News

Scarring effects of living in persistent poverty as a child can be lifelong The Government must immediately outline how it intends to end the scandal of child poverty in Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, made her comments to mark the […]

We need answers about how much this mess is likely to cost taxpayers  The chaos engulfing An Bord Pleanála is costing the State dearly as fees for delays and legal challenges soar, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. “Today, the Irish Independent reported An Bord Pleanála (ABP) has paid out more than €1 million […]

HSE figures show that the number of dentists participating in the scheme has dropped by over a third in five years The exodus of dentists from the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) requires an immediate intervention from the Minister for Health, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD. HSE figures obtained by Deputy Shortall […]

There appears to be chaos in Minister O’Gorman’s Department The Children’s Minister must explain why 135 Ukrainian refugees were put through the anxiety and stress of being told their lives were being uprooted – only for the decision to be reversed at the last moment, according to Social Democrats Children’s Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “A group […]

Delay calls into question the very relevance of Junior Cert exams Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has expressed disappointment after the Minister for Education was unable to confirm a date for the Junior Certificate results. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s Education spokesperson, made his comments after raising the issue with Minister Norma Foley in […]

Funds should be targeted at those most vulnerable to energy inflation  Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for holiday homes to be excluded from the Government’s universal electricity credits. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s Energy spokesperson, also criticised the lack of targeting in the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous […]

This government has serious questions to answer about their mismanagement of the grid Ireland’s power supply crisis is much worse than previously thought meaning the risk of blackouts and brownouts this winter has increased, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore was commenting after the publication of Eirgrid’s Generation Capacity Statement today. […]

Early intervention vital to prevent psychiatric inpatient admissions The alarming rise in psychiatric inpatient admissions for children and adolescents presenting with eating disorders requires an immediate Government response, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns made her comments after figures from the Health Research Board’s (HRB) National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System revealed that […]

Minister can no longer be a spectator to Junior Cert fiasco  The ongoing delay in issuing results for the Junior Certificate shows blatant disrespect towards the thousands of students who sat their exams in June, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Education, said: “The students who […]

Criticism of ABP should not allow this government, and previous governments, to escape censure for this debacle The upbeat appraisal of An Bord Pleanála to a devastating critique from the Office of the Planning Regulator is bizarre and concerning, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The report from the Office of the Planning […]

This deal typifies everything that is wrong with the government’s approach to housing The government must explain why State resources are being used to bankroll developments for investment funds, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan commented after it was revealed that Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) is financing the construction of […]

Why is the Minister continuing to give experts and patient advocates the cold shoulder?  The Minister for Health must explain why he’s ignored repeated calls to fund the Mater’s Long Covid Clinic, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “The Mater’s clinic is the longest running Long Covid clinic in Ireland and yet it’s […]

Alarming growth in the number of people homeless requires an emergency response The latest homelessness figures released today demand no less than an emergency response from the Government, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s Housing spokesperson, said: “The latest figures reveal that there are now 3,220 children homeless […]

Bulk of €124 million in unclaimed prize money spent on advertising and promotion, according to report Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy has welcomed recommendations contained in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report on the Accounts of the Public Services for 2021 relating to oversight of the National Lottery’s finances. Deputy Murphy, who is vice-chair of […]