Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, has expressed concern about the latest price hike from An Post which adds a further ten cent to the price of a stamp from next month.
The Louth TD said he had contacted An Post and the Irish Postmasters’ Union about the increase, which was announced today.
Teachta Ó Murchú said:
“The announcement by An Post is a cause of concern and while I acknowledge increased input costs such as fuel and energy, this price increase will have an impact on many people.
“An Post has said that on one hand they are striving to be a greener business and many post delivery people are using bicycles to deliver letters and small parcels to homes and businesses across the state but on the other hand, the company is citing increased fuel and energy costs as reasons for the price increase.
“This increase, which comes on top of other stamp price increases in the last 12 months, is concerning for those who use An Post to keep in touch, and to respond to communications from state agencies such as Social Protection and the HSE.
“It is also a concern for small businesses who rely on the mail delivery system to get their products or necessary communications into their customers’ hands. While inflation is affecting every single person in the state, adding to it with price increases is not the answer.
“The IPU has said that there are fears that the price increase will lead to people not using the service and lead to a reduction in handling payments for post offices, which could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“What we really need to see is a greater level of services being available at post offices.
“In addition, An Post has to continue to look at ways to ensure that post offices, which are increasingly important in local areas because of bank branch closures, and which are a vital cog in the life machine of rural Ireland in particular, are sustained and grown in the coming years.
“These additional services could include the provision of further financial services and services for state agencies.”
Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald has said the Invest NI review report confirms the need for fundamental change within the organisation.
The party's economy spokesperson said:
“For years Sinn Fein has pointed up InvestNI’s failure to promote regional economic development and its focus on a golden circle of client companies.
"I welcome the publication of the report by the InvestNI review panel. It clearly makes the case for change within InvestNI and in how the organisation does business.
"InvestNI has failed over many years to effectively create jobs, boost productivity and investment outside Belfast. During the pandemic it was found wanting in providing practical support to businesses.
"It is clear there is a need for fresh political leadership within the Department for the Economy to reform InvestNI and create a productive, sustainable, regionally balanced economy with good jobs.
"The local economic development agency needs to work to support indigenous businesses including local start-ups, small and micro-businesses, and entrepreneurs, alongside attracting inward investment on a more strategic basis."
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has appealed for people to bring forward information to the police on a serious sexual assault in Woodvale Avenue at 19:30 on Saturday.
The North Belfast MLA said:
"Following the assault on a man in Woodvale Avenue at 19:30 on Saturday detectives are appealing for information.
“I would urge anyone with any information should bring it forward to the PSNI.
“We must ensure the attackers are taken off the streets and face the full force of the law.”
Speaking after it was announced that RIFL (the Rathlin Ferry operator) has ceased trading, North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan said:
"The Rathlin Island ferry provides an essential and vital service and it must be protected. Today's announcement by RIFL is disappointing, but the Department for Infrastructure must act quickly to put in place a contingency plan to ensure the continuity of a ferry service between Rathlin and Ballycastle.
“This solution must protect islanders, those who work on the island and also ferry staff currently working on the ferry. I have been in contact with and will continue to engage with the Department to help resolve this situation."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, and Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights, Senator Paul Gavan, have reiterated their calls for sub-minimum rates of pay to be abolished.
Teachta O’Reilly said:
“Sub-minimum rates of pay are used to exploit young workers and have no place in the Ireland of 2023.
“These rates of pay are open to abuse by some employers as a mechanism through which a young worker is paid as little as 70%, 80%, or 90% of the National Minimum Wage.
“These rates are exploitative of young workers and the state should recognise the principle of Equal Pay for Equal Work.
"Workers, whatever their age, pay the same tax, PRSI, and USC, there is no reason why such discrimination should persist.
“As the Mandate Trade Union has stated, this is an outdated and old-fashioned concept based on the belief that young workers live at home and do not face the same issues as older workers.
"In 2023 this could not be further from the truth as young workers grapple with the inflation crisis, the cost of transport, the cost of education, the cost of rent, and the general impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
Senator Paul Gavan stated:
“In 2018 and 2021 I introduced legislation to abolish exploitative practice of sub-minimum rates of pay.
“This issue continues to affect young people five years after I first introduced such legislation and the government continues to do nothing, other than sanction reports into the discriminatory practice, as sub-minimum rates of pay remain in place.
“We have workers over the age of 18 only being paid 80% or 90% of the National Minimum Wage simply because of their age. These workers are doing the same work - they should get the same pay.
“This is just another way for businesses to take advantage of cheap labour and due to their nature, these rates of pay can exclusively target younger workers.
