Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has urged the Taoiseach to end the scandalous delay of supports for survivors of domestic violence.
Figures published by the Examiner today show shocking delays to district court waiting times for family law domestic violence victims. This follows the government’s ongoing failure to deliver adequate refuge provision so that all counties can offer safe accommodation to survivors.
Speaking today in the Dáil, Teachta McDonald said:
“District court waiting times for family law domestic violence victims published by the Examiner today paint a shocking picture for victims of domestic abuse and coercive control.
“Of the eight courts with the longest waiting times for victims we know that six of them have no refuge or safe accommodation provision in their counties.
“Time and again this Government speaks about an epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence but there is no urgency in their actions.
“We welcomed the Third Strategy but publishing a document alone will not prevent abuse or protect victims.
“We cannot wait for the establishment of the new agency to address the absence of safe accommodation in nine counties, and courts cannot prevent abuse if they do not have the judges to hear domestic violence cases.
“When will the Heads of Bill for the new agency be published and will safe accommodation be delivered this year for the counties currently without any refuge provision.”
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has extended her warmest regards and best wishes to Nicola Sturgeon as she steps down as the First Minister of Scotland.
Teachta McDonald said:
"I was sorry to learn this morning of the decision of Nicola Sturgeon to resign as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party.
"She has been an incredible advocate for the independence of her country, and I know that she will remain so as she steps down from office.
"She has taken a strong stance against Brexit and its impact on Scotland, as well as the undermining of devolved institutions by the Tories in London.
"She leaves a strong legacy, and I want to take this opportunity to offer every my warmest regards and best wishes to Nicola and her husband Peter for the future."
“EU Report on Electoral Rights proves Democratic Deficit in North can be addressed” - MacManus
A Parliament Proposal on electoral rights of mobile citizens highlights that creative solutions can be found to address the democratic deficit in the six counties
Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus has welcomed the passing of a European Parliament report on the electoral rights of mobile citizens.
Speaking from Strasbourg, MEP MacManus said;
“I welcome the parliament vote on ensuring electoral rights of mobile citizens. This vote gives EU citizens living abroad in another EU country, the right to vote in European Parliament elections. I welcome any proposal that enables citizens to more actively engage in politics, whether it be at a local, national or European level.
MacManus went on to say that the report highlighted that creative solutions can be found to address the democratic deficit that is present for the people in the North of Ireland.
“This proposal also highlights that solutions do exist when it comes to enabling citizens from exercising their democratic right to vote. We have a unique situation in Ireland where Irish citizens in the north are by extension European citizens, and yet do not have the right to vote in EU elections. Many decisions made at an EU level directly affect Irish Citizens in the North and so there is an democratic deficit that must be addressed.”
MacManus concluded, “It is my view that they, and everybody else in the north, should have their voices heard and listened to at an EU level. I believe that the Dublin government should work towards offering all citizens in the north of Ireland a vote in the next European Parliament Elections.” ENDS
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, challenged the Tánaiste Micheál Martin on his failure, and that of his predecessor as Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, to address the issue of recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces and the Reserve Defence Forces.
With the combined personnel deficit in the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) and the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) now just under 5,000, Brady described the current situation as being beyond a crisis and threatening the overall viability of both.
Teachta Brady said:
“The current strength of the PDF is 7,987 - over 1,500 below the current establishment figure of 9,500. This makes a mockery of government ambitions to extend the establishment figure to 11,500.
“With the government budgeting for an increase of 400 personnel this year, which at this stage appears ambitious, it will still take most of a decade for the Defence Forces to achieve government targets. That is if they are successful in achieving their annual target, which based on current figures is not possible.
“It is absurd that when government figures compare Finland and Ireland to argue that Ireland should play an increased role in military alliances, they neglect to mention that Finland has a military reserve of 900,000 personnel, while Ireland has less than a thousand.
“The RDF is currently 3,250 short of its minimum strength level of 4,069, which includes a naval reserve of 200. Last year, just 755 army reservists took part in paid training, along with 64 naval reservists. In 2007 there were 12,300 members of the RDF.
“Despite agreeing to increase the minimum naval reserve strength to 400, and to create an Air Corps reserve force of 200 for the first time, the government has failed in all of these objectives.
“The government's failure to address the personnel in the RDF is even starker when we consider the fact that a short-lived recruitment campaign last March attracted 1,000 applications before the online portal had to be shut down because the Defence Forces did not have the resources to manage it.
