Matthews has been a Green Party TD for Wicklow since 2020. He is chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government, and Heritage. He was a member of Wicklow County Council from 2014 to 2020. He is the party spokesperson for planning and local government.

When I ran in the last election, I did so because I thought I could be of use to the people of Wicklow. The last four and a half years have shown me how much difference this work can make to people’s lives. I would like to continue that work and that is why I am running again. To continue my work on climate, local transport links, helping community groups, writing legislation to address issues in nature, the housing crisis, helping with accessibility, lending an ear and a voice to those people in my community who have elected me to represent them. The opportunities to help people by doing this work are enormous.

The greatest threat we all face is the climate crisis. It is irrefutably the greatest threat to mankind, and we must acknowledge it, particularly to the next generation who will feel the impact much more sharply than us. It feeds into every area – how we do housing, transport, the economy. It’s all interlinked and it’s short sighted to say otherwise. Of course, there are urgent needs like housing and the cost of living that need our attention today. But everything we do should be under the banner of climate resilience.

If I am back in the Dail chamber, I will speak about the mandate given to me by the people of Wicklow. While I work on a variety of issues, people tend to vote Green because they know we are looking to protect Ireland and indeed the planet their children and grandchildren will inherit. I take that responsibility seriously. We must act decisively on climate while ensuring a just transition and an equitable approach to support.