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Paul Gogarty

Paul Gogarty

Independent

Website: http://www.paulgogarty.com/election - Faster, fairer action on climate change - Innovative housing solutions - Stop wastage of public funds - Smart investment in childcare/education/health - A bus service fit for purpose, as per my survey of 2,700 bus users - Consequences for violent crime

  • Priority: Taxes and spending

    The last budget was a giveaway with little targeted, strategic thinking. Some of our revenue won't last so we need to be creative & stop wasting money

  • Priority: Housing

    This is a massive challenge but proper focus and innovative thinking can make inroads. Support Housing Commission Report & have some ideas on website

  • Priority: Social issues and education

    For every €1 spent on quality early years education, there is a €7 return, but even in social terms, investing in education is a no-brainer.

These answers were provided by the candidate

Taxes and spending
1 of 31 questions
Money that is currently being saved for future policy challenges (such as climate change and an ageing population) should be spent now on things like housing and healthcare.
  • Strongly agree
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We need to spend on housing strategically but this should ideally come from windfall funds, eg corporate tax receipts and some of the Apple money. Healthcare spending needs to become efficient as there are too many costly agency staff & not enough full time staff, even in areas like administration."

- Paul Gogarty
Taxes and spending
2 of 31 questions
Taxes on people earning over €100,000 a year should be increased.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Taxes and spending
3 of 31 questions
The Universal Social Charge (USC) is a necessary source of revenue and should be kept.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Taxes and spending
4 of 31 questions
Tax on inheritance should be reduced, even if it means cutting back on public spending or increasing other taxes.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Taxes and spending
5 of 31 questions
Universal payments, such as child benefit and energy credits, should be replaced with more targeted measures aimed at the less well-off.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Agree in relation to additional child benefit and especially energy credits. At the same time we should be working towards a guaranteed basic income for all that provides supports for those needing it, but does not penalise work. The additional income for high earners can be made neutral via tax."

- Paul Gogarty
Housing
6 of 31 questions
The government should focus on making houses more affordable rather than providing financial supports to first-time buyers.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Housing
7 of 31 questions
Planning guidelines should be relaxed to allow for more one-off rural housing
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We live in Dublin and may have different ideas, but people in rural areas should also be allowed build sustainably where they grew up and repopulate rural Ireland. Micro solar and wind generation can power EVs and make rural Irish homes emissions free. We also need to stimulate rural village living"

- Paul Gogarty
Housing
8 of 31 questions
A rent freeze should be introduced across the country, even if it risks landlords leaving the market
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I agree with one caveat: Smaller landlords and "accidental" landlords who are more likely to offer longer tenancies with lower rents should be encouraged to stay through tax breaks which can mitigate some lost income from rent freezes. This should help push rents down. My issue is with large funds."

- Paul Gogarty
Housing
9 of 31 questions
The Local Property Tax should be scrapped, even if it means less money available for local councils
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The current system is a mess and should be replaced by a proper site valuation tax and more penalties for leaving sites idle, be they residential or business. The LPT should disappear in its current form but not the way it is questioned in terms of less money for Councils (a tiny element overall)"

- Paul Gogarty
Transport
10 of 31 questions
The provision of public transport (trains, light rail, buses) should be prioritised over building roads
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "This does not mean we don't build additional roads, but they need to be more targeted. The science shows that simply adding more lanes does not minimise congestion overall, so we need decent public transport and active travel options to move the gridlock equilibrium to the lowest point possible."

- Paul Gogarty
Transport
11 of 31 questions
The passenger cap at Dublin airport should be lifted
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We need action on climate change, but at an EU level we should be pushing for taxes on polluting fuels and incentives for less polluting ones. Short haul flights could soon be electrically powered reducing emissions further, with political will. Focusing on this will damage us economically."

- Paul Gogarty
Environment, energy, agriculture
12 of 31 questions
Carbon taxes should continue to increase each year
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Some people will instinctively press no to this, but carbon tax in itself is just a mechanism to nudge behaviour in a certain way. But any additional income needs to cut costs for those who need it most to enable a fair transition. Investing in green technology will ultimately save us money,"

- Paul Gogarty
Environment, energy, agriculture
13 of 31 questions
Ireland should give up its exemption under the EU Nitrates directive
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We need to take responsibility for the massive pollution we put into our waterways. This is a health and safety issue as well as an environmental one. There are no excuses."

- Paul Gogarty
Environment, energy, agriculture
14 of 31 questions
The government should introduce measures to significantly reduce the extent of livestock farming in Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Much of the wasteful livestock farming is for export and studies have shown that eating more plant-based meals can help reduce emissions significantly. The current argument is that this can be done more efficiently here than elsewhere, but if we don't diversify smartly, we face massive EU fines."

