SINN Féin TD for Kerry, Martin Ferris, has sent his best wishes to Martin McGuinness who has retired from electoral politics.

Speaking today Deputy Ferris said; “it has been an honour and a privilege to work alongside Martin McGuinness for many years, Martin was instrumental in negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement and it has been incredible journey that many of us have taken together. He has been a pivotal figure in the Republican movement since the early seventies. He is someone I consider a friend and comrade who has worked tirelessly for his beliefs. Despite his past, he held out the hand of friendship to his Unionist brothers and sisters and has advanced both the cause of Irish unity and national reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

Continued below…

“Martin often visited Kerry over the years and he is held in high regard by Kerry republicans. On behalf of myself and all in Sinn Féin Kerry, I would like to extend our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery to Martin and his wife Bernie and extended family.”

“While Martin McGuinness is retiring from active electoral politics, I know that he will be there to advise and support the next generation of leadership of Sinn Féin, and I look forward to him being able to spend some time in the future, fishing on the rivers and lakes of Kerry, which I know he enjoys immensely.”

KERRY Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris has called on his constituency colleagues to support his party’s Rent Certainty Bill which will be voted on in the Dáil tomorrow.

Fianna Fáil has signalled that it will vote with Fine Gael and government Independents to reject rent certainty which, he says, will condemn more renters to homelessness.

It comes at a time when there has been a five per cent rise in the cost of rent in Kerry in the past year.

According to figures from the Residential Tenancies Board, the average monthly rent in Kerry in the first quarter of this year was €572, up €29.50 on the same period last year. The average rent in Tralee stands at €577.26.

“The Sinn Féin Bill seeks to link rents to the consumer price index as a way of preventing extortionate increases in private rents which are forcing families into homelessness every day,” said Deputy Ferris.

“The government’s response to this has been to stall and wait for a committee report due out at the end of this week.But the reality is that the recommendations of that report will take at least six months to be implemented.

“That is simply not good enough when we are in the middle of a crisis which is seeing people made homeless every day. There is hardly a day goes by that my constituency offices are not contacted by people who are about to become, or are in fact ,homeless. We need action now. That is why I am appealing to my constituency colleagues to vote in support of the Sinn Féin Bill tomorrow and to lobby their party leadership to see the logic in that position,” said Deputy Ferris.

SINN Féin TD Martin Ferris has strongly criticised both the insurance industry and the last Government after he was contacted by Kerry motorists saying their insurance premiums have risen by as much as 40 per cent in twelve months.

In one instance he said a man was quoted €3,000 despite having over 5 years experience and a clean driving record.

Recent figures released from the CSO’s Consumer Price Index for the past twelve months show a 30.5% increase in the average cost of car insurance in 2015 over the previous year. Deputy Ferris says that constituents who are now renewing policies for 2016 are reporting increases of up to 40 per cent compared with prices quoted last year.

Deputy Ferris said that it was unacceptable that companies are forcing such dramatic increases on consumers, and has criticised the outgoing Government for not conducting a proper review into premium prices.

“Insurance companies have been increasing premium prices across the board over the last number of months and are actively refusing to insure older cars resulting in the cost of owning and driving a car to sky rocket,” he said.

“If we look at the figures from the CSO for 2015, we’ve already witnessed proof that the average premium across the state has risen by 30.5% compared to 2014.

“In recent weeks, I’ve been contacted by drivers from across the county who are very concerned at the hike in prices quoted to them by their insurer for cover for the next twelve months – some have seen a 40% jump in the cost of their premiums. I have also been contacted by numerous young drivers who cannot afford the exorbitant rates insurance companies are looking for, in one instance a young driver has to consider whether he will continue in his current employment as he needs a car to travel to his place of work and his insurance company are asking for over €3000, this despite the fact that he has over 5 years experience and a clean driving record.”

“It is unacceptable for companies to boost the cost of car insurance to such a degree and it is particularly unfair for young drivers who face being priced off the road as a result of such shameful profiteering. Rural isolation and the inherent mental health problems that accompany it, will be exasperated if rising costs of insurance are not tackled in the short term.”

“Motor insurance is mandatory and the Government therefore has a duty as a legislator to conduct a review of premium prices, but as yet they have done very little to remedy this problem.

“My party colleague Deputy Pearse Doherty in fact has been raising this issue in the Dáil with Minister Noonan who simply claims that the issue is ‘complex’ and he continues to hide behind EU law in relation to the motor industry.

“Measures such as enhancing existing legislation and improving Garda technology to help combat fraud could have been considered, but the action required has not happened and thus premiums have been steadily growing.

“I acknowledge that an inter-departmental working group has been established to examine the cost of car insurance and to then make recommendations, however the group has only just begun its work so the chances of motorists in Kerry seeing any improvement in the near future is unlikely.”

KERRY Sinn Fein Deputy Martin Ferris will visit the East coast of the United States to take part in St Patricks Day and 1916 celebrations.

The trip takes in Boston, Springfield Tampa, Miami and New York State and will focus on ongoing developments in Ireland and Irish emigrant issues including the undocumented Irish.

It will also focus on the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising and its legacy. It is also an opportunity to highlight the continuing attraction of Co. Kerry as a tourist destination to the Irish American community.

This trip is entirely financed by Friends of Sinn Féin in the US and there is no cost to the taxpayer associated with the visit.

During the trip, Deputy Ferris will be a guest of Boston GAA at the Boston St Patricks Day parade. He will also be guest speaker at the University of Tampa and will lay a number of wreaths at commemorations in New York and Boston.

Deputy Ferris said: “I am honoured to accept this invitation to travel to the US for the 1916 celebrations and look forward to meeting community activists and civic and union leaders during my visit. I particularly look forward once again in meeting with Congressman Richard Neal who has been a great friend to Ireland over many years. I also look forward to meeting Bob Buckhorn, Mayor of Tampa, who I know also takes a keen interest in all things Irish. I would like to thank the Irish community in Boston who have invited me to participate in various functions surrounding the centenary and St Patrick’s Day and I look forward to meeting the many groups that I am scheduled to visit.”