GE 24 meet the candidates: Paul Hogan (Independent Ireland)

Meet the candidates GE 2024

I was first elected to my local council in 2004 and have served on each council since. By profession, I am an assistant lecturer in social care in TUS, having previously studied in AIT, NUIM, NUIG and TUS. I am married to Patricia Bolger and we have made our home in Castletown Geoghegan, where I have lived for the last 10 years. I am interested in sports, particularly the GAA. I also have a huge interest in all genres of Irish music, traditional dance, and the Irish language.

What would your party do to solve the housing crisis?

Independent Ireland believe that housing needs to be declared an emergency. We have seen record homelessness, people languishing on social and affordable housing lists, couples living in the family home for longer trying to save deposits for a mortgage, and a complete lack of supply to meet demand.

Independent Ireland have an appraised, costed and comprehensive plan to make housing affordable, increase supply, eradicate homelessness, support those in rented accommodation, improve substandard accommodation and make home ownership a reality for people. We would also reduce the VAT rate for construction materials and streamline planning to assist and speed up the delivery of housing.

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

The cost-of-living crisis is caused by two things: economic factors outside the government’s control, such as inflation; and factors within the government’s control, such as taxation. Independent Ireland would freeze all ‘green taxes’, introduce family packages for those most affected by the cost of living crisis, reduce taxes on the squeezed middle, reduce the VAT rate to 9% for the hospitality sector including pubs and restaurants, prevent price gauging by large supermarkets and address extortionate insurance premiums.

What would your party do differently to other parties if it formed part of the next government?

We would remain rooted to the community that elect us and keep in constant communication and consultation with them on key issues such as housing, stricter immigration, and health and social care issues. We would declare housing an emergency. We would return the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector and extend it to pubs and restaurants. We would introduce a new department of efficiency to tackle government waste. We would introduce a new €1 billion package for the agricultural sector.

If you were marking the performance of the current government out of 10, what would you give it?

Due to the many crises that we are experiencing in housing, immigration, cost of living, anti-rural Ireland and agricultural issues, and the lack of investment in mental health and disability services, I would not score the government high. Another area of concern that would affect the score would be the massive waste of exchequer money on bike sheds, security huts, printers... From a balanced and objective perspective, the government performed better in terms of the free school books services and starting the process to address child poverty.

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

Addressing the housing crisis.

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

If the last Dáil has shown us anything, it has shown us the influence of the Green Party, which many would consider to be a small party. We have all experienced their influence in terms of what I would consider to be anti-rural Ireland initiatives, increased taxes, immigration issues and the detrimental affects on agriculture, particularly on the suckler herd. If elected to govern, Independent Ireland will work to overturn those draconian measures.

If serving on the opposition benches, Independent Ireland will be a strong voice in holding the government to account. In Independent Ireland, we have a strong collective group of independents who have come together for collective strength and to deliver more for our communities. Independent Ireland do not operate a whip system, therefore I am not constrained to voting in any way on any issue affecting our community.