News

The current state of Irish banking is a consumer nightmare Competition in the Irish banking market will soon be almost non-existent, according to Social Democrats co-leader, and Finance Spokesperson, Róisín Shortall. “KBC has today confirmed its intention to quit the Irish market. This news will be a source of great alarm to both its staff […]

Our economic recovery must not be a two-tier recovery, in which those most impacted by the pandemic are left behind.  Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has said the finding of the Stability Programme Update – that Ireland’s economic recovery is contingent on the successful rollout of the vaccination programme – is a reminder that vaccines […]

The very least we owe these children, and their families, is to investigate how they died. Holly Cairns TD is calling on the Minister for Justice to ensure that inquests are held into all deaths that occurred in mother and baby homes and similar institutional settings. During a debate on the Institutional Burial Bill, at […]

The Irish people deserve competence and efficiency from their government at a time of national crisis. Instead, they have chaos and confusion. The government’s mandatory quarantine system has descended into chaos less than three weeks after it was set up, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “Last night, the government’s mandatory quarantine system had […]

Social Democrats co-leader, and PAC Vice Chairperson, Catherine Murphy TD has queried whether the imminent appointment of Robert Watt, as permanent Secretary General of the Department of Health on a salary of €292,000, was always a fait accompli. “Taoiseach Micheál Martin personally asked Mr Watt to transfer from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform […]

Commenting on NIAC’s expected recommendation to restrict the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the over-60s, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, said: “NIAC’s advice must be taken on board in the interest of public health. To ensure confidence in the vaccination programme, it is vital that safety concerns are addressed as they […]

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has called on the Minister for Housing to explain the absence of independent market rent valuations for multi-million euro leases the State has entered into with developers for the provision of social housing. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s Housing spokesperson, said: “Records released to me under the Freedom of […]

Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns has strongly criticised the Government for failing to provide an update this week on ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in maternity hospitals. After raising the issue in the Dáil today, Holly said: “It is baffling that the Taoiseach made no reference to the ongoing restrictions in maternity hospitals when announcing the phased […]

Speaking in the Dáil today, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has raised four key concerns about the vaccination programme in relation to the capability to scale-up, queue jumping, speed of rollout for very high and high-risk individuals, and the changes to the vaccine priority list. She said: “The vaccination programme has the potential to […]

Commenting on figures from Daft.ie showing that house prices jumped an average of €20,000 in the last year, Social Democrats Housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan TD said: “The jump in house prices over the last year is a further setback to families and individuals struggling to buy a home. It is crucially important that the Government […]

The State pension system should be adjusted to ensure that long-term carers no longer fall through the cracks, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. The Dublin Central TD, who is the party’s spokesperson on Social Protection, said: “Too many carers are falling between the cracks in our pension system, not qualifying for either the […]

Responding to the Taoiseach’s announcement of the easing of lockdown restrictions, co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD, has said: “It’s surprising that the Taoiseach has this evening set out a phased easing of restrictions based on dates, given that the Government’s previous plan emphasised that any change would be based on data instead. […]

The Rural Future plan announced today must be followed up with immediate Government action to help stem the further decline of communities throughout Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Holly, who represents Cork South-West, said: “The plan announced today, while ambitious in terms of scale, will ultimately be judged on how quickly it […]

Commenting on the Government’s Rural Future plan today, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore called for the provision of drop-in childcare facilities at the working hubs proposed under the initiative. Deputy Whitmore said: “Working hubs with high-speed broadband form a central plank of the Government’s plan to re-energise rural communities and make it viable for people to work […]