Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Fine Gael has learned nothing after Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy’s statement that he wants to return to his ministry after the election.
Ms McDonald said the government and Eoghan Murphy, backed all the way by Fianna Fáil, had caused untold hardship in the area of housing.
Ms McDonald was campaigning in Meath today with party candidates Johnny Guirke and Darren O’Rourke and said Sinn Féin would reconnect Navan to the rail network and end commuter misery.
She said;
“Fine Gael have clearly learned nothing. They can’t accept or acknowledge the scale of their failure.
“The statement from Eoghan Murphy that he wishes to return to the Housing Ministry is the starkest evidence of this. The government and the minister have been disastrous in this area.
“Micheál Martin and Fianna Fáil were happy to keep Eoghan Murphy in his job but the people are wiser than that.”
Setting out some of Sinn Féín’s transport proposals, Ms McDonald continued;
“Ending commuter misery in places like Navan is a key priority for Sinn Féin. We need to invest in public transport in urban and rural communities, we need to invest in our public transport network and increase capacity on our rail network by investing in more carriages. Critically for places like Navan, we need to reconnect the town to the rail network, something which would immediately improve the quality of life for thousands of commuters.
“The best way to reduce car dependency is to provide alternatives, and so we need to invest in rail, bus, and active modes of transport such as cycling. This is essential as we move towards a carbon-neutral society.
“Sinn Féin will invest an additional €1bn in public transport above what is already committed in the National Development Plan, including doubling investment in rural transport. This is what is required to:
· Provide free transport for under 18s.
· Expand rail services including the completion of the Western Rail Corridor
· Complete the Cork to Limerick motorway and the A5 from Dublin to Derry/Donegal.
· Ensure public transport is accessible to those with disabilities.
· Keep public transport in public ownership.”
