MATT CARTHY TD

Sinn Féin proposals for bailout to workers & families must be adopted – Matt Carthy TD

Cavan Monaghan TD, Matt Carthy, has called on all parties and the government to get behind the Sinn Féin proposals for an Income Support Scheme to bailout workers and families and to save businesses.

The scheme, proposed by Sinn Féin’s Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty, would benefit every worker laid off as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and would ensure that everyone who earns up to €32,500 a year would receive their full wage for the next 20 weeks.

Deputy Carthy said:

“The scale of the economic challenge we are facing as a result of the Covid-19 crisis is immense and unprecedented.  Immediate action is required to support businesses and the tens of thousands of workers and families who will struggle to survive during this emergency.

“Extraordinary measures are required in extraordinary times.

“That is why Sinn Féin have said clearly that it is time for a bailout for workers and families, and to support small businesses.

“Sinn Féin is proposing the immediate introduction of an Income Support Scheme to pay all workers who are laid off as a result of the Covid-19 crisis their income up to €525 per week for 20 weeks.  The scheme would be applied retrospectively from 9th March.

“This will benefit every worker and would mean that every worker who earns up to €32,500 a year would receive their full wage.

“Those earning above this amount will also have this support, and the scheme would allow for employer top-ups to supplement their income.

“Pro-rata rates would apply to those who have had their hours reduced and the self-employed are also included in the scheme.

“It is proposed that this scheme will be paid through the employer, who would maintain workers on the payroll in order to avail of the scheme and they would be reimbursed by the State.

“Sinn Féin have also called on the European Investment Bank to introduce emergency measures that will allow businesses to access zero interest loans to cover costs during this crisis and this would be based on the employer maintaining workers on the payroll and re-employing them.

“This will be an important intervention which would give workers and families some level of security during this crisis and also allow the maximum number of businesses to survive.

“It would also put us in a stronger position to rebuild the economy and society on the far side of this crisis.

“Over a decade ago this state bailed out the banks to the tunes of tens of billions; now is the time to bail out our workers & families and our small businesses.  Sinn Féin have shown how this can be done.  I hope other parties and the government will adopt this scheme as a matter of priority”.

ENDS

Carthy calls on Government to include Funeral Directors in Coronavirus planning

Speaking this weekend, Cavan Monaghan TD, Matt Carthy, has called on the government to ensure that representatives of funeral directors are included in discussions relating to the preparation for the Coronavirus emergency.

Deputy Carthy said that, while the hope must remain that deaths from Covid-19 will be minimised, it is nevertheless imperative that measures are taken to ensure that funerals are organised in a dignified and safe manner.  Funeral Directors, he said, will find themselves at the frontline and therefore need supports from the National Public Health Emergency Team.

The Sinn Féin representative said:

“I have been contacted by funeral directors in my constituency who are deeply concerned about the level of preparedness in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis.

“Specifically, they are concerned that as Funeral Directors, they have to be on the front line of a potential emergency situation with very little specialised training or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and, yet, will be expected to manage the transfer of the deceased within their local community from family homes and nursing homes.

“I have written to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health asking them to ensure that proposals from Funeral Directors will be serious consideration by their respective departments and by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

“In the first instance I have requested that the NPHET include the Irish Association of Funeral Directors in its discussions on forward-planning over the coming days.

“Secondly, I have called on the NPHET to adopt the proposal that specialised teams in each county, coordinated by local government and made up of Emergency Responders (fire staff) and Funeral Directors who can be quickly resourced and trained in transfer in safe working practices, use of PPE and equipment and desensitized techniques to manage the safe collection and transfer of the deceased from the place of death to local mortuaries (existing or temporary) or funeral homes, be actioned without delay.

“I believe that the constructive manner in which Funeral Directors have approached this emergency situation is welcome and therefore I trust that the government will respond positively to the proposals that they have made.

“Our hope must be that deaths from Covid-19 are minimised and that these measures will not be over-utilised; however we have a responsibility to ensure that every funeral is organised in as dignified and safe manner as possible.”

ENDS

Sinn Féin reps on hand to provide practical assistance during Coronavirus restrictions – Carthy

Cavan Monaghan Sinn Féin TD, Matt Carthy, has said that he and other Sinn Féin representatives remain on hand to provide any practical assistance during the period of Coronavirus restrictions.  While party offices will remain closed to the public for the time-being Deputy Carthy urged members of the public to get in touch by phone or email if they need any supports.

