Independent Ireland secretary Richard O'Donoghue defends costing of party's proposals

Vivienne Clarke

Richard O'Donoghue, general secretary and a candidate for the Independent Ireland party in the upcoming general election, outlined the party's platform, which includes a focus on regional balance and representation, cost-of-living measures such as tax cuts and subsidised rents, and infrastructure investments like light rail systems.

He defended the party's costing of these proposals, arguing that government waste could be reduced to fund them.

“We're going to do a full audit of the NGO services in this country. They're only partially funded. And I’d give a mass of support. And there's NGOs in this country that have been fully funded and given no support," he said.

"You look at the children's hospital, you look at the design of the children's hospital, all of which cost millions to design when all the people wanted was care.

"You could have built a system just like a square box. Easy extend, easy build. You could actually build something for a quarter of the price of which government are spending money on.”

Mr O'Donoghue also addressed the party's stance on immigration. They want a streamlined process for handling undocumented immigrants, with a maximum six-month stay before deportation if documentation cannot be provided.

He also acknowledged the lack of infrastructure to house refugees and asylum seekers in his own constituency, but said that his party was committed to addressing this issue and integrating new arrivals into local communities.