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Two Social Democrats TDs – Gary Gannon and Holly Cairns – have called on the Minister for Higher Education to clarify issues raised by CAO applicants who sat the Leaving Certificate in previous years but will not benefit from predicted grades inflation when results are released next week. Gary Gannon TD, the party’s spokesperson on […]

Gary Gannon TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Education, has said that difficulties in recruiting additional teachers has emerged as one of the greatest challenges as our schools reopen. Deputy Gannon said: “The recruitment of over 1,000 additional teachers for post-primary schools was one of the headline measures in the Government’s announcement at the end of […]

The Social Democrats have called for mobile Covid-19 testing units to be rolled out for schools to help identify outbreaks and prevent widespread closures in the event of clusters emerging. Gary Gannon TD, the party’s Education spokesperson, said: “As primary and secondary schools start to reopen this week, there is understandable anxiety among parents, students, […]

Social Democrats TD for Dublin Central, Gary Gannon, has called on the Minister for Education and officials from her department to appear before the Oireachtas Special Covid-19 Committee to provide a progress report on the Government’s plan to reopen schools at the end of this month. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Education, […]

Gary Gannon TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Education, today called on the Minister for Education to reassure Leaving Cert students that the predictive grades debacle in Scotland could not happen here. Deputy Gannon said: “Students and parents in Ireland will have watched the controversy over predictive grades in Scotland with understandable concern. We are just […]

Social Democrats TD and spokesperson for Social Protection, Gary Gannon, has criticised the further suspension of an employee’s legal entitlement to claim redundancy if they have been laid-off or put on reduced hours for a set number of weeks. Deputy Gannon said: “This decision is a worrying erosion of statutory redundancy rights. Under the Redundancy […]

Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Social Protection, has backed calls by St Vincent de Paul for the establishment of a Special Oireachtas Committee on Poverty and Inequality. Deputy Gannon said: “Disadvantaged communities have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and there are now over 700,000 people experiencing poverty in Ireland. Poverty […]

Gary Gannon, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Social Protection, has called on backbench TDs from the three Government parties to vote against measures in tonight’s Social Welfare Bill that will make it difficult for Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) recipients to return to their former employment. Deputy Gannon said: “The revelations over the weekend that PUP […]

Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Education, has expressed concern that there may not be enough substitute post-primary school teachers available in the event of a second wave of Covid-19. Reacting to the Government’s announcement of the €375m roadmap to opening schools at the end of next month, Deputy Gannon said: “While there […]

Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Social Protection, is to seek an urgent explanation from the Government after it emerged that passengers are having their Pandemic Unemployment Payment removed following airport inspections. Deputy Gannon said: “I was extremely concerned to learn that those receiving the PUP have been targeted by Department of Social […]

Long term, substantial investment and innovative new ways of doing things will be required if schools are to reopen – and stay open – in the coming weeks, according to Gary Gannon, the Social Democrats spokesperson for Education. Deputy Gannon said: “The past number of months have been extremely difficult for students and parents and […]

Social Democrats spokesperson for the Arts, Gary Gannon TD, said today that a reduction in the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will be devastating for Ireland’s artistic community. Deputy Gannon said: “The PUP extension announced by the Government yesterday as part of the July stimulus package fails to take into account the circumstances of many people […]

Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Education, has called on the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, to urgently address the Dáil and provide details of the Government’s plans for reopening schools in five weeks’ time Deputy Gannon said: “Yesterday I attended a meeting between Minister Foley and Opposition spokespeople for Education. Following […]

Schools are facing a wave of trauma Speaking ahead of a briefing for Opposition spokespersons by the Minister for Education this afternoon, Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Education, said: “It’s hard to see anything other than chaos unfolding as our schools attempt to reopen in the autumn. The failure is one of […]