“They have been abolished in Germany, Spain, Korea, Canada and in Belgium, and it is about time we did the same in this state.
"These rates of pay have been negotiated and totally removed from all collective agreements in Ireland’s retail sector.
“The concept of sub-minimum rates of pay is outdated and punitive.”
Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Transport, Darren O’Rourke TD, has received figures which show the taxpayer has paid out over €32 million to two private toll road operators over the past three years alone.
The Meath East TD said;
“Figures I have received from Transport Infrastructure Ireland show that the taxpayer has forked out over €32m in so called traffic guarantee payments to just two toll road in the past three years.
“Due to lower-than-expected traffic volumes on the M3 motorway and the Limerick Tunnel, the taxpayer has been forced to step in and compensate the private toll road companies.
“The gold-plated PPP contracts that permit these very generous traffic guarantee payments, are a legacy of bad economic policy choices and decisions made by successive Fianna Fáil-led administrations in the early 2000s.
“The Limerick Tunnel in particular represents a catastrophic deal for the taxpayer, with the state forking out over €26m in the past three years alone.
“Such contracts are also completely counter-intuitive, as it creates traffic congestion elsewhere as people avoid the tolls.
“These traffic guarantee clauses are also now in direct conflict with the ambition to reduce the number of car kilometres travelled on our roads and the desire to get more people onto public transport to help reduce emissions.
“In my own constituency of Meath, we hope to have the train line re-established within the decade, which will take thousands more cars off the M3 motorway.
“The Limerick Tunnel contract runs until 2041, while the M3 contract doesn’t expire for another 30 years, so we can expect these payments to increase significantly over the next few decades as people move to more sustainable modes of transport.
“The taxpayer will be left with a bill of hundreds of millions of euro as a result. It’s hard to understand how any government would have signed up to such agreements.
“These toll road contracts represent poor planning, a total lack of foresight and dreadful value for money for the taxpayer.”
Commenting on a decision by the British government last night to exclude the Sinn Féin Uachtarán and party leader Mary Lou McDonald from today’s meeting with the British Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary a Sinn Fein spokesperson said:
“The progress made on the Protocol this week is welcome and must now inject fresh momentum into talks between the EU and British government to reach a solution.
“Sinn Féin was hoping to build on that progress at today’s meeting with the British Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary.
“There is no time to waste, we are in the grip of a cost of living crisis, and our health workers and patients are crying out for political leadership and the restoration of the Executive.
“Sinn Féin’s priority is to work together with the other parties and the two governments to get the job done.
“However, in an extraordinary turn of events last night we were informed that the British government is excluding the Sinn Féin Uachtarán and party leader Mary Lou McDonald from today’s meeting.
“This is a time for inclusion, dialogue and engagement. This is a time for mature and civil politics. There is no room for bad faith and petulance from the British government.
“There is serious work to be done in the days and weeks ahead. This is an important week and we must pull out all the stops to get the Executive back up and running and working together for all our people.
“We look forward to engaging with the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and the British Labour leader Keir Starmer tomorrow.”
Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald has said the DUP blockade of the Executive is damaging efforts to create jobs and investment opportunities.
The party's economy spokesperson said:
"On a number of occasions now leading representatives from the business community have highlighted the lack of Executive as damaging to investment.
"The comments by Brian Lavery from CBRE NI are the latest in a long list of such calls and should be a wake-up call to the DUP that it's time to get back to work.
"The 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is an opportunity to showcase the economic potential of the north and our innovative and world leading businesses on the international stage, we should have an Executive in place to lead on that.
"We need ministers in an Executive taking decisions to help tackle the cost of living crisis and crisis in our health service, and to drive forward our economy to create jobs and opportunities for our young people."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Matt Carthy TD, has said that Minister of State, Pipa Hackett, and Minister Charlie McConalouge, must come before the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee to account for the Department ceasing to process afforestation licences.
Deputy Carthy was speaking as it emerged that existing applications for tree planting were paused with no new applications being accepted in response to the Department’s failure to secure European Commission approval for the new forestry programme.
Teachta Carthy said:
“Last October voices from the forestry sector warned that the failure of government to have a new forestry programme in place by January 1st would have a devastating impact.
“This delay followed the extension of the 2014 to 2020 programme by two years to allow this government to outline their vision for forestry in Ireland.
“Government has still failed to produce their new strategy, instead simply publishing the payment rates for the new schemes in advance of the full programme itself.
“This has now been exposed as a cheap publicity stunt, with government ceasing to process road and afforestation licences in response to their failure to yet secure European Commission approval.