- Paul Gogarty
Environment, energy, agriculture
15 of 31 questions
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals should be allowed in Ireland, to improve security of supply
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "This sounds counter-intuitive to those of a green mindset, but in the short term it is an essential bridge. At the same time we need massive investment in clean alternative techologies like wave, where we can convert to green hydrogen, store via batteries and generate export income."

- Paul Gogarty
Social issues and education
16 of 31 questions
Abortion should be allowed in a wider range of circumstances.
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Social issues and education
17 of 31 questions
Policies to increase the representation of women in politics have gone too far
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The only thing I would add here is that it needs clever policy. Why do independent female candidates have the second-lowest representation? It's because the system needs reform. In my Council area 4 out of 5 Cllrs are female and the full Council has nearly a 50/50 split. This needs to widen."

- Paul Gogarty
Social issues and education
18 of 31 questions
New laws on hate speech should be introduced to protect vulnerable communities
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Existing laws should suffice if enforced. Otherwise you run into legal rings in terms of what constitutes hate speech and it ends up part of a culture war rather than a proper legislative debate. I am open to more if required, as some people face horrific abuse right now, but why isn't law applied?"

- Paul Gogarty
Social issues and education
19 of 31 questions
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have too much power in Irish policy making
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There's clearly a role for NGOs, but in recent times there appear to be too many of them with responsibilities often duplicated. In some cases they have become overtly political whereas their role is ideally not to take political sides but rather to influence policy through well-researched arguments"

- Paul Gogarty
Social issues and education
20 of 31 questions
Religious instruction should only take place outside school hours in Irish primary schools
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Some people prefer a school with an ethos and I support parental choice, but we need general reform of the education system. Many parents in my constituency can't get a school place for their kids near where they live and a common enrolment policy could definitely help here along with more schools"

- Paul Gogarty
Social issues and education
21 of 31 questions
Gender diversity and transgender issues should be taught in Irish primary schools
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I think it should be referenced for sure but not over-emphasised. Too much of the information is dependent on NGO-fed material and risks teachers running round in circles. It's very difficult to add balance and context and ensure material is age-appropriate."

- Paul Gogarty
Immigration and asylum
22 of 31 questions
More resources should be given to improving conditions for asylum seekers
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We have an obligation to assist those fleeing persecution under UN conventions and we have historically been a generous country. At the same time our existing asylum process is not fit for purpose and allows economic migrants to abuse the system. Immigrants in general have contributed positively."

- Paul Gogarty
Immigration and asylum
23 of 31 questions
Communities should be obliged to take their fair share of asylum seekers, even if there is local opposition
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The question is what is a fair share in terms of the resources available and what level of consultation is taking place. Those communities who are engaged with fare better. It also stops those who try and enflame the situation from disinformation and misinformation from trying to take over locally"

- Paul Gogarty
Immigration and asylum
24 of 31 questions
Accommodation centres for asylum seekers should not be located in economically disadvantaged areas
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It is good policy not to place additional resource constraints on communities that already short on community facilities and infrastructure. Everything needs to be looked at on a case by case basis, but instinctively I would say do not put further pressure on disadvantaged, marginalised communities."

- Paul Gogarty
Immigration and asylum
25 of 31 questions
Rules on immigrant work permits and student visas should become more restrictive
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The question is a bit loaded in that student visas should not necessarily be mixed in with work permits. We need more workers from abroad, eg South Africans drive buses the same side of the road and we have a shortage, but meeting our work requirements needs to be targeted."

- Paul Gogarty
Crime and policing
26 of 31 questions
The solution to anti-social behaviour lies in tackling poverty and disadvantage rather than tougher policing
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It's both. Tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime."

- Paul Gogarty
Crime and policing
27 of 31 questions
Gardaí should take a more robust approach to dealing with political protests
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "People need to be allowed to protest. Normal protesters do not need a robust response. Those who stir up riots and those who get violent are not normal protesters and they need a tough response when they try and take over our streets."

- Paul Gogarty
Foreign policy and defence
28 of 31 questions
Ireland should continue to provide financial and political support to Ukraine in response to the ongoing war
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy and defence
29 of 31 questions
The EU should suspend its trade agreement with Israel
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy and defence
30 of 31 questions
Ireland should retain its ‘triple lock’ rule for deploying troops abroad
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy and defence
31 of 31 questions
Ireland should collaborate more with other EU member states on defence and security
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Irish unity
32 of 31 questions
A referendum on Irish unity should be held in the next five years
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The figures show that such a referendum would be roundly defeated in the North. It's not a case of getting a 51-49 majority in any event, it's about bringing people together collectively. Anything else would be a recipe for civil war or at least increased civil unrest when things have been peaceful."

- Paul Gogarty

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