Acknowledging that the past week has been unprecedented the Sinn Féin representative confirmed to the Northern Standard that his work as a TD continues and, in the first instance, that means being a voice for his constituents.

Deputy Carthy said:

“This past fortnight was been tumultuous and strange for our communities, for many it has been a worrying time.  Since the 2^nd March, when we had to cancel at the last minute, the Sinn Féin public meeting due to be held in Cavan that evening, our party have made contingency plans to prepare for the restrictions that we have since seen.

“Once our party leader, Marylou McDonald, called on the government to move to close schools and cancel public gatherings we knew that we would have to lead by example and close our offices to the public.  That was put into effect since last Thursday morning.

“While our offices are closed, phonelines do remain operational (Monaghan 047-82917 and Carrickmacross 042-9674001) and emails are checked regularly (matt.carthy@sinnfein.ie); we have dealt with hundreds of enquiries over the past week and expect that work to continue”.

Carthy confirmed that the Sinn Féin negotiations team, of which he is a member, continues to meet albeit via conference call facilities.  He says he is in regular contacts with several government departments primarily now regarding Coronavirus related issues but also ongoing representations which also need to be addressed.

“Over the course of the last week I have, for example, been in contact with the Minister for Children on behalf of Childcare providers and their staff.  Some departments are better than others at responding quickly and, we know, all are under immense pressure.  But, peoples livelihoods are in the balance, several people have lost their jobs overnight or took a huge cut in hours, businesses are worrying whether they’ll ever reopen.  Therefore, it is the job of elected representatives to bring all of these concerns to government and statutory agencies and it is their role to put minds at ease as speedily as possible.

“As a father I know that everyone’s first interest is ensuring the health and safety of their families.  Communities in Co. Monaghan are to be commended for their adherence of the official advice so far.  Those workers who have remained on duty – whether they be in our local authority and other statutory bodies, in utility companies or in the retail sector ensuring we can access food and other essentials – each deserve great credit, they are the reason we’ll get through this.  In the meantime, everyone else has a role in protecting those who can’t stay at home so I would urge people to distance themselves from all non-essential contact with others and, of course, wash hands regularly.

“If you need help or assistance there are several public service helplines in operation, but people should always feel free to contact myself and other Sinn Féin representatives who will remain on hand to provide any practical assistance required”.

ENDS

“Supports required for workers, families and businesses during Coronavirus emergency” – Matt Carthy TD

Cavan Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has confirmed that he is working alongside his party leadership to ensure that any and all supports necessary are provided for workers, families and businesses in the wake of the Covid-19 emergency.  Deputy Carty said that it was imperative that nobody becomes homeless, goes hungry or has utilities cut during this period.  It is also necessary, he said, to ensure that no business would have to pay for services they wouldn’t need during their closure and that must include a rates freeze and suspension on insurance costs.

He repeated his call for financial institutions to brake all payment schedules for this period for both businesses and individuals who are not in a position to meet them.  This would allow landlords to do the same for tenants for the duration of the crisis.

Deputy Carthy said:

“This is an unprecedented public health emergency brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Therefore, we must put in place unprecedented supports for workers, families and businesses.

“There is huge uncertainty in society at present, and as people come to terms with the consequences of measures that have been announced by government, with cross-party support, it is essential that adequate measures are put in place to allay the fears and concerns of ordinary citizens.

“Those who have had the misfortune of losing their jobs, those that have had their hours cut and those that have been forced out of employment to care for children must be supported, and whilst changes that have been announced to the social welfare system are welcome, other changes will be required in the time ahead to ensure that economic hardship is averted.

“Families and workers must also be protected from rent increases and evictions at this very difficult time, and a mortgage holiday should also be provided for by all banks, in addition to a suspension of utility disconnections by all providers.

“The childcare needs of frontline healthcare workers – who are the source of much pride in our communities at this time – must be met as a matter of urgency.  Government needs to work closely with workers and the childcare sector to find a solution for them very quickly.

“Childcare providers and workers must also be supported through this period of emergency closure and a package of measures including income supports must be clearly outlined as a matter of priority.  Other businesses also need urgent interventions; including a deferral of VAT payments and a rates suspension.

“It is vital that we pull together at this time as a community and as a country.

“Together we can and will get through this.  But supports must be provided to those who need them and we in Sinn Féin will be working to secure them for those workers, families and businesses facing these immense challenges”.

ENDS 

Sinn Féin working with stakeholders to ensure that Government for Change delivers for Family Farmers

Sinn Féin has held constructive and detailed meetings with the INHFA, ICMSA, Beef Plan Movement and the IFA and intends to hold further meetings with the ICSA, Macra na Feirme and other stakeholders.