“Of those who did apply, the majority pulled their applications following delay after delay in processing applications.
“My understanding is that just 90 personnel were eventually recruited, which is somewhere in the region of 9% of those who applied.
“I pointed out in my submission that following a 2019 recruitment campaign there were 2,603 membership applications, 388 of whom were women applicants, which at 15% represented a figure double the average of women in the PDF.
“Unfortunately, and an indication of what was to come, just 114 applicants were processed into the Defence Forces, and just ten of whom were women, representing a mere 9% of the eventual total.
“The majority of applicants got fed up with the length of time that the induction process was taking. Lessons of failure are not being learned.
“A review undertaken by the Reserve Defence Forces Association has found that the RDF will cease to exist as an entity by 2026 unless serious action is taken by the government.
“The ball is now in the Minister’s court. He must act decisively, and he must act immediately, or the state will cease to possess a reserve military force.”
Sinn Féin Leas-Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill has paid tribute to Nicola Sturgeon as she stands down as First Minister of Scotland.
Speaking after writing to the outgoing Scottish National Party (SNP) leader, Michelle O’Neill said:
“It is with regret that I learned of Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to stand down after eight years as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party.
“As a friend and colleague, we have worked closely together in recent years, and I have seen the depth of dedication, commitment and energy that Nicola has given.
“I wish to pay tribute to the huge strides she has made in advancing the campaign for Scottish independence, the strong stance against Brexit and the undermining of devolution by the Tories in London.
“The world of politics and all those of us who have had the great pleasure of working with Nicola Sturgeon will miss her leadership.
“She leaves a legacy for which anyone in politics or public life would be rightly proud and I want to take this opportunity to offer every good wish to Nicola and Peter for the future.”
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey has condemned a shooting of a man in the Divismore area of Ballymurphy on Tuesday night.
The West Belfast MP said:
“I am aware that a man has been injured in a shooting attack in Divismore tonight.
“This attack was wrong. There is no place for guns on our streets.
“Anyone with information on this shooting should bring it forward to the Police.”
Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey has said it’s disgraceful that the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association has been forced to move from its Donegall Pass home following racist attacks.
The South Belfast MLA has committed to working with the BMCA to find a new home.
Deirdre Hargey said:
“It’s totally disgraceful that the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association have been left with no option but to sell their Donegall Pass home because of continued racist attacks.
“I want to offer my full solidarity to the Muslim community who have been left frightened in the face of these barbaric hate crimes and attacks.
“There is no place for racism in Belfast and more must be done by the PSNI to bring the islamophobes responsible for these vile and criminal attacks to book.
“Everyone has the right to live their daily lives free from fear, hatred and intimidation and all form of racism must be challenged.
“The Belfast Multi-Cultural Association are strong and resilient and I know they will continue working to provide services for our Muslim community and I will continue working with them to find a new home.”
“Our Family Farmers deserve Fairness” - MacManus & The Left launch study on carbon leakage
Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus and The Left launch study on carbon leakage in the agri-food sector
Tonight, Sinn Féin and The Left group in the European Parliament launched an important study on how to combat carbon leakage in the agri-food sector. The launch involved a lively discussion with the author, the esteemed Professor Emeritus Alan Matthews from Trinity College’s Department of Economics, and around 20 MEPs.
Speaking after the launch MacManus said: “Many people will never have heard the term carbon leakage, and it can seem a bit abstract at first. However, it can be explained very simply. To give an example, carbon leakage can be a situation where EU farmers must increase food prices for consumers to account for the increasing costs they face, as they invest in making their model of production more carbon efficient i.e., releasing less carbon emissions into the atmosphere. As a result of these increased food prices, customers choose to buy more products that are imported into the EU, even though these products are produced in a way that releases more carbon emissions into the atmosphere; think about buying a steak in the EU that was produced by burning down the Brazilian rainforest, instead of an Irish grass-fed suckler steak.”
“Over time, EU farmers, who are the more environmentally friendly producers, lose their customers and producers from non-EU countries increase their production size, to supply their new EU customers. The outcome is poorer EU farmers and an overall net release of more carbon into the atmosphere.”
“We use the term carbon leakage because it represents us trying to reduce emissions from our end, but a leak occurs, in the form of carbon emissions increasing in other parts of the world. In order to avoid this, we need to make sure our farmers are not being undercut by carbon intensive imports. It’s about fairness for our farmers.”
