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Joe Behan (Independent) is running once again in the 2020 general election, which takes place on Saturday the 8th of February, and he’s had a lot to say about the issues that are currently facing the people of Ireland.
Here are some of the issues that Joe has spoken about, in his own words:
Property Tax, USC, Apple Tax
If I am elected to the Dail, I will…
- Campaign to accept the Apple Tax money and have it used to finance the National House Building Task Force.
- Press for the complete revision of our taxation system to secure increased revenue from large corporations and reductions in the USC.
- Urge the restoration of Local Government Funding to replace the Property Tax to be financed by the increase in corporation tax.
Housing and Homelessness
I will fight to achieve the following…
- A National Housebuilding Taskforce to build affordable and social houses on public land in ever county in the country including Wicklow. This task force would employ construction workers directly as public sector workers and would provide tens of thousands of apprenticeships in the construction trade as an additional boost to the numbers of badly needed tradespeople in this country. One of the first goals of the Task Force would be to bring vacant local authority houses to letting stage within weeks. It would also have a remit to convert available and suitable vacant public property to single room homeless accommodation. It would also be able to begin the process of retrofitting energy efficience measures in all existing local authority houses.
- The purchase by the state of additional land all around the country including County Wicklow to provide more sites for housing for the next 50 years.
Education
My policy for education in Wicklow is a system which serves the educational needs of all of the people of the country.
That Means…
Preschools – Affordable fees, adequate number of preschool places, well paid staff and much more.
Primary schools – Plenty of school places, pupils inspired to achieve their full potential, strong support for pupils with special educational needs, and much more.
Second level schools – Providing enough second level places for all the students in the county, assisting all students to achieve the progress to which they aspire, and more.
Third Level and PLC – Backing the future development of the campus at Bray Institute of Further Education, ensuring the development of the Wicklow County Campus in Rathnew as another location for the provision of Third Level courses in the county.
Adult Education – Supporting the widespread encouragment of adult and community education projects throughout the county to promote life-long learning for all our citizens.
For a more detailed look at education, please visit here.
On Farming
If elected, I will…
- Work with farmers and their representatives to achieve future sustainability of their businesses and their livelihoods.
- Advocate for a just transition in farming practices where necessary to offset the works effects of climate change.
- Encourage the people of our country to support our farmers by buying their produce whenever and wherever they can.
Healthcare
If I am elected, I will work to advance one major project which I believe will assist many people in County Wicklow. I want to see a brand new acute hospital built on the east coast of Ireland on the grounds of Newcastle Hospital. St. Vincent’s Hospital cannot cope with the number of patients it has now and will not be able to manage as the population grows older and more numerous in the future. This is a time to look ahead and prepare for the increased population looking for hospital care in the future in County Wicklow.
For full details on Joe Behan’s policies and election promises, please visit his official website.