The purpose of the meetings led by Deputies Matt Carthy and Brian Stanley were to discuss core issues within agriculture and to identify key priorities for a programme for government.

Speaking this week, Deputy Matt Carthy said:

“Sinn Féin is determined to deliver a programme for government which delivers real change across Ireland and that change must include key priorities for rural Ireland and agriculture.  Key to this will be protecting our family farmers.

“Successive governments have failed rural Ireland and unless we take urgent action the Irish family farm model, and the rural communities that depend on them, will reach crisis-point.

“For our part, we are committed to implementing the radical changes required to revive our agricultural sector and to give small and medium sized farms a chance to survive and flourish.  A first task in government will be to establish a Commission on the Future of the Family Farm.

“We need to ensure that CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) supports the family farm, that the cartel-like beef sector is challenged through regulation and legislation, that below cost selling is banned, that farmers are rewarded for positive environmental action and that we see a change of culture within the Department of Agriculture to deliver due respect to farmers.

“Our meetings last week with stakeholders from across the sector were positive and informative.  We have further groups to meet and we expect these engagements to be ongoing.

“It is Sinn Féin’s intention that the next government will head the concerns and needs of our family farmers and rural communities and secure the policy changes required to protect their future.

“Now is the time to deliver for the people of rural Ireland and we are determined to do so.”

End

Carthy commends Ó Caoláin, endorses MaryLou for Taoiseach in maiden speech to Dáil

In his maiden speech to the Dáil last Thursday, newly elected Cavan Monaghan TD, Matt Carthy, commended his predecessor, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin for his contribution to the Sinn Féin party and to Irish politics.

In his speech during the debate preceding the first votes on the nominations for Taoiseach, Carthy strongly endorsed the candidature of his party leader, Marylou McDonald, saying she brought much hope to the Irish people.

Deputy Carthy said:

“Go raibh maith agat a Cheann Comhairle agus comhghairdeas duit féin agus do chlann tar éis do toghchán inniu.

“Tá mé an bhródúil a bheith ag caint inniu mar ionadaí do muintir Cabhán Muineachán.

“I am honoured and privileged to stand here as a representative of the Cavan Monaghan constituency.

“Cavan Monaghan was the constituency that returned the Hunger Striker Kieran Doherty as a TD in 1981.

Ó Caoláin legacy

“It was also the constituency that elected Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin as the first Sinn Féin representative to take their seat in this house in 1997.

“I stood on Kildare Street on the day that Caoimhghín first walked through the gates of this building as a sole TD; how I would have answered anyone who suggested that 23 years later I would be one of two Cavan Monaghan TDs alongside Pauline Tully and that we would be part of 37 Sinn Féin Deputies that followed Caoimhghín’s pathway, I can’t imagine.

“The notion that I would be making a maiden speech as part of a Sinn Féin team that had the same number of seats as Fianna Fáil, a greater number than Fine Gael and that our party would have won the popular vote at the General Election would have been considered fanciful throughout much of the time that Caoimhghín spent on these benches.

“Ceann Comhairle, today I want to commend Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin for his service to the people of Cavan Monaghan and to our country and to our party.

“The growth of Sinn Féin over the past three decades is a testament to Caoimhghín’s work and dedication and I thank him and his wife Briege, their children Aisling, Sinead, Clindona, Deirbhaile and Oran once again for their contribution to Irish public life and to republican politics.

“I want also to commend all those others, far too numerous to mention, who played a part in building our party over so many years.  Some are no longer with us and I know that for their families this is an emotional and poignant day.

Irish politics changed forever

“The General Election of 8^th February 2020 will be marked in history as the day Irish politics changed forever.  And while the architects of that change were many, there is one person that personifies the mandate for change that the people have endorsed at the ballot box.

“That person is Marylou McDonald, before us today as a nominee for Taoiseach.  I am pleased to have an opportunity, on behalf of the people of Cavan Monaghan, to support that nomination.

“Marylou has offered solutions to the failures of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.  She has led and built a team that has outlined how we can support workers and families, giving them a much needed break while investing in public services, sorting out the crisis in healthcare and building the homes for the generations that have been locked out.

“She has offered answers to the challenges faced by struggling renters, overburdened parents, hard-pressed family farmers and communities crying out for a new dispensation.

“Above all, Ceann Comhairle, Marylou McDonald has offered hope among a huge cohort of the electorate that we can build a better, fairer and united Ireland.