MEP MacManus complimented the work of the study’s author Professor Emeritus, Alan Matthews, “Professor Matthews has done an impressive job at examining what tools are available to EU policy makers to fix this problem. His proposals include signing environmental agreements with our trade partners, adjusting the tariffs we apply to other countries, important standards, and mandatory due diligence obligations.”
“This issue is of particular importance to me because it is about delivering fairness for Irish and European family farmers. Famers are our best allies in transforming our global food system to make it more sustainable. In order to guarantee their support, we must fairly reward them for the environmental restoration they engage in and protect them from unfair competition, in particular when that competition is selling a product that comes at a heavy cost for the planet.”
“By demanding our trade partners raise their standards to match ours, we are not only looking after ourselves but also indirectly benefiting the citizens of non-EU countries, who agree to meet our standards. It is a clear win-win.”
“I fully understand that raising the bar can risk locking out developing countries from global trade. We cannot compromise on safety and protection, but we can reach out and share our knowhow and technology, to help them lock in their own farm viability and sustainability.”
“This launch is certainly not the end of the road; rather it is a conversation starter. Over the coming months, I hope to engage with the European Commission on this topic further.”
“Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Professor Matthews for his work, and I encourage everyone to read the study.” ENDS
Below: Chris MacManus MEP speaking at the launch of the study on carbon leakage in the agri-food sector
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has said that the announcement of the closure of the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) does not diminish the requirement for a full review and examination of the scheme.
Deputy Carthy last week secured the agreement of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to examine the operation and outworkings of the programme.
The IIP, commonly referred to as the ‘golden visa scheme’, provides residency to non-EU citizens in exchange for investing €1 million in an Irish business or €500,000 in a charitable or philanthropic endeavour.
Teachta Carthy said:
“Last week, I raised concerns in the Dáil regarding the operation of the Immigrant Investor Programme; specifically in terms of how it has impacted on the Nuremore Hotel and Country Club in my constituency. The Public Accounts Committee later agreed to my proposal to examine the oversight arrangements by the Department of Justice and relevant State agencies into investments made via the programme.
“The reported decision by Cabinet to close the programme does not diminish the need for a full review and examination of the Immigrant Investor programme. I will be urging that the PAC proceeds on that basis as a matter of urgency.
“This programme was controversial from the start. It provided for residency for those with substantial financial means that was denied to those who didn’t. It should have been subject to the highest possible standards in terms of oversight, accountability and transparency. Instead, there is little evidence of any oversight at all in terms of investments made.
“There is a need for the Department of Justice, other relevant Departments and State agencies, to be fully upfront with the Public Accounts Committee in our deliberations. The government need to commit to full disclosure of every facet of this programme.”
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has demanded that the government address the recruitment crisis in An Garda Síochána that has grown on Fine Gael’s watch.
Gardaí numbers have plummeted throughout Fine Gael's time in charge of the Justice Department over more than a decade, despite growing populations and demand.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Teachta McDonald told the Taoiseach:
“A report published in the Irish Independent presents in stark terms the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána.
“One in four stations has seen a drop in staff, while 42 stations have no Garda permanently assigned to them.
“In my own constituency of Dublin Central, we lost 30 Gardaí in the last year.
“The truth is Fine Gael has overseen a significant depletion in Garda numbers over their decade in power.
“When it comes to Garda recruitment, we have another case of this government setting big targets but falling way short on delivery.
“There are simply not enough Gardaí to adequately police some areas, despite the very best efforts of those already working on the frontline.
“This creates real worry for people that their communities are not protected from crime.”
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has said all efforts must be made to ensure people can see a dentist when they need one through the health service.
The party’s health spokesperson said:
“Reports that access to NHS dental care could be at risk is deeply concerning and totally at odds with the very ethos of the health service.
“Ensuring people can see a dentist when they need one through the NHS must be the priority, not based on their ability to pay for private treatment.
“The reckless decision by the DUP to walk out of the Executive is standing in the way of delivering a clear plan and work to recruit more dentists and dental nurses.
“They should get back to work and end the damage they are doing to efforts to transform health; tackle waiting lists and recruit more health workers.” v
Sinn Féin MLA Caral Ní Chuilín has called on the Department of Health to ensure women affected by the review into cervical smears get full disclosure and are kept informed every step of the way.
Caral Ní Chuilín was speaking after writing to the Department of Health about revelations that a woman diagnosed with cervical cancer had three previous abnormal smear tests missed by the Health Trust.
The North Belfast MLA said:
“Sinn Féin is deeply concerned that a woman diagnosed with cervical cancer had three previous abnormal smear tests missed by the Health Trust.
