Healy hits out at the record of successive governments in the Tipperary South constituency

General election candidate Seamus Healy has hit out at the record of successive governments in south Tipperary.

"Fourteen years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil led governments, including the Labour Party, have delivered blow after blow to the towns and people of South Tipperary," said Seamus Healy.

"Among a long list of disastrous decisions affecting south Tipperary are: the closure of Kickham Barracks, Clonmel; the closure of St. Michael’s acute psychiatric unit; the closure of St. Brigid’s Hospital, Carrick-on-Suir; the imposition of the hated family home tax; the absolute neglect of services for children with additional needs; the creation of the arrogant and faceless Irish Water; and the abolition of South Tipperary County Council, Clonmel Corporation and the Town Councils of Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel and Tipperary Town," he added.

Seamus Healh said that nationally and locally, the ongoing housing and homeless crisis was the most abject failure of these parties.

"The people of South Tipperary are entitled to a fair crack of the whip and a fair share of national resources. Going into this general election, all party leaders must, at the very least, give specific guarantees on issues affecting South Tipperary and to reverse detrimental decisions taken by them. We don’t want any election promises, we are demanding specific written guarantees in the following terms:

“We will, within 6 months of entering government, advertise tenders for the construction of a new 20 bed inpatient mental health unit at Tipperary University Hospital to replace the closed St. Michael’s Unit. We will commence construction of this unit within 12 months of entering government.”

We will, within 6 months of entering government, re-open St. Brigid’s Hospital, Carrick-on-Suir with the same number of beds, and the same level of service, as before the closure.

Within 100 days of entering government, we will establish the Jigsaw Youth Mental Health Service in the towns of Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel and Tipperary Town.

On entering government, we will immediately provide an appropriate school place for every child with additional needs.

Within 6 months of entering government, we will ensure that each child with additional needs is assessed within the legal 6-month limit.”

Within the first 100 days in government, we will declare in law, a housing emergency and will commence a massive construction of social and affordable houses by local authorities and approved housing bodies on state land," he concluded.