A Clare election candidate claims women in particular are being pushed into a poverty cycle due to a failure to abolish the means test on carers’ allowance.
It comes as the fifth full day of campaigning for the General Election is in full swing, ahead of polling day on November 29th.
It’s a busy day on the campaign trail nationally with four parties holding housing related launches.
The Labour Party says stronger rights for renters needs to be a priority for the next government and is calling for more protections to prevent evictions, such as leaving tenants in place if a landlord wants to sell a property, and bringing in stricter rules around ‘renovictions’.
Sinn Féin is turning its focus to workers rights, Fianna Fáil is pledging a cut to the rate of inheritance tax, while People Before Profit is talking about neutrality.
Fine Gael is putting the focus on children by promising a permanent double payment of child benefit in august every year, a cap of 200 euro a month on childcare costs and the party has given a commitment to an extra hour of free preschool.
Bodyke Fine Gael Councillor Joe Cooney is running for the party in Clare and he says protecting the future of children is vital and important.
Childcare is one of a number of issues being discussed by candidates locally today, with rising rents, housing, immigration and the carers allowance also dominating discourse.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín challenged the government to end the means test on carers’ allowance before the election, but failed to get cross party support.
Local representative, Cooraclare native June Dillon believes the current system is unjust and is pushing women in particular into a cycle of poverty.
Free solar panels for 200,000 low income homes is among the promises being made by the Green Party.
With one hundred homes a week currently being fitting with solar panels, that would take around four years to achieve.
Green Party Deputy Leader, Inagh Senator Roisín Garvey, who previously introduced an amendment in the Seanad to remove the requirement for planning permission for solar panels says more has to be done to build on the achievements of the last Government.
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