Meet the candidates: Margaret Alacoque Maguire, Ireland First

Here is our Q&A with Mullingar's Margaret Alacoque Maguire, who is contesting the election on behalf of Ireland First, of which she is vice president.

What would your party do to solve the housing crisis?

We would increase the housing rights of Irish citizens, by way of mandating a fixed percentage of all social housing and right-to-buy schemes.

Place a complete ban on foreign investment funds bulk-buying property (4 in 10 homes were purchased by bulk buyers in 2023).

Allocate an extra €3 billion per year for housing, which would add a further 15,000 homes to the current build numbers. These properties would be for sale only, and the money reinvested.

Extend the first-time buyers' scheme to include second-hand homes.

Cap the number of work permits issued, to ease the pressure on housing demand.

What would your party do to address the economic concerns that many people face due to the rising costs of groceries, insurance, etc?

We would abolish the USC, which was supposed to be a temporary tax imposed during the financial crisis 15 years ago.

Abolish carbon tax on home heating fuels.

Seek to introduce subsidised childcare, and look to place facilities close to, or on school grounds, to reduce the costs of operators and families.

Cut funding to unaccountable NGOs (currently at close to €7 billion per year) and invest in local, circular economies.

Insist on government accountability and reduce State spending and expenses.

What one issue would be your top priority if you are elected to the Dáil?

Immigration, legal and illegal. The 233,000 non-EU net migration into the country is reckless, and it has a trickle-down effect on all the other main issues, as we are seeing now. Housing, cost of living, wage depression, and healthcare are all seeing crises that are compounded by immigration.

Do smaller parties have any real power to enact change in the Dáil?

The Green Party had 12 TDs in the 33rd Dáil, and they’ve had a huge impact on government policy, so there is always a possibility that smaller parties and independents can be 'king makers' and be a force for change.

One thing is for sure, the large parties, left to themselves, are not going to fix in the next five years what they have broken in the last 80.