe and is putting both patients and staff at risk.
“In the absence of a functioning Executive, it is the British government’s responsibility to deliver a fair deal for health and social care workers.
“It is unfair, unjust and totally unacceptable that the pay offer made to NHS staff in England has not been extended to health and social care workers in the north.
“We have made our anger and deep frustration at this approach clear to the British Prime Minister and have requested with him to again raise these concerns and challenge their inaction.
“Health and social care workers cannot wait any longer for political leadership. They need an Executive formed now, a health minister in place and parties working together to prioritise investment into our health service.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Rose Conway-Walsh, has called for an explanation from government following the Residential Tenancies Board revelation that there are almost 5,000 fewer student beds registered in the private sector.
Teachta Conway-Walsh TD said:
“These are extremely alarming figures. Each year we see a worsening situation for students and parents scrambling to try and find accommodation they can afford.
“The RTB has confirmed that there are now only 23,557 student specific accommodation beds registered with them. This is down from 28,414 registered in 2019 and represents a decline of 4,837.
“I have raised this with Minister Harris in the Dáil and have written to the Housing Minister seeking urgent clarity on how these student beds have been allowed to leave the system.
“There were reports during the pandemic of purpose-built student accommodation changing into accommodation for tourists.
“Weak enforcement and a hands-off approach from successive governments have emboldened large student accommodation providers.
“We have a growing population of college students and a shrinking number of student accommodation beds.
“Accommodation has become the biggest barrier to third-level education, and this particularly impacts students from rural areas.
“It is unacceptable for large student accommodation complexes to be given permission to change use.
“Students and parents need clarity from the Housing Minister on the level of student accommodation available in the private sector.”
First Minister Designate Michelle O’Neill has highlighted the unique economic opportunities now available to our economy and to our businesses but has expressed her deep frustration that political instability and uncertainty could see these opportunities squandered.
Speaking at a meeting of the British-Irish Chamber in Belfast tonight, Michelle O’Neill emphasized the urgent need for the immediate restoration of the Executive.
Michelle O’Neill said:
“This a time of huge opportunity for our local businesses as the north now has a real competitive economic advantage. The recent deal between the EU and British Government has unlocked unique and unparalleled access for our businesses to both the EU and British markets.
“In the weeks ahead, the eyes of the world will be on us as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the enormous interest that will accompany the visit of the US President Joe Biden.
“We need political stability and a functioning Executive to grasp that major opportunity to create good jobs, grow our businesses and strengthen our economy.
“Alongside seizing the economic opportunities available to us, a restored Executive should adopt three key economic priorities; transforming Invest NI to ensure it works more effectively, tackling skills shortages and making childcare affordable.
“It would be unforgivable if the opportunities now available to us are squandered by the DUP’s boycott of the Executive and their refusal to work with the rest of us to create jobs and build our economy.
“Public patience has long run out with this delay and uncertainty. They want an Executive now. Our people can’t wait. Our businesses can’t wait and, critically, international investors will not wait.
“Our frontline youth and community workers and our public services are seeing the devastating consequences of Brexit and the loss of millions of pounds of European funding from our economy. Yet there are no local ministers in place to take decisions. There is no world in which that makes economic or political sense.
“It is time to move forward. It is time to work together and to put our shared economic priorities ahead of narrow party political interests or electoral advantage.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, has said the housing crisis being presided over and exacerbated by the current government is destabilising the economy.
Teachta O’Reilly said:
“It was of no surprise to learn that the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, was sent to firefight concerns about the scale of the housing crisis among American multinational firms.
“For over a decade, Sinn Féin has highlighted that the housing crisis was damaging our economic competitiveness.
“Research, data and testimonies from organisations such as Ibec, Chambers Ireland, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (ISME), the Irish Exporters Association, and the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), all pointed to the destabilising effect of the housing crisis on our economic competitiveness and productivity.
“Added to this are the concerns of the American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham) who cited the availability of housing as the number one challenge for their members.
“Survey data from AmCham revealed that almost two-thirds (64pc) of US firms in Ireland expect to add jobs in the next year.
“It is clear the housing crisis poses a threat to such investment given the chief executive of AmCham said that ‘the future of inward investment will be as much about where people want to live as where companies want to locate’.
“Such sentiment echoes advice given to government from the NCPC when they told the coalition to make Ireland a better place to live to protect our competitiveness and productivity.
“Minister O’Brien can try and allay the fears of US businesses all he wants, but every sector of the economy is affected by the housing crisis, and it is now putting pressure on both the multinational sector and the SME sector, and their ability to maintain their current position and grow into the future.
“Unfortunately, this government, like its predecessors, is caught in an ideological quagmire in terms of housing policy, and only a change of government, and change of Housing Minister, will truly address the housing crisis for the betterment of society and the economy.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has welcomed data from the European Central Bank which makes clear that corporate profits were a key driver of inflation in 2022.
The Donegal TD called on policymakers to reflect on this fact in the months ahead as workers and families continue to bear the brunt of high inflation.
Teachta Doherty said:
“Today's comments by the European Central Bank signal an important moment in the inflation debate.
“For the past year, our own government has called for companies to think twice about increasing workers’ pay, warning that it would worsen inflation.
“This mantra has been repeated ad nauseam by policymakers and Government ministers.
“Today, the ECB has acknowledged that corporate profiteering contributed twice as much to price rises compared to wage increases.
“In the ECB’s own words, the effect of profits on prices has been ‘exceptional’ in the recent period.
“The ECB also makes clear that companies have hiked prices under the cloak of higher costs in order to bolster their profit margins.
