Housing, immigration and health will be the big issues in the Local Elections in Tipperry

Councillor Kevin O’Meara, thanks for entering The No-Spin Zone, tell me briefly about your family?
A. I have a beautiful wife called Norah, two girls Lauren and Amy, and a son Ryan. And a big St Bernard called Buddy.

Q. What’s your political experience to date?
I was co-opted onto my father’s seat in the Carrick-On-Suir Municipal District in 2018, and was then re-elected in 2019.

Q. When you go canvassing in the lead up to the June elections, what are the main issues that you expect to hear about on the doorsteps?
A. Housing, health and immigration will be the top three.

Q. Immigration is the hot topic right now in county Tipperary and nationally and we’ve seen it explode in Roscrea. What’s your opinion about what’s going on there?
A. Immigration is a part of life today. Irish people immigrated for years, so it’s fully evolved now. I do have an issue with bringing groups of males into an area. If you put 40 males into a building, they’ll get bored, and find time hard to fill. There needs to be an overall plan how people are dispersed and that’s not there right now.
IMMIGRATION

Q. So if the Government proposed placing International Protection Applicants in the Carrick- on- Suir area, where do you stand on that?
I have no problems with anyone coming to Carrick, but the services and infrastructure must be in place first.

Q. We’ve seen several cases nationally of buildings being targeted and burned down by arsonists because of immigration. Does it concern you that that kind of behaviour could start to become the norm everywhere?
A. Anyone who breaks the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But in parallel to this, the Government must take a step back and understand the community concerns and take them on board.

Q. I’ve seen extreme members of the ‘far-right’ spitting out pure hatred on twitter, and their message is clear that they want all ‘foreigners’ out of Ireland. Where do you stand on freedom of speech, and does Government need to clamp down on social media companies?
A. I think social media companies need to take responsibility here. They need to verify everyone’s account with some form of ID. I’m 100% for free speech, but you can’t be hiding behind a pseudonym.

Q. In the 2019 County Council election, it was a very tight battle for the last few seats in Carrick- on Suir. Are you at a disadvantage by being an Independent?
A. I hope not. I’m not shackled by any party policies or directives. I can fully reflect the concerns of my constituents.

Q. St Brigid’s hospital in Carrick has been in the national news as the HSE closed the services there. What did you think of that HSE decision?
I thought that it was a very poor decision. My own father-in-law used the facility and it’s vital families can access these services in close proximity to where they live. Now families must travel further, e.g families near me now have to travel to Clogheen. I’d love if the decision is revisited and reversed. It’s never too late to do the right thing.

Q. Cost of living is a massive issue, with prices going up dramatically. Is there anything that councillors can do about it?
A. Thresholds for grants and housing applications could be broadened further to meet the additional cost of living.
REGENERATION

Q. What is your greatest achievement as a county councillor?
The day you get someone a house, their forever home, is always massively emotional. I was also proud to be part of the team that brought €17million to Carrick-on-Suir for the regeneration project. Difficult decisions needed to be made, and I wasn’t afraid to make them, even though it came at some political cost to me.

Q. To law and order - the Carrick-on-Suir general area has seen a massive reduction in Gardai stationed there, approximately 60%, which led to the local councillors writing to the Commissioner and Minister about that. Surely the present allocation is unacceptable?
It’s very unacceptable. As councillors, we make as much noise as we can. The Garda force needs to almost double. I’m a big believer in the Community Garda model.

Q. 99% of Gardai have no confidence in the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Do you have confidence in him, and why?
A. I don’t have faith in him, or the Minister for Justice. Currently, they’re failing. I don’t see a plan in place in how they’ll improve things short-term.

Q. The RTE scandal continues to dominate the headlines, with the recent release of the report into Toy Show: The Musical showing a loss of €2.2 million. What’s your opinion of that scandal?
A. I think RTE has been ran badly for a number of years. I hope the new regime will do better. It’s public money, so they need to go above and beyond when it comes to showing transparency and value for money spent.

Q. The public has clearly lost some confidence in RTE. The Government is now talking about reviewing the TV licence scheme. Should the TV licence be scrapped, and why?
It needs to be restructured more than scrapped. If we want a proper public service broadcaster, which I believe people do, to ensure for example major sporting events like hurling, football Munster/All Ireland finals remain free to air, then it will have to be funded, not taken from the general exchequer, where health or housing budgets are taken from. There’s a case to be made for perhaps some sort of joint venture between public/private sector to ensure this continues and is a viable entity.

Q. The Nationalist recently revealed that Tipperary County Council spent almost €9 million on IT services in 2021/2022. Does that sound like a lot to you when we’re in the middle of a housing crisis?
A. It is a huge amount of money, but technology is at the core of every successful business or organisation, and it’s getting way more expensive. The cost of not doing things correctly can result in massive fines from regulators for example if personal data is not handled correctly, considering what the council do there is huge amounts of personal data so this must be protected in the correct manner.

Q. Water continues to be a big issue. Irish Water, or Uisce Eireann as they are now known, continues to cause serious frustration to people. What’s your opinion on that and what needs to be done?
A. I think Uisce Eireann should be scrapped and should be rebuilt from the ground up. It was a mistake to take it from the council. It needs to be given back to the council.
HOUSING

Q. If you had a magic wand, what is the one issue you would like to see resolved in the Carrick/Mullinahone/Fethard area?
A. Housing is the big one – everyone deserves a home. Hospital waiting lists – make them disappear, no-one should wait more than 24-48 hours for help. And bring back the rural Garda stations. A Garda visible in every village and town in the county every day of the week.

Q. Only 22% of councillors in countyTipperary are female. Encouragingly, in 2019, Carrick- on- Suir had 5 out of 11 candidates who were female, which was brilliant. But surely this is a problem that must be tackled nationally?
A. Understanding the obstacles is the key, improve awareness and education throughout school and college system. Make them more aware of the roles of councillors and TDs and the importance of them. I am very much against gender quotas though, people should be treated equally regardless of gender. If 2 people are sat in an interview for whatever role, they must be treated equally.
HONESTY

Q. Historically, Clonmel has had more representation in Dail Eireann than Carrick- on- Suir. Is your area at a disadvantage because of that?
A. Probably. Geography doesn’t suit our Municipal District, as we’re tucked away in the corner of the county.

Q. What is the one thing you would like to see change with how Tipperary County Council operates?
A I would like the north and south councils restored. I’d also like to see the Town Councils restored.

Q. Either Leo, Mary-Lou or Micheál will be the next Taoiseach. In a forced choice, who is your preference and why?
A-I wouldn’t pick any of them, but I’ll happily support Michael Lowry for Taoiseach.

Q. Final question – In one sentence, why should people vote for Councillor Kevin O’Meara in June?
I’m asking for your no1 vote because I bring consistency, confidentiality, honesty and loyalty to the people that I serve.
Cara: Thanks Kevin – best of luck in June’s elections.