Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on her election. As I rise to make my maiden speech in the Dáil, I begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks to the thousands of people in Cork South-Central who voted for me. I am incredibly grateful for their support and I will work hard every day to uphold the trust they have placed on me. On this special occasion, I also thank my family, friends and campaign volunteers who helped me through not one but two elections this year. In particular, I thank my husband, Aaron, who successfully managed both campaigns. I am incredibly grateful for his love, commitment and never-ending support.

From the outset, I state my firm belief that we can make Ireland a Republic of equals, where everyone has access to affordable housing, quality healthcare, a good education, a decent job and a sustainable future. The Social Democrats believe that there must be a social floor below which no one is allowed to fall. To achieve this, we must move in a new direction and take a different approach. The housing plans and policies that have been pursued over the last number of decades have utterly failed. They have left us with record levels of homelessness, soaring rents and unaffordable house prices. People of all ages and from all corners of the country are demanding change. The solution is for the State to play a greater role in the direct delivery of genuinely affordable homes. We have to see a serious scale-up of public housing, an end to no-fault evictions and an increase in the taxes on vacant and derelict properties.

Too many people in Ireland continue to live in fear about accessing healthcare.

They fear rising health insurance costs, long waiting lists, overcrowded hospitals and the horror of being treated on a hospital trolley. The Social Democrats are proud to have led the way on Sláintecare but progress towards universal healthcare has been far too slow.

I want to put on the record my commitment to delivering solutions for the people of Cork and of Ireland. Together we can build a republic of equals.

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