News

The Social Democrats will this week introduce draft legislation to remove the obsolete offence of blasphemy from the Constitution and the Statue Book. The party will on Wednesday bring forward two separate Private Members’ Bills to ensure that Ireland’s legal framework enshrines full respect for freedom of speech. The country’s outdated blasphemy laws recently sparked […]

A new International Civil Service Effectiveness Index, launched today (see link here), has highlighted several deficiencies in the Irish Civil Service. Comparing the Civil Service of 31 countries, Ireland comes in 6th last. Ireland scored high in Human Resource Management and Tax Administration but low in terms of regulation, risk management, social security administration and openness. Róisín Shortall […]

Information on language skills of Gardaí is “not readily available” according to a parliamentary question asked on behalf of Aengus Ó Maoláin, Social Democrat representative for Castleknock and Blanchardstown. According to the Minister for Justice’s response to the question, asked by Róisín Shortall TD on behalf of Ó Maoláin, An Garda Síochána uses expensive interpreters […]

Speaking in a Dáil debate on childcare workers today, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD called for professional pay scales to end precarity for those who look after our children. Deputy Shortall said: “We have always known the first five years are the most important in a person’s life. It is the time when the […]

Government delays in allocating Special Needs Assistants amount to shameful treatment of State employees and parents alike, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall made her remarks after the Taoiseach announced that the cabinet had today approved the allocation of additional Special Needs Assistants for September. Deputy Shortall said: “The Taoiseach said […]

The Social Democrats support the increase in the Living Wage rate – but stress that there also has to be a focus on reducing the cost of living. Party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “I welcome the increase in the Living Wage for 2017 to €11.70 per hour. The experts who calculate this increase say […]

The Social Democrats have welcomed action by competition authorities into alleged price fixing in the motor insurance industry. The party’s Dublin Mid-West local area representative Anne Marie was speaking following reports that competition enforcement officials today carried out office raids as part of a probe into possible cartel activity in the insurance industry. Ms McNally […]

The Social Democrats will today table amendments to a Fianna Fáil Dáil motion on bin charges. The amendments seek to ensure that bin companies will not be permitted to obtain waste licences or permits without publishing their financial accounts in Ireland. The amendments also call for the introduction of a national waiver scheme for customers […]

AN AUSTRALIAN POLITICIAN made global news recently for breastfeeding her child while speaking in parliament. It’s worth taking a minute to look behind the vaguely titillating headlines. Australian Greens politician Larissa Waters was categorically not the first female politician to feed a child in her place of work. What’s unusual about the situation was not […]

The Social Democrats have said the government’s appalling record on tackling corruption has led to it being rebuked today by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, GRECO. The party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD was commenting on a GRECO report which found that Ireland’s level of compliance with its recommendations were “globally unsatisfactory”. The anti-corruption body […]

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has said that the numbers of people awaiting a decision on Social Welfare payments is out of control with some payments having an average of 18 weeks for a payment to be awarded. Deputy Murphy said people who had applied for payments such as parents with special needs children; disabled […]

The government’s school admissions bill completely fails to deal with the problem of children being denied access to their local primary school due to their religion, according to the Social Democrats. The party has tabled amendments to remove the schools ‘baptism barrier’ – a discriminatory practice which the government’s Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 […]

The Minister for Housing is sitting on a major fire safety review completed over a year ago while today announcing a separate review in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze, the Social Democrats said today. Dublin Bay North Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said: “Mr Murphy is saying that the Grenfell Tower fire is going to […]

The government’s chronic underspending in areas that are fundamental to Ireland’s long-term economic growth shows that it is allergic to the concept of investing now to save later, the Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall made her comments as new figures from the NERI think tank show that Ireland is underspending […]