“Deputies can embrace the mandate for change that was entrusted to us by electing Marylou McDonald as our Taoiseach.  That is the choice I will proudly make today.

“Go raibh maith agat Ceann Comhairle”.

ENDS

Sinn Féin ready to deliver a Government for Change – Matt Carthy TD

The newly elected Sinn Féin TD for Cavan Monaghan, Matt Carthy, has said that he is honoured to have been appointed by his leader, Mary Lou McDonald TD, to be part of the negotiating team that will attempt to deliver a government for change in line with the wishes of the electorate.

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has been appointed to head the Sinn Féin negotiations team which will comprise of Matt Carthy, Eoin O’Broin and Louise O’Reilly. In the coming week Sinn Féin will seek meetings with all parties, and discussions with those parties that received a mandate for change have already commenced.

Deputy Carthy said:

“Last Saturday the people voted for change, including in the Cavan Monaghan constituency where we delivered two Sinn Féin seats in the next Dáil.  Sinn Féin will do everything that we can to deliver a government for change in respect of that mandate.

“While the count in Cavan was still ongoing last Monday the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle met in Dublin to mandate the party leadership to secure a republican programme for government to deliver on our manifesto.  I am honoured t have been appointed to our negotiations team which will be led by Pearse Doherty.  Discussions with other parties has already commenced.  We know this will be a big job of work but it is a role we take seriously.

“We will look at how to deliver the change that people voted for – that means delivering solutions on housing, health, climate change, pensions, giving workers and families a break and advancing Irish Unity.

“The fact that Fianna Fáil have shifted their position about talking to Sinn Féin is welcome.  All parties must realise that this election has changed everything.

“There should be no delay in government formation.

“We have serious work to do and it needs to begin quickly. I look forward to being part of this important process.”

ENDS

“Monaghan has suffered most from FF/FG Health policies – It’s time for change” – Matt Carthy

“No county has suffered more from the health policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael which have been marked by failure, broken promises and record waiting times” according to general election candidate Matt Carthy.

The Sinn Féin representative said the issue of health, “particularly the decimation of acute hospital services in Monaghan”, has once again come to the fore in this election campaign as the implications of the decisions taking by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have led to the extreme overcrowding in other hospitals.

Carthy, who is seeking election to Leinster House with party colleague Pauline Tully in Cavan, said:  “Let’s be clear about what has happened in the last two decades of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments in this State.  Acute hospital services, including accident and emergency, maternity and intensive care, were stripped away from the people of Monaghan with the targeted and deliberate running down of the hospital which had served them so well over many years.

“That was the deliberate government policy – to focus most of the acute services into Drogheda and to leave people in Monaghan without.  This has, as my colleague Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin predicated, resulted in the people of Monaghan being left behind when it comes to healthcare.

“Across County Monaghan GPs are under enormous pressure while patients find it near impossible to secure an appointment with their local doctor, the premier basis for healthcare.  My constituency office regularly deals with parents in desperation because of the shocking waiting list times for vital assessments for their children and are often informed they will be forced to wait up to four years for ‘urgent’ consultation.

“Older people are forced to wait years for hip and knee replacements, while just last month, the horrific new record of 760 patients awaiting admission to hospitals on a single day across the State was set.

“These are the joint legacy of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.  We in Sinn Féin are determined to address the health crisis.  There has to be the immediate of lifting the recruitment embargo on frontline staff and expanding capacity in our hospitals.

“In the longer term though we require a radical overhaul of the health system as advocated by Sinn Féin.  Central to this must be the restoration and development of services at hospitals such as Monaghan in order to ease the pressures on other centres”.

ENDS

Sinn Féin has the solutions to solve Monaghan housing concerns – Matt Carthy

The three key measures required to solve the housing crisis are the introduction of a rent freeze, the reduction of rents and a the delivery of the largest public house building programme in the history of the state.  This is according to Sinn Féin general election candidate, Matt Carthy, who was speaking this week.

Carthy promised that in government, Sinn Féin “will deliver the largest public housing building programme in the history of the State” helping to take people off the local council’s housing list and ensuring that Monaghan people will be able to find the security that only comes with owning your own home.

He said: “The much-vaunted ‘Rebuilding Ireland’, launched in 2016, and supported by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs, promised to fix our broken housing system, but instead they have made things worse, with rents and levels of homelessness getting higher.

