My Priorities

Like you, I believe in Ireland’s future. In the next five years, we can transform our communities.Dublin Bay South is where I have lived and worked for most of my life; it’s where I have raised my children. Dublin Bay South has a unique and wonderful community - the people who make that community deserve the very best chance.

Labour has ambitious, costed plans to tackle the problems that blight so many lives. 

We will build affordable homes, protect wages and welfare payments from inflation, and ensure that every child has a school place and access to the care they need.

We want to build a better Ireland.  A sustainable Ireland that protects and enhances our environment.  A fairer Ireland where every child has the best start in life.  An equal Ireland which rejects racism and division and values tolerance and community.

I am passionate about building a better future for all of us, across communities here in Dublin Bay South. But I need your support to continue that work.  I am asking you to give me your No. 1 vote in Dublin Bay South in this General Election so we can build better, together.

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Housing

Providing affordable homes is the civil rights issue of this generation. We will:

  • Build 50,000 new homes a year;
  • Give renters the legal protection and security they need;
  • End the scandal of dereliction and vacancy that blights our towns and cities - putting Baggot Street Hospital back into use, and delivering social and affordable homes, such as at the Irish Glass Bottle site.

Cost of Living

Putting money back in the pocket of working families is essential. Labour will:

  • Ensure PAYE credits and social welfare payments increase each year to beat inflation;
  • Ban automatic annual price hikes services, such as broadband and phone contracts;
  • Crack down on price gouging in the retail sector by giving the regulator additional power to investigate and levy fines

Public Services

Properly funded public services and community amenities are vital for our communities in Dublin Bay South. We need to ensure

  • The iconic Rathmines Post Office building is protected and kept in public use
  • Face to face services like Citizens’ Information offices are retained 
  • Significant investment is made into public amenities, community centres, sports facilities and playing pitches, particularly for young people, including by examining using unused space at Cathal Brugha Barracks.

Climate

The climate crisis threatens the future of our planet.  We need a climate plan that will see Ireland accelerate decarbonisation, providing real benefits to families and communities:

  • A massive street-by-street retrofitting programme for homes, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions;
  • Pass my Dublin Bay Bill to protect biodiversity, tackle pollution and restore Dublin Bay as a great natural resource;
  • Cheaper and more reliable public transport to reduce private car use, on-street EV charging, and the expansion of light rail options to currently underserviced areas, including South West Dublin;
  • Investment in wind and solar projects to ensure our energy grid is fossil free.

Work

Work should be rewarding, safe, and secure.  Yet thousands of workers in Ireland are still getting a bad deal.  We need to:

  • Introduce a ‘living wage’ to help the 145,000 people in employment who live in poverty;
  • Give workers a right to flexible work and regulate AI use in recruitment and promotion processes;.
  • Pass my law to provide paid leave in instances such as pregnancy loss and IVF.

Health

Playing politics with health hasn’t worked.  We need a better approach. Labour will breathe new life into the agreed ‘Sláintecare’ plan for our health service and back it up with investment.  We will: 

  • Increase capital health funding to improve our hospitals and tackle overcrowding in hospitals, such as St. Vincent’s;
  • Value healthcare staff and resolve the recruitment and retention crisis;
  • Utilise technology, such as electronic health records, to increase efficiency and reduce waiting lists times

Giving the Best Start to Every Child

Investing in the future of our children is the most valuable decision we can make.  We believe in a future where every child reaches their potential. Labour will:

  • Guarantee an early years place for every child and establish a universal public system with fees capped at €50 per week and decent conditions for early years educators, 
  • Pledge to eradicate the waiting lists for children waiting for disability services and therapies, and school places;.
  • End the scandal of child homelessness.