As party and independent candidates alike try to sell the public their vision of what they can deliver for voters, The impartial Reporter takes a look at some of the issues they are talking about – and what constituents are saying back to them.

Manifestos have been released outlining the plans that parties and individuals have in place to try and win votes.

Issues such as the cost of living crisis, fixing the health service, improving connectivity to Fermanagh and South Tyrone, and the Northern Ireland Protocol are high on the list of candidates manifestos, but what else are they keen to discuss? Read on to find out ...

Jemma Dolan, Sinn Féin

The price of electricity, heating your home and putting fuel in the car continues to spiral out of control and people simply cannot afford it.

The British government needs to immediately increase taxes on big energy corporations which are making an absolute fortune on the backs of ordinary people.

And they should abandon their cruel plans to punish working families through increasing National Insurance payments, which kick in this month.

Deborah Erskine, DUP

The DUP has a five-point plan for Northern Ireland. Increasing the number of GPs is a key part of the plan, but that alone will not fix the NHS. That’s why our plan looks at how we retain our graduates after they are trained.

In recent weeks, I have been working closely with the local GP federation in the south west to press for additional investment in our practices.

I am glad the Minister [for Health] has recognised our plans, and has also confirmed that Fermanagh and Omagh will be second in line for the ongoing roll-out of multi-disciplinary teams across Northern Ireland.

Whilst this news is a step in the right direction, it is crucial that it is backed up with a strategic and ambitious funding package.

Matthew Beaumont, Alliance

The ongoing cost of living crisis means many homes are already struggling to make ends meet, with inflation continuing to erode the value of wages and benefits.

We have a moral obligation to provide assistance to those in poverty, which is a situation made worse by the cost of living crisis.

Failure to do so would also result in further economic consequences down the line.

Poverty levels and inequality in our society would increase, curtailing consumer spending, meaning more jobs being put at risk and living standards further reducing.

Adam Gannon, SDLP

It’s just blow after blow for families who are struggling to get by at the minute. These latest price hikes are the last thing our communities need, with many people already struggling to heat their homes, put food on the table and fuel in their cars.

Bills just seem to be going up and up, and people have no idea where it’s all going to end.

This situation keeps getting worse, and there is no indication on the horizon that it will get better.

It’s our duty to put people first and come up with the solutions necessary to help our communities at this extremely difficult time.

Alex Elliott, TUV

We have been resolute in our opposition to the [Northern Ireland] Protocol from day-one, calling it out from the very start.

Resisting the imposition of EU regulations which [we] do not make and can not change, while all other whipped MLAs meekly voted them through the Assembly.

Leading the way when it came to the judicial review of the Protocol, which has seen it established in court that the Protocol subjugates Article Six of the Acts of Union, which guarantees freedom of trade between the constituent parts of our great United Kingdom.

The future of the Union is on the line. It's time to stand up and be counted.

Emma DeSouza, Indepedent

In Fermanagh and South Tyrone, decades of systemic underinvestment, and rural inequalities has stymied the enormous potential for growth.

We need to reinvest in rural communities and reinvest in each other, with progressive and ambitious policies to build a prosperous, rights-based future.

Key to realising that potential is urgent investment in infrastructure and connectivity – rail lines must be restored alongside an urgent increase in bus services and routes.

The lack of public transport provision pushes people further below the poverty line. Trains and Green buses will decrease reliance on cars, bring down emissions, and boost tourism – revitalising rural communities.

If we are serious about improving people’s lives, connecting our island, and protecting our environment, then we must provide adequate public transport provision.

Denise Mullen, Aontú

Early and consistent treatment is the silver bullet to beating cancer. Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw unprecedented disruption, and suspension, of cancer screening and treatment services.

This has cost lives and led to an increase in adverse cancer outcomes.

In January of this year, it was announced that in [2021's] July, August and September , all cancer waiting time targets were missed out on – and missed out on badly.

Months on, and sadly the picture is not much better.

Rosemary Barton, UUP

The increase in the price of energy, both electricity and vehicle fuel, together with the weekly shop has already presented many constituents with decisions to make regarding their spend.

Many demanded that this be the first issue that the [Northern Ireland] Assembly and Executive deal with following the election.

Speaking with several from the agricultural community, the cost of meal for animals and birds was an issue, together with concern about a possible shortage of feedstuffs because of the war in Ukraine.

The price of fertilizer was also a source of anxiety, and the knock-on effect this would have on their budgeting.

Discussions on the rebuilding of the health service now that there is a perceived degree of normality returning post-Covid was another focal area.

Kellie Turtle, Green Party

I spent a fantastic Saturday in Enniskillen town centre with local Green Party volunteers at a stall in The Diamond.

The main message I heard was how fed-up people are with stagnant politics from the big parties, along with concerns about health services and a lack of support for those who are struggling financially, especially the elderly and isolated.

I’ve also been listening to the concerns of farmers who are unsettled by misinformation being spread about the Climate Bill, reassuring them that small- and medium-sized farms stand to benefit from new approaches that reward innovation and balance rather than intensive practices.

Donal O'Cofaigh, CCLA

The main issues our canvassers are getting on the doors are primarily the cost of living crisis and the crisis in NHS services.

There is also a deep-seated disgust at Stormont. The other major issue I am seeing increasingly is housing – primarily rent increases, but also young people who can’t get a house.

I continue to wait for responses from the Western Health and Social Care Trust to my questions seeking clarity on the future of surgical procedures at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Meanwhile, I understand that there is no improvement to staffing at [the] neonatal [department] which continues to operate as a stabilisation-only facility. I remain hugely concerned for the acute status of the SWAH.