Fianna Fáil disappointed at lack of female candidates

Fianna Fáil leaders have said they are disappointed at their failure to attract more women candidates. Jobs spokesperson Dara Calleary conceded that one in five candidates being female in the looming May local elections was not good enough.

“We are about just under 20% on the female side of things nationally. We’re disappointed in that, we’re not hiding it. We’ve a lot more work to do there,” Mr Calleary said, adding that 120 of the 400 candidates were fresh faces who had not contested an election before.

Mr Calleary was speaking ahead of the party’s 75th ard fheis in Killarney, Co Kerry, this weekend, where among the motions to be debated will be one to establish an independent police commission to ensure accountability in law enforcement following recent controversies.

A move to field candidates in the North by 2019 will also be debated by delegates. Party chiefs said FF’s debts now stood at €860,000 and would be eradicated next year after peaking at €3m in 2011.

General secretary Sean Dorgan said no decision had yet been made about the future of Bertie Ahern’s old HQ at St Luke’s in Drumcondra, Dublin. The party’s membership has halved to 20,000 since losing power.

Party bosses said the pattern of fundraising had changed radically in the past five years with 90% of donations now €100 or less.

Fianna Fáil will have to raise its game on women candidates by the next election as new legislation states parties which fail to field 30% female representation will face large cuts in state funding as punishment.