Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has responded to criticism of Helen McEntee as Minister for Justice by defending her and saying she is a “smart, savvy and able politician”.
Justice has been the main focus as the General Election campaign enters its second week and Ms McEntee’s time in office had been criticised by Fianna Fáil.
Jim O’Callaghan of Fianna Fáil said Fine Gael cannot now claim to be the party of law and order, adding that they have held the Justice brief for 14 years and it is the one area where no progress has been made.
“Helen McEntee doesn’t need to be taking anyone else’s ideas. She’s a very smart, savvy and able politician and I’m very proud of her,” Mr Harris said while on the campaign trail in Co Clare.
The Fine Gael leader also accused Fianna Fáil of not wanting to take collective responsibility of decisions made by the coalition government.
“The government parties have worked well together. We worked well together for four-and-a-half years, we’ve delivered five budgets, we haven’t gotten everything right, but we’ve gotten many things right.
“We can’t have a situation now where people who were in the government – sitting around the cabinet table – who had effectively a veto on any decision, are now saying, ‘that department, that wasn’t under our control’.
“That’s not collective cabinet responsibility works,” Mr Harris said.
McEntee rejects FF criticism of time as justice minister
Earlier, Ms McEntee rejected criticism from Fianna Fáil of her record as Minister for Justice.
This morning the larger parties were focusing on the issue, which is an area that has been a point of contention between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Government since the Dublin riots last year.
Fianna Fáil is proposing a zero-tolerance approach to crime, with 5,000 more gardaí as well as body cams and facial recognition technology for the force.
Fianna Fáil launched its party’s plans to tackle crime, including an initiative to expand An Garda Síochána by 5,000 members.
Fine Gael’s crime and security policy includes plans to recruit 6,000 more gardaí, to electronically tag sex offenders and for the introduction of garda body cameras.
Among the other plans highlighted in the policy document are a doubling of the garda training allowance, a new allowance to incentivise gardaí to stay in the force, and new powers allowing gardaí to obtain phone and computer passwords of criminals.
Asked at the launch if she believes Dublin and the rest of the country is safe, a view she took after last November’s Dublin riots, and why in that case the new promises are needed, outgoing justice minister Helen McEntee said, “I think for the most part it [Dublin] is a safe city”.
However, she added that “we have to all admit our urban areas have changed” and that there are some security issues.
Ms McEntee also said any use of garda body cameras, should they be introduced, will be limited to potential crimes carrying sentences of five years or more, and would only be used in day-to-day scenarios in rare circumstances.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is canvassing with Aindrias Moynihan in Cork North-West and will later campaign with Christopher O’Sullivan in Cork South-West.
Mr Martin lodged his election nomination forms in Cork city prior to visiting Macroom in the Cork North-West constituency.
It also wants to hold the Justice brief if returned to Government in a coalition.
At another press conference Ms McEntee gave her response to the criticism saying: “Women all over the country will understand what it feels like when men try to claim credit for women’s work.”
She would not be drawn, when asked three times, if she wanted to remain as Minister for Justice if re-elected to Government.
Sinn Féin meanwhile is focusing on proposals for a 9% VAT rate for hospitality businesses excluding hotels.
On the campaign so far, party leader Mary Lou McDonald said that she was “in it to win it” and that if a week was a long time in politics, two weeks is an “eternity”.
Ms McDonald visited a café in Manorhamilton in Leitrim, and later will travel to Sligo, Mayo and Galway.
Labour has launched a health policy, promising free GP care for all children up to the age of 18.
The party said it would also make available a free medical health screening and mental health assessment for every young adult.
At the launch of its health and social care policy in Dublin, Duncan Smith said the party would be “looking to extend in the lifetime of the next Government, free GP care to all children to ease the cost of living burden on hard-pressed families who shouldn’t have to make an economic decision for the healthcare of their children.”
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman is in Co Cork with party candidates.
The party will publish its transport safety policies, including introducing speeding fines based on the offenders’ disposable income.
Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan launched the party’s housing policy in Dublin, which outlines plans to oversee the building of 303,000 new homes between 2026 and 2030.
The initiative includes a pledge to deliver an average of 29,000 affordable rental, affordable purchase and social homes every year alongside measures for an effective ban on the bulk purchase of houses and apartments, and a clampdown on short-term lets.
The party’s healthcare vision will be unveiled by Róisín Shortall in Cork city.
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Universal free public transport is among the measures People Before Profit-Solidarity said it would introduce as part of plans to reduce emissions.
The party said it believes the abolition of fares would also help to end car pollution and traffic jams.
It has also pledged to make public transport services more frequent and to return privatised bus routes into public control.
People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Paul Murphy said the party is proposing to spend an extra €2.3 billion in the first year of Government on public transport.
Meanwhile there has been another high-profile entry into the race.
Mick Wallace who lost his seat in the European Parliament in June is to stand in the Wexford constituency, acknowledging on South East Radio it will be tough challenge to be re-elected.
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Additional reporting Tommy Meskill, Evelyn O’Rourke, Fiachra Ó Cionnaith
