Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the moving of the writ for the Meath East by-election. We have seen the last of the protracted delays that were a feature of the past in terms of the holding of by-elections, which is a product of the court ruling in the case taken by Deputy Pearse Doherty.

With the late Shane McEntee, I was elected in a previous by-election in March 2005, a day which held fond memories for us both and in respect of which we often exchanged experiences. While by-elections focus on what candidate might or might not get elected, they are also dominated by issues that may otherwise not come to the fore. There were great similarities in the by-elections held in 2005 in that both were in commuter belt areas. The neglect of rapidly developing areas, together with the challenges of a disproportionately young population were prominent. The lack of affordable and available child care, time spent by people commuting to and from work and the lack of infrastructure and support services for new communities all dominated. That was the agenda set by the people of Meath East and was the one to which the late Shane McEntee and I worked. It is very much an unfinished agenda.

By-elections differ greatly from general elections in which people first and foremost concentrate on electing a Government. People are afforded a lot more freedom in a by-election. It is often much more difficult to call a result because of the emotional content. For example, the sad and untimely death of Shane McEntee may play a part in this by-election. It goes without saying that nobody in this House welcomes a by-election in these circumstances. The 2005 by-elections were in respect of replacement of former Deputies Charlie McCreevy and John Bruton. We are in different times now, experiencing different emotions. It is certain different emotions will come to the fore on this occasion. For example, issues such as the stress being experienced by individuals and families owing to job losses and sufficient incomes to pay mortgages and other bills will undoubtedly feature and prompt a response in the polls.

Commuter belt areas tend to be poorer in terms of service delivery. For example, Meath boasts one of the poorest ratios of Garda per head of population, with Kildare having the lowest ratio in this regard.

The local government staff level is the lowest nationally, which produces a lower and weaker level of service. Front-line services delivered by the HSE are often disproportionately worse. It is difficult to see how the Croke Park agreement will not influence those who deliver the services and those who struggle to acquire them. These services will be part of the by-election agenda. There is also an irony about today, when debate has been limited and a guillotine is being placed on the Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill to allow the Revenue Commissioners deliver yet another financial burden on households in Meath East and elsewhere. These bills are likely to drop through the letterbox together with election material from the various candidates.

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