News

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has spoken out strongly against the news today that the Beacon Hospital gave 20 surplus vaccines to teachers in a nearby private school. She said: “What happened this week at the Beacon is completely unacceptable. The hospital ignored the sequencing protocol in favour of passing on the surplus vaccines […]

Commenting on figures released today by the Department of Housing, Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has called for immediate action to reduce the numbers of people becoming homeless. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s Housing spokesperson, said: “The figures released today by the Department of Housing show that at the end of February there were […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore believes that Ireland should follow New Zealand’s example by providing paid leave for women who suffer miscarriages. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, was speaking during the Family Leave Bill in the Dáil today where she acknowledged New Zealand’s introduction of a bereavement payment to women who […]

Responding to the RTÉ Investigates report that revealed the Department of Health had gathered sensitive and confidential information about families taking cases against it, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has called for the Secretary General and the Health Minister to appear before the Health Committee and Dáil respectively to answer questions. Deputy Shortall commented: […]

– Government needs to ramp up investment for paid parental leave and streamline legislation to make it family-friendly, says Jennifer Whitmore TD Speaking on the Family Leave Bill in the Dáil today, Social Democrats spokesperson for Children, Jennifer Whitmore, said: “While I welcome the extension of paid parental leave to five weeks, the Government needs […]

Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil today, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said: “Time and again we have seen that the market cannot be relied upon to deliver housing people can afford. “Long-term leasing effectively means that the State is paying a developer’s mortgage on a property by entering into a 20-25-year arrangement, […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has welcomed the publication of the revised Climate Action Bill but says further safeguards are required in the legislation to ensure the 51% carbon emissions reduction target cannot be watered down. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Climate Action and Biodiversity, said: “While I welcome the inclusion of […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has welcomed the result of the EMA rapid review of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has shown it to be safe and effective. She commented: “It is a welcome reassurance that the EMA has come to a clear and definitive conclusion that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective. “It […]

Social Democrats Housing spokesperson, Cian O’Callaghan TD, said today that it is vitally important that the Minister for Housing listens to the warnings from the Central Bank about his proposed shared equity loan scheme. Deputy O’Callaghan commented: “The last time a government ignored warnings about over-heating house prices, it resulted in thousands of families being […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has welcomed the potential establishment of a Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) sector. The recommendation follows an eight-week pre-JLC consultation process initiated by the Minister for Children in partnership with SIPTU and CSI/Ibec, which was independently chaired by Dr Kevin […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on the Government to draw up an urgent plan to tackle the problem of illegal gorse fires around the country. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Climate Action and Biodiversity, outlined the destructive impact that these fires have on the environment and […]

The Government’s social housing statistics demonstrate an increased reliance on long-term leasing arrangements across the country, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson for Housing, has criticised this practice for being expensive and turning social housing into a profit-making exercise for private investors. He said: “Long-term leasing sees […]

Significant State investment in childcare and early education will be required to prevent a post-Covid crisis in the sector, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, was responding to concerns that childcare providers will face new challenges when restrictions are relaxed and the economy opens up […]

People who were illegally adopted in Ireland should not need legislation to allow them full access to their birth records and information, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Speaking in the Dáil today in support of the Civil Registration (Right of Adoptees to Information) (Amendment) Bill 2021, Deputy Cairns said: “As we saw in […]