“The results of this are to be seen in Monaghan where there are upwards of 1300 people languishing on the council’s housing lists, waiting for years for a home.  The crisis in escalating rents and mortgages means that if Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael are returned to power most young Monaghan people will never be in a position to buy their own home.

“For the last 30 years, Fianna Fáil and then Fine Gael have followed the same set of catastrophic housing policies.  They have under invested in public housing and over-relied on the private sector to meet social and affordable housing need, while they failed to protect renters from the greed of the market.

“They saddled working people with unsustainable levels of debt, enticing vulture funds into the market while ignoring the needs of workers and families.

“Sinn Féin in government will deliver 100,000 public homes on public land; including 60,000 social homes, 30,000 affordable purchase homes and 10,000 affordable rental homes.

“A Sinn Féin Minister for Housing would also take emergency action to address the rental crisis by reducing rents by up to €1,500 a year with a refundable tax credit, alongside introducing a three year freeze on all existing and new rents.

“Our housing policies are fully costed and can be delivered without additional government borrowing, or any additional taxes on ordinary workers who will also be given a break by a Sinn Féin government”.

ENDS

Sinn Féin’s commitment to Family Farmers is ‘unwavering’ – Matt Carthy

Marylou joins Cavan/Monaghan candidates at Kilnaleck meeting with farmers

“Sinn Féin will be unwavering in our commitment to Family Farming in Ireland” general election candidate, Matt Carthy, declared this week.

He was speaking following an event held in Kilnaleck, Co. Cavan on Sunday where farmers from Cavan and Monaghan had an opportunity to outline their concerns and ideas to the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s general election candidates Pauline Tully and Mr Carthy.  The event was organised by Sinn Féin to hear first-hand about the issues facing the local farming communities and to discuss the party’s solutions to the problems facing rural Ireland.

Speaking after the meeting, which took place at Kilnaleck Hall, Ms Tully said the event had been ‘really successful and engaging’. She said: “We listened carefully to the concerns of farmers in this area. Of particular concern, of course, were beef prices and the lack of interested by the Competition Authority in Meat Industry Ireland.

“Mary Lou, Matt and myself were among the first to stand alongside farmers at the picket lines during the Beef Plan protests and farmers in Cavan and Monaghan were left in no doubt after this meeting that Sinn Féin will continue to stand with them and support them as they battle for fairness”.

The Sinn Féin president said she outlined that the core of Sinn Féin’s farm policies amounted to the pursuit of ‘the three Fs’ – “a fair price for produce, a fair CAP system that works for ordinary farmers and fair play for farmers and rural communities, including in their dealings with the Department of Agriculture”.

Ms McDonald said: “In government, Sinn Féin will immediately establish a commission on the future of the Irish family farm which would be made up of independent experts, farming representatives and statutory agencies.

“This commission will be tasked with producing a comprehensive set of proposals to save our family farm network which will be implemented by a Sinn Féin minister for agriculture”.

Speaking afterwards Matt Carthy said that his experience on the European Parliament’s Agriculture & Rural Development committee provided him with an insight that would allow him to be an effective voice for Monaghan farmers in the Dáil.  He said that, throughout his time as a MEP, he had continued to liaise with the farming community at home and that this gave him a grounding in the realities of life for farm families.

He said that the Sinn Féin proposal to establish a Commission on the Future of the Family Farm was evidence that his party was committed to that most central facet of rural life.

“The family farm is the bedrock of our rural communities” he said.  “While previous commissions have examined food production, as in the quantities, there has been little consideration of who should actually be producing it to the greatest quality which is clearly the family farmer.  A commission that is tasked with examining how we save the family farm that is complimented by a government committed to implementing its recommendations will mark a sea-change.

“Sinn Féin will be unwavering in our support for our family farm.  We will tackle the strangle-hold of the processors and retailers to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their product.  We will work hard to protect the CAP budget and ensure a fairer distribution of funds away from the large corporates to deliver greater payments to the majority of family farms.  And we will ensure fair play for farmers their dealings with the Department of Agriculture, we will oppose trade deals such as Mercosur and we will work for a just transition to protect farmers while doing what it necessary to address the climate crisis”.

Concluding, Carthy said that the type of engagement organised on Sunday, will be a regular occurrence following the general election.  He said: “What marks Sinn Féin out from the other parties is that we listen and engage with those we represent outside of election time.  Should Pauline Tully and I secure election to the Dáil we will absolutely ensure that the voices of farmers from Cavan and Monaghan are heard through the corridors of power.  Farmers now have a real chance to vote for change – I am asking them to take that chance”.

ENDS