“We have requested a meeting with the Department of Health as a matter of urgency for an update on the Trusts’ review into smear tests and would like to know what they are doing to ensure women have access to these findings.
“It is imperative that the hundreds of women potentially affected receive full disclosure and are kept fully informed every step of the way during this process.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has called on Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien to explain the discrepancy in new home completion figures between those published by the Central Statistics Office and those by Construction Information Services.
Data analysis produced by CIS suggests that the new home completion figure for 2022 was just 23,751 rather than the 29,851 reported by the Central Statistics Office.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“New home completion figures have long been a source of political controversy. The last government was found to be publishing inaccurate figures up to 2018.
“Responsibility for new home completion figures was then taken out of the Department of Housing's hands and given to the Central Statistics Office. Since 2019, it has been assumed that the quarterly CSO home completion figures are accurate and free from political manipulation.
“This week, however, Construction Information Services have released independent analysis of building completion data indicating that the number of new homes delivered in 2022 is significantly lower than that claimed by the CSO and government.
“While the CSO has stated that 29,851 new homes were delivered last year, ahead of the government's housing plan target of 25,000, CIS analysis suggests the number is much lower at 23,751, below the government’s target.
“Given the scale of the housing crisis, accurate and reliable data is of paramount importance. We cannot afford to have another protracted row over the accuracy of housing delivery data.
“Today I have written to the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien asking him to provide a detailed reply to the Oireachtas Housing Committee on the claim by CIS.
“If there is a discrepancy between the CSO data and actual completions, the Minister needs to explain this and rectify the CSO data.
“If the CSO data is correct, then Minister O’Brien must provide a clear and satisfactory analysis explaining why CIS are wrong. I look forward to Minister O’Brien’s response.”
Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Martin Kenny TD has called on the Minister to immediately clarify his party’s stance on Garda recruitment in light of the continuing fall in Garda numbers. His comments come as data analysis by the Irish Independent today shows that one in four stations had seen a loss in Gardaí, while 42 stations have no Garda assigned permanently to them.
Teachta Kenny said:
“It’s unfortunate that this analysis has reinforced the findings of my own research in December 2022 – that there is a serious shortage of Gardai across the country. Last year alone, we saw 90 Gardaí attested in Templemore, but saw more than 100 resign. That’s already a loss without also factoring those who had retired which is said to be in the region of 300-400 per year. Communities deserve to be protected and feel safe, but that isn’t the case.
“Fine Gael brand themselves as the party of law and order but we can all see that is simply not the case. They have had responsibility for the Department of Justice for more than a decade, overseeing a substantial loss of Gardai in that time, without any targeted action plan to remedy the difficulty in recruitment and retention of Gardaí.
“Frontline Gardaí have identified the current shortage of members as one of the main factors effecting their working conditions – there are simply not enough Gardaí to adequately police some areas, despite the very best efforts of those already working on the frontline. They do crucial work every day, but are being badly let down by this government’s poor leadership and failure to deliver.
“As police continue to resign due to these already difficult working conditions, this further exacerbates the depleting numbers. It’s having a hugely negative effect on those wishing to protect their communities to the best of their own abilities as it is affecting call response times and, importantly, the mental health of the Gardaí who feel they are fighting a losing battle for desperately needed resources.
“I recently heard a Garda making comparisons with the hollowing out of the Defence Forces and what he sees now as the hollowing out of An Garda Síochána. I would have to share that view if I am honest. Fine Gael are failing to protect frontline Gardaí and the resources they require. It’s not good enough. Communities need to have confidence that they will be protected from crime.”
Sinn Féin TD for Dublin West and spokesperson for Community Development, Paul Donnelly TD, said:
“I welcome this data analysis, which exposes the stark reality of how badly communities are being let down by this government and highlights the need for clear, urgent change. Sinn Féin have been calling for this change for many years, yet the government has been refusing to even acknowledge the scale of the problem.
“Some of the figures are startling especially in relation to Rathmines and Stepaside, a station that was only recently reopened and is now short staffed. The stations and sub stations in North County Dublin must be staffed properly. This part of the county is vast and has seen its population rise substantially over the last few years. We need Gardaí in stations to be able to service the community’s needs adequately, so that communities can feel safe and protected. This Government must end their record of poor leadership and should instead act urgently to protect communities properly. Their failings in Garda recruitment and retention cannot continue.
