A women’s rights group will today launch a €35,000 crowdfunding plan to help female candidates in future elections after accusing the Government of failing to do enough to address the issue.

Cash incentives for female candidates in the upcoming local elections will benefit established parties more than Independents.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been urged to match crowdfunding of 56,000 euro to train 300 women to run in the local elections

The Taoiseach claims there is a lack of female TDs, hence so few at his Cabinet table. The Women for Election group is looking to ensure the only way is up for female representation, writes Niamh Hennessy.

The likelihood of a snap election in the months after the Fine Gael leadership race has increased sharply after the Government party surged ahead of Fianna Fáil in the latest public support poll.

Controversial moves to force political parties to put more women candidates up for election appear to be working, campaign groups say.

The banking inquiry will get under way with "one hand tied behind its back", according to the opposition who said the Government has already shown signs that hearings will be prejudiced by partisan politics.

Political parties could be forced by law to have a minimum number of women candidates in elections if the threat of having their state funding cut does not work, warned Minister Pat Rabbitte.

Michelle O’Donnell Keating is not a household name in Ireland, but perhaps she should be.

In her letter (Nov 4), Louise Patricia Sheridan writes that forced quotas are not the way to go to encourage women into politics; and instead welcomes educational opportunities as a way to increase representation.