“Effectively, the old programme and schemes have elapsed, with the new ones yet to be approved. An interim scheme is in place for those who already have licences but, even in these instances, confusion exists on a case-by-case basis in terms of state-aid rules.
“This government, with a Green Party Minister responsible, has overseen the near collapse of afforestation rates. The medium-to-long term impact of this most recent debacle will be on our ability to meet our climate objectives.
“But, it could have a very real and immediate impact on forestry businesses who will see the amount of work available to them in the coming months decimated.
“Interim solutions to mitigate the worst impacts are possible and Sinn Féin stand ready to bring constructive proposals in this regard – for example, with no new applications being taken in relation to the Ash Dieback Reconstitution & Underplanting Scheme, the Department should examine the provision of separate distinct supports for the clearing of land on a health and safety basis.
“While I have acknowledged that the forestry sector was in turmoil prior to the formation of this government, we are now far past the point of this being a crisis of someone else’s making. Minister of State Hackett and Minister McConalogue must take responsibility.
“Since the formation of this government afforestation rates have been abysmal. The number of afforestation licences issued have hit record lows. The fact that government is still considering reports, arising from an implementation report, itself into an initial report that dates back to 2019 points to their incompetent handling of this sector.
“I have written to the Chairperson of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee requesting that both Ministers be invited before the Committee without delay to account for these abject failures and this most recent debacle.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has said that the continued fall in living standards experienced by households reflects the continued failure of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to improve the economic prospects of workers and families.
Figures released by the CSO today showing a decline in living standards in the third quarter of last year reflect a continued fall in Irish living standards compared to other European countries in the past decade.
Teachta Doherty said:
“Today's figures released by the CSO show that Irish living standards fell in the third quarter of 2022, and in three of the last four quarters.
“This trend reflects the impact the cost of living crisis has had on households together with the crippling cost of housing and childcare.
“Workers and families have had to face high costs long before the energy crisis took hold, with persistent high prices in areas of childcare, housing and energy.
“Today’s CSO figures only scratch the surface.
“Irish living standards have fallen further behind other European countries in the past decade and are now 10 percent below the European average and in the bottom half of the EU.
“This reflects the failure of this government and indeed Fine Gael since 2011 to improve the economic prospects of Irish households.
“Indeed, through their policy failures in areas such as housing and healthcare, costs have risen and services are more difficult to access.
“The new Finance Minister will be judged, as will this government, on his economic record as households continue to face high living costs.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Mental Health, Mark Ward TD, has said he is extremely worried about people presenting to emergency departments with suicidal thoughts during the current hospital crisis.
Figures obtained by Teachta Ward show that, on average, 100 people per week present to Emergency Departments with suicidal ideation
23,000 people presented to 25 hospitals with suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, between 2018 and 2021.
Teachta Ward said:
“Emergency departments are not the best place for anyone seeking help with mental health difficulties at the best of times.
“My concerns are that anyone seeking help for mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, during this crisis-level of overcrowding in hospitals may not get the help they need.
“Healthcare workers have been failed by a Minister for Health and a government which has not given them the tools they need to get through winter.
“There was no provision in the government’s winter plan for people seeking mental health supports in emergency departments.
“Suicidal ideation or suicidal thoughts is regarded as an indicator of serious mental and emotional distress, and repeated episodes may lead to self-harm.
“To see a continuing high rate of presentations to hospitals is very worrying.
“Figures released to me through a parliamentary question showed that 23,000 people presented to 25 hospitals with suicidal ideation between 2018 and 2021 - an average of 15 presentations per day.
“Our emergency departments are under intense pressure at the moment and we must make sure they are properly resourced.
“Liaison psychiatry services are tasked with treating those who present with suicidal indentations. They are available in all acute hospitals in Ireland that have an emergency department, however, no services currently meet the minimum level of staffing as per A Vision for Change.
“We must also put in place out of hours emergency mental health services. This would take pressure off our emergency departments and, most importantly, allow people to get the help they need where they need it and when they need it.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate Action, Darren O’Rourke TD, has called for the acceleration of shallow retrofits to help cut carbon emissions, as figures from the SEAI show the number attics and cavity walls insulated in 2022 was 88% lower than the number completed in 2011.
The Meath East TD said:
“On average, a home loses 20-30% of its heat through its roof and external walls if they are not properly insulated.
“Insulating roof space and cavity walls are simple, quick measures that can immediately help reduce heat loss from a home, cut household energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
“Unfortunately, the number of shallow retrofits has fallen off a cliff over the past decade.
“In 2011, even at the height of the economic crisis, 51,577 attic insulations were carried out. However, in 2022 this figure had dropped to just 6,195 according to figures from the SEAI.
