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Caitríona Ní Chatháin

Caitríona Ní Chatháin

Socialist Party

Imagine the Mayor as an organiser! Progressive change comes from below, and if people vote for a Socialist Feminist Mayor I will open up City Hall for the people to collectively build a People's City for those who live here rather than a Corporate City where we just exist.

Priorities

  • Health

    End the Trolley crisis: Re-open St John’s A&E. Re-nationalise Barrington’s Hospital to provide step down services as part of the public health system.

  • Other

    Disability rights: Use council-owned property to create accessible community and public spaces.

  • Other

    Palestine solidarity: End the US military’s use of Shannon Airport. Limerick Council should seek to twin with a Palestinian city.

These answers were provided by the candidate

Taxes and charges
1 of 21 questions
Local Property Tax rates in Limerick should be reduced, even if it means cutting spending on local services and amenities
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "False argument. The introduction of the property tax was not only unfair on lower income households, it represented a massive cut funding of local government which peaked in 2008 at €1bn whereas annual LPT receipts amount to less than €500m. That money should be restored & used as an investment fund"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Taxes and charges
2 of 21 questions
Commercial rates in Limerick should be reduced to help local businesses, even if it means cutting spending on local services and amenities
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "You could better tier commercial rates so that the massively profitable companies contribute more and assistance could be given to small traders, but again I wouldn't accept the logic that any services would need to be cut."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Taxes and charges
3 of 21 questions
On-street parking charges should be reduced, even if it means cutting spending on local services and amenities
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I'm not in favour of cutting services! I am in favour of reducing the tax burden on working people, but I don't think that cutting on-street parking charges would be the best route to that especially if we are able to facilitate free and regular public transport in and out of our towns and city."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Housing
4 of 21 questions
The Council should increase the percentage of social and affordable housing in all new developments
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "More than that, the council should take it upon itself to directly build public housing on the public land in its possession. "Supply and demand" is enough to understand how it is in the interest of private developers not to build houses too quickly as shortages make their developments more valuable"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Housing
5 of 21 questions
If someone refuses an offer of social housing, they should be put to the back of the waiting list
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Absolutely not. Sometimes a house will not be suitable. For instance, currently the already stretched supply of social housing consists of only 20% supported housing. If the housing offered is unsuitable for an older person or someone with a disability, they should be able to request an alternative."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Housing
6 of 21 questions
More accommodation for Travellers should be built in Limerick
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I have become really aware of how disability discrimination and living with chronic illness are even worse for people from the Traveller community or minority ethnic backgrounds. The council should work with the Traveller community to develop appropriate accommodation and support services."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Housing
7 of 21 questions
Too many one-off rural houses are being built in Limerick
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Depends. There are two many vacant 2nd and holiday homes dotted around the country - there are 160,000 empty properties across the State. There 6,641 vacant dwellings in Limerick. The state should seize these properties. On the other hand, people are entitled to build homes on their family's land."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Housing
8 of 21 questions
To increase housing density in urban areas, new developments should be limited to one parking space per house
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Is this why we think there is a shortage of homes being built? Car parking spaces? It is appropriate to develop high-density public housing, such as the missed opportunity that was the Opera Centre which has been giving over to commercial office space. Key is that the State take a direct role."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Transport
9 of 21 questions
The provision of public transport (rail and bus) should be prioritised over building roads
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The quickest way to resolve issues around connectivity and congestion would be to make public transport free to use. We need to move away from fossil fuels, Limerick is the perfect size to lead way on free public transport. Every community should have a 303!"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Transport
10 of 21 questions
Too many bike lanes are being built in Limerick
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There definitely aren't too many. More infrastructure which makes roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists is required."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Transport
11 of 21 questions
Road projects such as the N/M20 and the Northern Distributor Road must be urgently progressed
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Priority for us is free public transport, as per Q6. I am very sympathetic to why people want these projects moved on, but acting on public transport right now would put us in a better place to know what infrastructure needs developing afterwards."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Transport
12 of 21 questions
More streets in Limerick city and town centres should be pedestrianised
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Yes, as it will facilitate people to spend more time and socialise in our town centres. But again people will need to be able to get into the city or towns and that requires a massive expansion of public transport and for it to be affordable. Make it free!"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Transport
13 of 21 questions
The new 30km/h speed limit in Limerick city centre should be extended to more urban areas
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I'd be in favour of that."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Health
14 of 21 questions
To address the trolley crisis, it is better to expand capacity in the UHL emergency department than to re-open other emergency departments in the region
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Reopen Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s A&Es! The decision to close these emergency departments was an ideological one, NOT clinical. The Midwest is the ONLY region in the State that has only one ED to service its population. Expanding bed capacity in UHL doesn’t relieve the bottleneck. Reopen our A&Es."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Health
15 of 21 questions
The development of new private hospitals in Limerick will undermine the public health services and should be opposed
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Running down our public health services was a decision to make private healthcare provision more attractive. This is a Capitalist view of society that sees everything as a product to be sold. Tax the super-rich to build a world class single-tier public health service."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Law & order
16 of 21 questions
The Council should be more willing to evict local authority tenants who engage in anti-social behaviour
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Anti-social behaviour should not be tolerated, but I'm not in favour encouraging evictions into homelessness. Investment in jobs and community resources can prevent many of these issues from occurring, but when they do they should be dealt with rather than collectively punishing an entire household."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Law & order
17 of 21 questions
The Council should step up efforts to impound horses that are held without licence
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I'm in favour of establishing a community stables project where young people can learn more about animal welfare and horse riding. It would be great for those young people, but also for the horses who are would be safe and secure rather than left wandering the streets. "

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Environment & energy
18 of 21 questions
More wind farms (including onshore) should be built in Limerick
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Yes. We need to invest massively in renewable energy for the planet and in order to meet our society's growing energy needs. I'd be in favour of bringing the major energy companies into public ownership in order for us to develop the integrated plan needed to build the necessary infrastructure."

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Environment & energy
19 of 21 questions
It would be good for the region if the Shannon liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal went ahead
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I'm totally opposed. The importation of fracked gas must be banned and LNG terminals opposed. Instead, I'm in favour of unprecedented public investment in renewable energy, based primarily on wind and solar power. "

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Immigration
20 of 21 questions
Some vacant buildings in Limerick should be used to alleviate the shortage of accommodation for asylum seekers
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There 6,641 vacant dwellings in Limerick. The state must seize all vacant properties, land, and offices and transform them into decent accommodation - no one should live on the streets!"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin
Immigration
21 of 21 questions
Limerick should accommodate a proportionate share of the asylum seekers who come to Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There’s been a housing crisis for over a decade. Increases in population and the numbers of refugees was projected and should have been planned for. We can facilitate those who are seeking refuge AND those on the housing waiting list, but ONLY if we take on the greedy hoarders of land and property!"

- Caitríona Ní Chatháin