“This is an extraordinary development and should give pause to policymakers and government.
“Since the cost-of-living crisis began, we have been repeatedly warned of the risk of a wage-price spiral – despite the fact that wages have failed to keep pace with inflation.
“It is now time to consider the risk of a profit-price spiral.
“Today, we also learned that the pay of Irish CEOs soared in 2022, just as inflation soared for households.
“As prices remain high and the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, it is time to focus on the role of price-gouging and profiteering in the current economic climate.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate Action, Darren O’Rourke TD, has called on the government to urgently revise their National Retrofit Plan to include specific targets for homes reliant on the burning of solid fuels, echoing policies contained in Sinn Féin’s A Fairer Retrofit Plan.
Commenting on a new cross-border assessment on Air Pollution and Mortality from the Irish Heart Foundation and the British Heart Foundation in the North of Ireland, the Meath East TD said that the environmental, economic and public health justifications for a change in tack were no longer ones that the government could ignore.
Teachta O’Rourke said:
“The results are clear and the government must take stock. Air pollution is causing up to 1000 premature deaths every year; and importantly, the bulk of the pollution that is damaging our health comes from the burning of solid fuels in the home.
“The government’s approach to solid fuels - from turf bans to carbon taxes - has prioritised a punitive approach from the get go.
“In Sinn Féin we not only think a fairer way is possible, we believe that it's preferable not just in terms of our fight to tackle climate catastrophe but also in our efforts to prioritise public health.
“Solid fuels are among the most carbon intensive fuels, emitting almost twice as much emissions as natural gas and furthermore, as today’s report has shown, they pose a massive risk to our health.
“The Irish Heart Foundation CEO said today that he thinks that this is a serious but solvable problem and called on the government to increase the access of solid fuel homes to the National Retrofitting Plan. I agree. We can make progress but only if the government acknowledges that its retrofitting scheme is failing across yet another dimension.
“Sinn Féin’s progressive approach would allocate €50m to establish a new retrofit scheme for solid fuel homes.
“By allocating 10% of our retrofit budget, we would maximise emissions reductions and prioritise those homes, the majority of them rural, who have no other alternatives but to rely on coal, timber and briquettes for heating. Many of these households are also middle to low income meaning they are completely priced out of the government's scheme.
“And, more worryingly, we have witnessed a sharp increase in the numbers of people living in fuel poverty in solid fuel homes.
“The report also drew attention to the fact that when it comes to addressing the climate, we need an all-island approach.
“Like many challenges and opportunities that we face as a country, our best approach is a united front.
“The situation is urgent for the climate and also for the health of the general public. If the government does not want to listen to Sinn Féin and policies we put forward, they should at least start to listen to the increasing numbers of others who say that they must change tack.”
Sinn Féin TD for Limerick, Maurice Quinlivan, has repeated his call for government to take steps to address the crisis in University Hospital Limerick where figures for March now stand at 1,995 people treated on trolleys.
Teachta Quinlivan said:
“UHL has hit another scandalous record. As of today, 1,995 people have been treated on trolleys in March.
“We are on course to exceed 2,000 people treated on trolleys in one month. This is a disgraceful indictment of this government’s utter failure to address the capacity and staffing issues in our hospital services, especially in UHL.
“This month’s figures are significantly worse than last month, and last month was worse than the month before. This is the legacy of this government when it comes to health, which is one of mismanagement, inaction and failure.
“I am renewing my calls to the Minister for Health to fast-track the construction of the 96-bed units, and for the additional bed units to be completed as a matter of urgency. It is not acceptable that the people in the Mid-West must languish on trolleys.
“We need to see government deliver and, as a priority, to deliver a multi-annual capacity expansion plan for the health service to address the current state-wide deficit of 1,000 beds.
“The ESRI's quarterly commentary estimated a deficit of 1,000 beds in the health service and a requirement for over 300 additional beds to be delivered every year up to 2030.
“Overcrowding at UHL is at a critical point. It is a perpetual problem at the hospital and is a severe threat to patient safety and staff wellbeing.
“This type of overcrowding has been reported every month, every week, and every day at UHL for many years.
“When Fine Gael came into government in 2011, there were 3,658 people on trolleys in UHL and Enda Kenny pledged to end the ‘scandal of patients on trolleys’.
“This has not happened.
“Already this year we have seen almost 4,500 people treated on trolleys and at this rate we will exceed the shocking figure of 18,012 in 2022.
“It is time for government and the Minister for Health to take action. We need to see a workforce plan with a radical increase in healthcare workers and greater efforts being taken to retain staff.
“Action must be taken on community capacity with intermediate care beds and home support to deliver more care outside of the hospital setting and to speed up the discharges from our hospitals.
“There are huge problems at the hospital, but these can be addressed. This crisis is not something new that has suddenly come upon us, it has been with us for years now.
“The Minister for Health has long ago lost his credibility. He must produce a plan to expand capacity and address this perpetual crisis at UHL.”
Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon has said the growing waiting times for cancer treatment are unacceptable and called for the Executive to be restored now to cut chronic waiting lists.
The party's health spokesperson said:
“Growing waiting times for life-saving cancer treatment are deeply concerning and again highlight the need for urgent action to support patients.
“It is unacceptable that the cancer strategy has been sitting on the shelf for a year while cancer patients continue to suffer on chronic waiting lists.
“We need the Executive restored now and parties working together to invest in the health service and address unacceptable waiting lists.
“People suffering with cancer cannot wait. Any more delays in progressing this work is compounding the trauma and worry of cancer patients and their families.”
