Election 2024 — Labour's health plan; McEntee v O'Callaghan; PBP's free public transport
Gareth Picture: Smith Duncan Chaney/collins
The Social Democrats have pledged to clamp down on illegal short-term lets and hold a referendum to put the right to a home in the Constitution if elected.
The party launched its housing policy on Friday outlining its "laser-focused" plans to build thousands of affordable homes every year through local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.
While not a radical approach, Social Democrats said there is no reason Ireland cannot return to an era when the State was responsible for the construction of 55% of all homes, delivering neighbourhoods of affordable housing.
The policy pledges to build an average of 29,000 affordable rental, affordable purchase, and social homes each year from 2026 to 2030.
As well as clamping down on illegal short-term lets the party would also reintroduce a ban on no-fault evictions.
Scroll for results in your area
It would also bring in an "effective ban" on bulk purchasing of homes, including apartments, by increasing the special rate of stamp duty on bulk purchases to 100%.
At least 50% of units in new apartment developments must be ringfenced to be bought by individuals and families.
Renters would also see the phasing out of Housing Assistance Payments (HAP), Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and the rent supplement. According to the party, it would "eradicate homelessness" by scaling up the delivery of Housing First tenancies.
For students, it said it would invest directly in publicly owned affordable student accommodation, give students living in digs accommodation basic rights and extend the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board to cover digs.
In terms of financing the plans laid out in the Social Democrats housing policy, it said an allocation of €2bn for each of the five years would come from the Apple tax windfall in addition to €1.8bn coming from projected budget surpluses over the 2026-2030 period.
Labour has promised to roll out free GP care for all under 18s and to ringfence funds raised through USC for healthcare, as the party launched their health policy.
The party is calling for the HSE to be allowed directly hire salaried GPs, who would work out of primary care centres around the country.
Party health spokesperson Duncan Smith said that such a move would be “transformative” as it would remove the barriers for new GPs, who otherwise have to set up their own practice, as well as ensuring that doctors remain in Ireland rather than moving abroad.
“Unfortunately, I’m speaking to student nurses, speaking to healthcare assistants and other non-consultant hospital doctors. They are looking abroad and we know that. They are looking to other health services,” Mr Smith said.
On expanding free GP care, Mr Smith said that Labour wants to see it expanded out to everyone, but that it would focus on under-18s first to allow for more GPs to come into the health service.
He said it would take a full term in government to expand the free GP care to all under 18s, with the party estimating that it would cost €70m to do.
The party has set out that it would establish a new €1bn Slaintecare transition fund, which would be used to reform the health service. Any additional funds allocated into this pot would come from USC contributions, with the tax being reformed into a health contribution.
Mr Smith also took aim at the outgoing government, saying that they had “squandered billions of euro on the health service without tackling and fixing the root problems”.
The Labour Party has also reiterated its support for the decriminalisation of drugs, with Mr Smith saying that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael “are all over the shop” on the matter.
Mr Smith said that Labour supports the legalisation of cannabis, but not for other drugs.
The Justice Minister has said that women all over the country "know the feeling of men taking credit for their work".
Helen McEntee's comments come after sharp exchanges with her Fianna Fáil counterpart Jim O'Callaghan, but Ms McEntee stopped short of accusing Mr O'Callaghan of sexism.
The pair had taken part in a Prime Time debate on justice on Thursday evening, during which Mr O'Callaghan said that Fine Gael had adopted many of his party's plans on justice, particularly around Garda retention.
Mr O'Callaghan also said that he had achieved more from the back benches than if he had been a junior justice minister.
Speaking as her party launched its general election law and order policy, Ms McEntee was asked how she felt about Mr O'Callaghan's comments and if she wanted to keep the Justice portfolio.
Ms McEntee said: "I think there's probably women all over the country who will understand what it's like when men fight to claim credit for their work. But nobody's elected here.
"My focus over the next two weeks is to get re-elected to represent the people of Meath east, and I hope that we would be in a position to return to government with Simon Harris as Taoiseach."
Asked later if she was accusing the Fianna Fáil man of sexism, Ms McEntee said that "women all over the country can understand and see what they've heard over the last few days".
Earlier on Friday, Mr O'Callaghan hit out at Fine Gael’s record in the Department of Justice, saying that “greater progress” would have been made if Fianna Fáil held the portfolio in recent years.
Speaking as Fianna Fáil launched its proposals on crime, he was asked if he believed the outgoing Justice Minister had been ineffective in her role. Mr O’Callaghan said he would not personalise the matter.
However, he reiterated his attack against Fine Gael, saying that questions that have arisen within the department over the last 14 years “are growing in many respects”.
Outgoing Fianna Fáil junior justice minister, James Browne, said that Fine Gael has held the portfolio for the last 14 years but that not enough progress has been made.
“They’ve had five justice ministers, two of whom had to resign, but we have about the same number of Garda Síochána. We’ve got 100 extra than we had 14 years ago,” Mr Browne said.
“Our prisons are overcrowded and people don’t feel safe and I think it’s time for somebody else to be given that opportunity,”
People Before Profit unveiled their plans to spend €2.3bn in their first year of government as part of their public transport plans that would see free services extended to all.
The move to offer free public transport to all would reduce the length of time people spend sitting in traffic and reduce carbon emissions, said Paul Murphy.
The plans outlined by the party is what "the Greens should have been pushing for in government if they are supposedly in there to achieve radical climate-carbon emission reductions", Mr Murphy said.
The cost of making public transport free while also investing and expanding the current services is something the country can absolutely afford, according to Mr Murphy who said Ireland is a "very, very wealthy country".
In its proposals, People Before Profit says it will cost €650m. A further €1bn would see a doubling of capital expenditure on public transport projects, and an additional €500m to be spent on buying electric buses to increase capacity.
Mr Murphy said that the changes could be brought in immediately and is just a matter of political will to spend the necessary money.
"This has happened in over 100 cities around the world. It has happened in Estonia and it has been a success," the Dublin TD said. "It has gotten people out of cars, onto public transport and reduced emissions."
The plan would also see privatised bus routes returned into full public ownership.
Among the projects People Before Profit would fund is the western rail corridor and a Luas in Galway which it says is a better solution to traffic issues than the long-awaited ring road.
People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett said that in his own constituency, he would like to see the metro southwest which he said "is not very likely to happen with the current government".
As well as investing in infrastructure, Mr Boyd Barrett said the "very, very poor conditions" that transport workers put up with must be addressed.
Mr Boyd Barrett added that many bus drivers are leaving their jobs because there is immense pressure on them to meet certain schedules which he said they often cannot meet due to the congestion on the roads.