Laura Harmon is a board member of Threshold, and Executive Director of the Irish Council for International Students. She was also the former President of the Union of Students in Ireland..

I've been campaigning for 15 years on housing, education and equality. I know that politics can change people's lives and I know I can be a strong TD on the issue of housing and ensuring people have a better future here in Ireland. I want Cork South Central to be the best place to live, work, study, do business and raise a family.

Housing and infrastructure. These are key issues for Ireland and Cork South Central. I will be a strong advocate in the Dáil on housing and revitalising derelict and vacant properties. The housing shortage is driving key workers away, and I often meet families with three generations under one roof, while people try to save for a home. If younger generations can’t afford housing, we risk a future where pensioners are stuck renting - a looming poverty crisis we must prevent.

I would use my first speech to talk about the housing disaster; the record levels of people leaving Ireland; how we are losing key workers because of the housing crisis and cost of living and how we need to give people a better future in Ireland.