News

This controversy has again highlighted the toothless nature of the State’s ethics watchdog SIPO Junior Minister Robert Troy must make a comprehensive statement in the Dáil when it returns outlining all of his business interests, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. “The drip feed of information, from Robert Troy, has been deeply unsatisfactory. As […]

This level of denial and myopia at cabinet is deeply concerning Ministers who claim to be “livid” or “astounded” at Ireland’s worsening electricity security crisis have been asleep at the wheel, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The Business Post has reported that ministers are “livid” and “astounded” that Ireland is facing into […]

The blame falls squarely at the feet of a government that rolled out the red carpet for data centres Ordinary consumers should not bear the financial cost of the government’s failure to ensure the country has a sufficient supply of electricity, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The government has been trying to […]

The Farrell report must be published as quickly as possible It is neither tenable nor appropriate for An Bord Pleanála to investigate itself in relation to allegations that are in the public domain but not included the Farrell report, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “I am very concerned that the Housing Minister […]

It is clear that the Government’s housing plan is a failure, but it is renters and those hoping to buy a home who are bearing the cost The latest rent report from Daft.ie highlights yet again the Government’s failure to tackle the housing crisis as rents are driven to unprecedented highs, according to Social Justice Spokesperson […]

The snail’s pace of decongregation cannot continue A new report from HIQA has highlighted the need to speed up the transfer of people with disabilities from congregated settings, according to Social Democrats Disability Spokesperson Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns was commenting following the publication by HIQA today of an overview of its inspection and regulation of […]

If we ever want to fill the vacancies in our health service, then NCHDs must be treated with respect and dignity at work The Minister for Health has been repeatedly warned that unreliable pay is a serious issue for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) but has failed to act, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín […]

There is no excuse for any further delay The government must commit to introducing a windfall tax on energy companies, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has called on governments around the world to tax the super-profits of energy companies – and use that revenue […]

The lack of urgency is deeply worrying The Minister for Health must clarify when the monkeypox vaccination programme will be rolled out, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Last week, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that a monkeypox vaccination programme, targeted at individuals at high risk, would be rolled out. However, there is […]

We have less than eight years to radically reduce our emissions and the lack of a tangible strategy is deeply worrying The Government’s emissions reduction plan must assist all farmers – not just the big players, says Social Democrats Agriculture spokesperson Holly Cairns. “The Government’s climate action plans must support small family farms in a […]

The latest homelessness figures are a shocking indictment of the Government’s failed housing policy The Government must urgently respond to near record-breaking levels of homelessness, according to the Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “Homelessness is near an all-time high. This is a disaster for everyone living in emergency accommodation who does not have a place […]

The Minister for Housing has refused to act and has hidden behind the very limited review that he asked Remy Farrell to conduct The Minister for Housing must act on allegations regarding An Bord Pleanála, according to Social Democrats Housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “Over the last number of months, a whole series of allegations have […]

The ongoing failure to act demonstrates that the Government has learned nothing from the disastrous impact of construction defects Today the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, has published a report on building defects in apartments and duplexes. There are a series of urgent actions the Government must now take, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson […]

The Government is clearly not prepared to make the tough decisions required to deal with climate change The agreement of a 25% reduction in carbon emissions for the agricultural sector represents a shocking failure by Government to listen to the science, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The decision to put in place […]