Politics

Taoiseach says some sectors discourage pursuit of politics

Micheál Martin was speaking as parties search for local election candidates, and issue of gender quotas arises once more

Taoiseach Micheál Martin: ‘There are whole sectors where participation in public life isn’t encouraged – in certain parts of industry, certain parts of financial services’. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has claimed that employers in certain sectors are not encouraging staff who may want to enter politics.

All political parties are currently seeking to line up new candidates to run for the local elections in 2024, with a particular focus on attracting more female candidates. But Martin said one of the problems in attracting people to enter local politics was the impact such a move might have on their professional career.

“There ...