“Communities across Dublin are left to pay the price for Fine Gael’s failures in the Justice Department and it cannot continue. Sinn Féin in government would stand up for communities and ensure that they have a policing service that is fit for purpose.”
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has said we need an Executive now to modernise the north’s cervical screen services to ensure women have effective smear testing.
The North Belfast MLA said:
“It’s unacceptable that the north does not carry out HPV cervical screening testingwhich is an early indicator of an abnormal smear test.
“Women need to know quickly if something is wrong, so that it can be identified, and treatment can begin quickly.
“Last week we listened to the harrowing experience of ‘Susan’, a woman whose abnormal smear diagnosis was missed on three separate occasions.
“We need to update the system now. The Department of Health has said the roll out of this potentially life saving new model of cervical screening is dependent on funding.
“Our out-of-date cervical screening model is failing women; we need an Executive up and running now and ministers working together to modernise this life-saving system and invest in our health service.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has called on government to increase and accelerate the delivery of public homes to meet social and affordable need.
His renewed call comes as the Q4 2022 Daft.ie rent report shows new rents spiralling upwards to new historic highs.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“The latest Daft.ie rent report makes for depressing but not surprising reading. New rents increased by 13.7% across the state in 2022. The average rent statewide is now €1733.
“In Dublin City, the situation is even worse with rents spiralling upwards by almost €15% and average new rents at €2293 per month by the end of last year.
“All but one county experienced double-digit rental inflation last year with most counties in the high teens.
“The private developer sector is simply unable to deliver the volume of homes to rent or buy at prices that working people can afford.
“The only solution is for government to dramatically increase and accelerate the delivery of public homes to meet social, affordable rental and affordable purchase need.
“Government must revise their housing plan targets to deliver at least 20,000 new public homes a year, including at least 8,000 affordable homes.
“Chasing the ever growing viability gap for new private rental homes will simply fuel property price inflation.
“We need government intervention on a scale proportional to the crisis itself.”
Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan has welcomed plans by Wrightbus to develop a major facility in Ballymena to power hydrogen buses.
The North Antrim MLA asaid:
“Plans by Wrightbus to develop a new facility to power hydrogen buses in Ballymena is welcome news.
“It’s projected that this facility will be able to power 300 hydrogen buses, with the ability to expand even further to meet demand.
“Not only will this help to cut carbon emissions produced from public transport, but it will also help to create jobs, bring money into the local economy and grow this local business.
“Wrightbus have just recently secured contracts to produce hydrogen and electric buses for the south and Germany as they reap the benefits of unique access to the EU single market.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, will this week put forward a motion, to be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday, calling on government to introduce a Spring Bonus for those relying on working age social welfare payments, including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents.
The Donegal TD said the time for action is now, and called on government to implement the proposal along with additional necessary measures to alleviate the burden on those bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis.
Teachta Doherty said:
"Households are struggling with record energy bills, rising food costs and increased mortgage repayments.
"This week Sinn Féin will table a motion for the government to commit to the payment of a ‘Spring Bonus’ for those relying on working age social welfare payments including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents.
"Once again, the government has been too slow to act.
"Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath in Budget 2023 failed to protect people on lower and fixed incomes from rising inflation and the growing cost of living pressures, while social welfare rates were cut in real terms given the current rates of inflation.
"Almost 595,000 people, 11.6%, in this state now live on incomes below the poverty line, while the latest Barnardos report shows that food poverty is worsening with 10% of parents forced to use food banks in 2022 and 29% reported skipping meals to ensure their children could eat.
"Average gas bills have gone up by around 140% over the past two years, while the average electricity bill has increased by around 115%. The ESRI estimates households in energy poverty have increased to 29%; a record high.
"That is why we believe a ‘Spring Bonus’ is necessary for those on working age social protection payments, along with additional measures, needed for those bearing the brunt of this crisis.”
Sinn Féin's motion can be read here.
Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy has said there is significant disruption tonight in the Brandywell area of Derry due to an ongoing security alert on Lone Moor Road.
The Foyle MLA said:
“There is an ongoing security alert on the Lone Moor Road area of the Brandywell and Police have closed off the area.
“This has caused huge disruption for elderly residents and thousands of fans attending the Derry City match at the Brandywell tonight.
“No one wants to see this type of disruption, especially on a cold winter night.
“The nearby Gasyard Centre is opened for anyone who may be impacted and needs help or assistance.
“I would urge people to follow advice from the Police, and avoid the area while this security alert continues.”
