FOLLOWING MONTHS OF obstruction, the coalition government has admitted that a 2024 general election is on, we just don’t have a date yet. Speculation is rife for late November, which would result in a very short campaign with little space to scrutinise the government’s term – so just how has the coalition performed?
The coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party has formed the 32nd, 33rd and 34th Dáil. Collectively the parties agreed to an ambitious and robust programme for government rammed with commitments for national action plans, referenda and expansive reform. If effectively delivered and implemented, the programme for government could have delivered substantial change.
Before breaking down some of the successes, failings, and unfulfilled goals, it is worth recalling that the current government was established amidst a global pandemic, and the resultant shift in focus and diversion of resources will invariably have had an impact on the full delivery of the programme for government.
That said, the housing crisis continues, homelessness figures are at a record high, and poverty levels are rising. For a government with such a significant budget surplus, its benefits do not appear to have been felt by those most in need. Let’s take a look at some of the government’s core commitments.
Under the government’s Housing for All Strategy, shy of 74,000 new homes have been built since 2021, nearly 2,000 homes have been purchased under the First Home scheme for new buyers, and 5,000 applications for a Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to bring derelict or unused buildings back into use have been approved.
According to the 2022 census, there are 163,433 vacant properties in Ireland, home ownership is at its lowest level in half a century, Dublin is now the second most expensive place in Europe to live, and homelessness figures increased to a new record of 14,760 – the ninth consecutive month that the number of people in emergency housing has risen. The figures include 4,561 children in emergency accommodation and fail to account for rough sleepers or the hidden homeless like those couch surfing.
The government insists it is doing everything it can to bring up supply, but the unfortunate reality is that new builds have not met demand, market prices are increasing and the number of vacant dwellings not in use has barely shifted. Despite all the seemingly worthy government efforts, the needle has yet to move. Bold, innovative steps need to be taken when it comes to addressing this critical shortage of the most vital resource in the country. Housing will yet again be one of the most pressing issues in the election cycle.
There were high expectations from climate activists and Green Party supporters that the Greens going into government would significantly shift the dial on green policies. Over the course of the government term, there has been a marked increase in green strategies and ring-fenced funding, however, Ireland is still set to dramatically miss its 2030 emission targets.
Analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals that if implemented, planned climate policies and measures will result in a 29 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, while the government target in the Climate Action Plan is a 51 per cent reduction. The Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that Ireland could face upwards of €8 billion in fines for failing to meet EU Climate targets.
The Programme for Government promised a more affordable, accessible healthcare system as well as broader commitments to overhaul mental health services. The 2023 Sláintecare progress report outlined advances in community health networks, community intervention teams (CITs), and increased services for women’s health, but systemic problems remain largely unchanged.
In June 2024, 711,799 people were on hospital waiting lists, the latest figures showed a 4 per cent decrease in people exceeding the outpatient and Gastrointestinal (GI) scope wait times, but an overall increase in hospital wait lists. In addition to hospital waitlists, there are rising community health waitlists with almost 300,000 people waiting for a range of care services including physiotherapy.
Ireland’s health infrastructure is not meeting demand despite increased funding. At the core of this issue is a staffing shortfall, with acute staff shortages in healthcare in turn placing enormous pressure on service providers. Earlier this month, healthcare unions held protests over staff shortages. The unions contend that the HSE’s recruitment moratorium means thousands of unfilled vacancies have essentially been scrapped, resulting in staff shortages.
Overhauling Ireland’s mental health law and introducing long-overdue reform to mental health services were a key commitment of this government that will remain unfulfilled in this mandate. Calling an early election will result in the Mental Health Bill not passing into law before the dissolution of parliament. The reform measures in this bill have been in the works for a decade – not fulfilling this commitment will have a detrimental impact on service users and young people.
Taoiseach Simon Harris frequently uses the language “a new social contract” which in the programme for government includes commitments to social protection, family carers, equality, disability and direct provision. The annual Family Carers Ireland State of Caring report states that the core issues identified in 2020 remain deeply entrenched.
The 2023 Family Carers score card on the 18 government care commitments showed progress in just three areas with limited-to-no progress on 11 commitments and regression in four, including providing additional respite nights for disabled people, expanding adult day services and introducing a statutory home support team. For those with caring responsibilities and the disabled community, little-to-no progress has been made to improve their quality of living.
A further failure of the care community was the government’s handling of the Care referendum earlier this year, alongside the Family referendum. In addition to losing both, the government failed to bring forward commitments to hold a referendum on housing, and on extending presidential voting rights to Irish citizens outside the state – a measure first recommended in the 2012 convention on the constitution, and again delayed.
The coalition parties appear to favour a short election campaign, with expectations that the Dáil could be dissolved on 8 November ahead of a 29 November election. A short campaign may place opposition parties on the back foot, but a sizeable chunk of Fine Gael’s sitting TDs stepping down it could backfire for Harris, who is leaving little time for his new party candidates to raise their profiles.
In preparation, legislation is being fast-tracked with hefty bills on planning, hate crimes, and gambling all advancing into law. The coalition parties ran the government together, but they will not run the general election together; each party will be vying for gains, and with those gains, a return to government. The question for any voter heading to the polls should be whether or not our lives have improved since the last election, and if not, which party has the capacity to improve them.
Emma DeSouza is a writer and campaigner.
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