The cost of living remains very high in Ireland. Years of austerity have left families with several new household bills as a range of new charges have been introduced. We continue to have some of the highest costs for childcare, housing and healthcare among developed countries, while even services that are meant to be free, such as primary education, are not free at all with parents under strain each year Read More
Car insurance premiums rose by 27% in 2015 and look set to soar again this year. Everyone is blaming everyone else but at the heart of the problem is that the cost of paying the average claim in Ireland is far higher than in other countries. Here’s what the Government should be doing: Drive down average claim costs by reforming how awards are set by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Read More
The graph opposite shows how wealth is shared in Ireland. There isn’t a whole lot of sharing going on, is there?Half of the population own just 6% of the wealth. On the other hand, the wealthiest 10% of people own almost 60% of the wealth.This is an Ireland which Fine Gael and Labour are happy with. Is this the Ireland you want? Opposite: Share of wealth by net wealth decile Read More
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Planning permission is being sought for 101 new homes in mainly 3 and 4 storeys, and a nursing home in a new development at the former Carmelite Convent at the corner of Griffith Avenue and the western side of Grace Park Road. (4105/15) An Bord Pleanála is currently considering an appeal in relation to a proposal to build 166 new homes on the eastern side of Grace Park Rd beside Read More
Social Democrats seek to end discrimination against unbaptised children The Social Democrats today are seeking to end discrimination against unbaptised children in gaining access to the Irish school system. In a proposed amendment to the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013, the party is seeking to repeal section 7 (3) c of the Equal Status Act which currently allows schools to favour certain religions when deciding its enrolement policy. Speaking Read More
The news that former Environment Minister, Phil Hogan, interfered with a selection process for projects to receive State funding, raises serious concerns about how this Government takes decisions on the spending of public money. RTE’s This Week reporter, John Burke, revealed how a project in the Taoiseach’s constituency of Mayo, which was rated at number 137 out of 150 applications, was catapulted by Phil Hogan to 55th place and Read More
Press Statement on the abandonment of plans for Universal Health Insurance The commitment to a system of Universal Health Insurance based on the Fine Gael Fair-Care policy was never a feasible proposition. Rather than facing up to that fact early in the life-time of the Government, the Cabinet seemed happy to accept the Minister for Health’s assurances on the viability of the plan. The result is that the past Read More
The proposal to build 13 new homes in the Lilmar Industrial Estate in Royal Oak has been withdrawn. No development will now go ahead unless a new planning application is submitted. (F14A/0400) A new application has been made to Fingal Co. Council for the construction of 246 apartments up to 6 storeys in height and 128 houses in Northwood on the northern side of Northwood Avenue. (F15A/0440) Planning Read More
Applicants for Carer’s Allowance are waiting 35 weeks on average for a decision on their payment according to a Dáil reply. The Dáil reply (see at end) sets out the long average waiting time across a number of schemes including: Carer’s Allowance 35 weeks Disability Allowance 32 weeks Invalidity Pension 21 weeks State Pension Non-Contributory 20 weeks When waiting times for appeals are excluded, the waiting times for carers allowance Read More