We need affordable housing for all. I have just completed Ireland’s fi rst carbon neutral social housing development in Bluebell, Dublin 22, with Tiglin. I am also working as Chair of Bluebell Community Council to develop 388 new social and affordable homes. I understand fi rsthand the issues of getting housing built. If elected to the Seanad, I will:

• Campaign for measures to help ordinary people afford a house by supporting increased council development of mixed housing.

• Everyone’s situation is different: housing allowances should be targeted towards different needs.

• Promote liveable communities which allow residents to remain in their homes and provide opportunities for all ages, ability levels, and backgrounds to engage fully in civic, economic, and social life.

I witnessed family addiction as a child and suffered the deprivation that goes with it. Access to education helped me overcome my disadvantage and see the opportunity for others in similar situations. I have worked with the South East Technological University to establish a unique third-level campus outreach at Tiglin. I am also the Chair of the Tivoli Training Centre in Dún Laoghaire. 
If elected to the Seanad, I will: 
• Fight to remove barriers in education for the most vulnerable in society. 
• Call for greater access to play therapy and family support for children 
affected by the trauma of addiction/violence in the home. 
• Promote tailored programmes and methods of training working with 
individuals to identify their individual educational needs and pathways to 
achievement.
• Campaign for pathways to help homeless people exit homelessness 
and earn a living.
• Prioritise increased funding to maintain Trinity’s position as a world class university to train the leaders of tomorrow

I run a small business and we are committed to becoming environmentally sustainable. I am currently working with the EPIC Conjoint, Irish Trees and Lord Dunsany to renew Irish woodlands with native Irish trees in Co. Meath. Tiglin also built Ireland’s first carbon neutral social housing. If elected, I will:

• Campaign for improved access to electric charging points for cars. Ireland can do better on this.

• Push for the rapid retrofitting of our current housing stock.

• Call for the introduction of green tax credits to enable households to invest in reducing their carbon footprint.

Having started two successful businesses which today employ 40 people, I understand the difficulties faced by SME’s in developing and maintaining their vital enterprises. Inflation and labour shortages has brought new challenges and stresses for people in business and those who depend on them. In the Seanad, I will:

• Champion entrepreneurship;

• Use my voice to support small and medium Irish business;

• Promote inclusivity in employment practices – those impacted by homelessness and persons with disabilities need special support to get into the workplace.

Having witnessed violence in the home as a child, I have a deep commitment to creating a society where men and women are always respected equally.
Violence comes in many forms and is never acceptable. We must face up to the challenges that face women and children
in particular in Ireland and worldwide. We need to further educate people against gender-based stigma. I will campaign to
highlight the challenges we still face and the solutions we need to overcome them.