“Similarly, cavity wall insulations fell from 41,612 per annum in 2011, to just 4,896 last year.
“This is the low hanging fruit this government is failing to capitalise on to help cut carbon emissions.
“We’ve had a missed decade of investment in this area, which has left people living in cold homes, spending huge amounts on heating and also contributing to our carbon emissions.
“The SEAI have said 500,000 homes would benefit from additional attic and cavity wall insulation, highlighting what a huge, missed opportunity this is.
“Sinn Féin believes accelerating the rollout of attic and cavity wall insulations is the right solution now, given the dire energy situation many people are facing this winter. This is a call echoed by the Climate Change Advisory Council, Friends of the Earth Ireland and others.
“100% grants for attic and wall insulation and removing the administrative burden on households should form part of this plan. Minister Ryan should act immediately on this.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that the government's shared equity loan is making the housing crisis worse as it is pushing up prices.
The comments were made after the First Home Scheme announced that 750 buyers have been approved for the loan and that the government is raising the purchase price caps.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“The shared equity loan is a bad policy. It pushes up house prices and makes it more difficult for people to buy their home. Despite widespread criticism of the scheme from economists, think-tanks, the ESRI and Central Bank, the government has ploughed ahead.
“At the end of December, the government announced it was raising the price caps for the scheme, clearly demonstrating that the market had already adjusted to the increased borrowing capacity that the scheme provides.
“Today the First Home Scheme published their first update indicating that 750 loans have been approved. The average loan amount state wide was €71,000 with the average loan in Dublin being €81,000.
“While some commentators have said that the raised caps are an indication of the scheme chasing house price inflation, the opposite is the case. The scheme itself is contributing to that inflation. This point was made in the Davy-MyHome.ie report released last week.
“Not only is the scheme pushing up house prices, it is also saddling working people with significantly increased debt, which in some cases could cause significant financial issues in the future.
“Government should scrap this scheme and redirect the funds into the delivery of homes at prices people can actually afford.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has called on the insurance industry to slash insurance premiums following the sharp fall in personal injury claims through the High Court and Personal Injuries Assessment Board.
The Donegal TD called on the Government to support his Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill which would hold insurance companies to account and pressure them to reduce prices in line with the reduced cost of claims.
Speaking today, Teachta Doherty said:
“Figures released today show a sharp fall in the number of personal injury claims initiated in the High Court following the introduction of the Personal Injuries Guidelines.
“Personal injury claims through the High Court have fallen by two thirds since 2019 – from an average of 666 per month to 223 per month.
“The number of applications to PIAB for personal injury claims has also fallen sharply with the value of awards falling by 40 percent.
“We now know that since the new guidelines were adopted the number and value of personal injury claims has significantly reduced.
“This is and will result in massive savings for the insurance industry.
“These reforms were not passed by the Oireachtas to bolster the profits of insurance companies – they were passed to reduce the cost of insurance for consumers and businesses.
“It is clear that the industry is choosing to pocket these savings rather than pass them on to their customers.
“In 2021 alone, the motor insurance industry amassed profits of €176 million – its highest profit margin in more than a decade.
“The insurance industry must pass on the benefits of these reforms, euro for euro, to customers.
“My Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill, which will proceed to Committee Stage in the coming months, would require the insurance industry to report to the Central Bank detailing how it has or hasn’t passed on these savings to customers.
“This would allow the Dáil to hold the industry to account and apply downward pressure on prices.
“The Government should now support this legislation.
“It is clear that the industry is taking the Government for a ride and undermining its insurance reform plan.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that tomorrow's housing summit organised by the Taoiseach is an admission that the government's housing plan is failing.
The summit will see about 50 stakeholders hear presentations from the Taoiseach and Minister for Housing, participate in workshops for an hour and fifteen minutes, and hear reports back from workshops.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“Two and a half years into the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil government and the housing crisis has never been worse. Rents, house prices and homelessness are at record highs. Social and affordable housing output is way behind schedule. The government’s housing plan is failing.
“Now that Leo Varadkar has returned to the helm, he is desperate to give the impression that he is, after 11 years in government, going to do something to address the housing crisis that his party has created.
“In time-honoured fashion, he has hastily convened a summit of up to 50 housing stakeholders including developers, builders, AHBs and others.
“The meeting will take place in Government Buildings tomorrow from 10am to 2pm and include an opening and closing address by the Taoiseach and an address by the Minister for Housing.
“There will be an hour and fifteen minutes for breakout workshops and an hour and fifteen minutes for report backs and open discussion.
“It is clear that the summit is nothing more than optics. It is also a clear admission that the government’s housing plan is failing.
