Cost of living is 'biggest issue' on doors, says Daly

Cost of living is the biggest issue in Election '24, according to Castlebar-based Joe Daly who is running for People Before Profit in the Mayo constituency.

Mr Daly referred to a recent survey, carried out by Coyne Research group on behalf of Barnardos charity, which found that 41% of parents have said they had to skip meals or reduce portion sizes so that their children would have enough to eat. A quarter of parents said they have to borrow money to feed their children and 12% are using food banks.

“This is happening in one of the wealthiest countries in the world," said Mr Daly. "The cost of living crisis is the biggest issue in this election and clearly the Government’s once-off payments will not solve the problem. Radical measures are required.

“I have heard so many people talk about how difficult it is to pay all the bills. Working people need a break, therefore we will introduce price caps on essentials such as food and energy, and we will cap mortgage interest rates at 3%. These measures will stop the profiteering by supermarkets, banks, and energy companies and reduce the cost of living for working people.” 

Mr Daly said energy costs need to be tackled.

"A key part of our election manifesto is to return the ESB’s not-for-profit mandate. Our electricity prices were the lowest in Europe when the ESB was a not-for-profit publicly owned company. But the ESB was turned into a commercial company and our electricity prices have increased to be the most expensive in the EU. The return of the ESB to a not-for-profit energy company would enable it to sharply reduce electricity prices and ease the pressure on household budgets.

“These are the sort of radical measures that are necessary and that People Before Profit commit to pursue. I urge people to vote No 1 People Before Profit on November 29th so that I can represent the interests of working people in Mayo."