Ann Sweeney:

1. From a background perspective i am a practising catholic who was forced to remove her childen from catholic primary school to a church of ireland one where i was very well served because of a very different work ethic. i believe there should be no religious involvement in education. I believe that the church and state have colluded since the formation of the state to promote thier own requirements which has left us with a population unused to making decisions or viewing matters objectively so to question one the answer absolutely and i would like them to be accountable and measurable in service delivery.

2. Absolutely the church has no place in my vision of our first republic.

3.Blasphemy should not be a crimnal offence

4. Hospitals should have no religious ethos

5 Religious bodies while being recognised as having a right to exist are a different type of organisation from say a trade union delegation, a community group, or a local forum, i would have issues in regard to thier resources as to whether they should be allowed to engage at all.

6 i would not award charitable status to any church body unless they could clearly identify what the actual charitable projectwas, with aims, objectives and outcomes. the mere sustaining of thier assets and land bank raises serious questions with me as to what they feel makes them deserving of charitable status in the first place. to date despite collections of €2000 per week i am at a loss to quantify what my local church believes its reason to exist is other than to mantain and enhance church property as opposed to congregation.

Pearse Doherty:

See the statement provided by Sinn Fein on behalf of all its candidates.

Frank McBrearty:

See the statement provided by the Labour Party on behalf of all its candidates.

Dinny McGinley:

See the statement provided by Fine Gael on behalf of all its candidates.

John Duffy

See the statement provided by the Green Party on behalf of all its candidates.

No Response Received From:

Mary Coughlan

Brian Ó’Domhnaill

Thomas Pringle

Stephen McCahill

Fine Gael statement

Green Party statement

Labour Party Statement

Sinn Fein Statement