“Only a change of Government, a change of housing plan and a change of Housing Minister can start to end the decades-long housing crisis caused and perpetuated by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.”
Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney has welcomed news that the EU and British government has reached an agreement on sharing trade data.
The party’s Brexit spokesperson said they must continue working constructively to reach pragmatic and durable solutions on the Protocol.
Declan Kearney said:
“Confirmation that the EU and British government has reached an agreement on sharing trade data is welcome.
“This positive step demonstrates that progress is possible and must form the basis for continued work to reach a pragmatic, durable agreement on the Protocol.
“The priority for both British government and the EU must be on ensuring talks reach an early and successful resolution that gives certainty and stability to local businesses.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has said that a failure to plan for a predictable rise in demand for medicines in response to the winter respiratory infection surge has led to the current major medicines shortage.
Teachta Cullinane said that while global supply constraints are part of the problem, this has been exacerbated by government failure to put in place a proactive medicines supply and management strategy.
Following a meeting with the Irish Pharmacy Union today, he called on government to legislate for serious shortage protocols and to enable pharmacists to practise at the top of their licence, which would allow greater flexibility in the substitution of out-of-stock medicines with appropriate alternatives. He said that government must also examine a ‘pharmacy first’ model for minor illnesses to ease pressure on GP practices.
He called on the government to start thinking radically about how the state manages and ensures a consistent supply of medicines. He added that government has a responsibility to ensure that domestic supply chains and production, appropriately flexible pricing arrangements, and a rapid licensing process for substitute products are all in place.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“The medicines shortage being experienced today is, in large part, a consequence of a failure in planning. The increased demand on the supply of antibiotics, penicillin, and other medications was predicted.
“While not avoidable, there were and are steps which government could take to ease the burden on people, pharmacists, and GP practices caused by this lack of supply. In general, community pharmacy can also play a much greater role in dealing with minor illnesses under a ‘pharmacy first’ model, which would ease in part the pressures currently faced by GPs.
“The government has no strategy to secure domestic production and supply of medicines, to enable pharmacies to provide substitutes without repeat GP consultations, or expand the number of licenced alternatives. We are below the EU average for licenced alternatives, meaning that we are overly reliant on single suppliers of vital medicines where there is the potential for multiple suppliers.
“Ireland has a higher than average ‘single brand availability’ and a higher reliance on licence-exempt products, which makes it more difficult to ensure consistent supply. The State also does not trust pharmacists to advise on appropriate substitutes for out-of-stock medicines, despite this being within a pharmacists’ area of expertise.
“Additional constraints exist on the HSE in the context of older medicines and medicines in particularly short supply where there is no purchase price flexibility. While this is not a favourable solution, it has been pointed out that pricing inflexibility in the context of global supply shortages means that the HSE is at a disadvantage.
“A proactive, strategic, and long-term government-led response is needed, which deals with each of the above to ensure that the state is better prepared for medicine shortages.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Mental Health, Mark Ward TD, has said that recruitment and staff retention issues in the health service is affecting the rollout of specialist eating disorder teams across the state.
Teachta Ward has received two responses from the HSE that say delays in teams becoming operational are expected due to the failure to recruit specialist staff.
Teachta Ward said:
“The health service is on its knees and staff retention and recruitment are among the main issues affecting the provision of care.
“Specialist services like those for eating disorders, unfortunately, are experiencing the same issues and this is affecting the rollout of badly needed teams.
“The state currently has only three out of nine specialist eating disorder teams in operation - one adult team and two CAMHS teams.
“The HSE aims to deliver three new teams a year but has experienced issues when attempting to fill positions for consultant psychiatrists.
“I have received two responses to parliamentary questions from the HSE that state that some positions are still vacant, and that another has had to be readvertised.
“It is welcome to see that these are progressing but government should be focused on ensuring that service delivery is a priority.
“Sinn Féin is committed to delivering a joined-up, proactive, and comprehensive health and social care workforce strategy to increase education places and training opportunities. We also are committed to support doctors and nurses with support staff to maximise patient care.
“To provide a good service, we need to provide a good service to work in.
“The funding from budget 2023 has not yet been allocated for eating disorders and needs to be allocated urgently so that new teams can be progressed.
“The government has already dropped the ball with its delivery of the new eating disorder service at Mount Carmel Hospital, which was originally due to open in 2021.
“Here we are two years later and we may have to wait until the end of the year before eating disorder services are operational there.
“With the high morbidity rates associated with eating disorders and, as reported by Bodywhys, the number of people presenting for treatment with eating disorders having increased over the last few years it is important that government resources the HSE to meet its targets on time.”
