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The Government has squandered a valuable opportunity to eliminate childhood poverty in Ireland by voting down a Social Democrats’ Private Members’ Motion tonight, according to Jennifer Whitmore TD, the party’s spokesperson for Children. Deputy Whitmore said: “The Government’s counter motion which was passed this evening is essentially a charter for guaranteeing that a certain number […]

Catherine Murphy TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has welcomed the establishment of a Commission on the Future of the Media but called for its terms of reference to be widened to include defamation law reform and the impact of social media on advertising revenues in the sector. Deputy Murphy said: “This commission is welcome […]

The Government’s approach to the calculated grades system has been marked by a lack of transparency and last-minute decisions which has only added to the uncertainty and stress of students this year. That’s according to Holly Cairns TD, Social Democrats Spokesperson for Further and Higher Education. Holly said: “The Minister has informed us today that […]

Gary Gannon TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson for Education, has demanded an explanation as to why the Government took a full week to confirm that two errors had been identified in the Leaving Certificate predicted grades marking system. Deputy Gannon said: “Today’s scandalous development has needlessly added to the stress levels of this year’s Leaving […]

Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, Jennifer Whitmore, today proposed the Social Democrats’ Dáil motion calling for the eradication of child poverty in the lifetime of this Dáil, in contrast to previous Government targets which sought to merely reduce numbers. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, has responded to the Government’s counter motion, […]

The Social Democrats will bring a Private Members’ Motion before the Dáil tomorrow, Wednesday, September 30, calling on the Government to set an ambitious target for the elimination of consistent child poverty in Ireland by 2025. Jennifer Whitmore TD, the party’s spokesperson for Children, said: “Our motion calls on the Government to firmly state that […]

Speaking after the announcement that Fine Gael Senator Michael D’Arcy has resigned from the Seanad to lead a lobby group for financial investment companies, Social Democrats TD and co-leader Róisín Shortall commented: “Michael D’Arcy’s appointment appears to be a clear violation of the Standards in Public Office legislation, and the public deserves an immediate answer […]

Commenting on figures released today, Social Democrats spokesperson on Housing, Cian O’Callaghan TD, said: “The latest figures released by the Department of Housing show that the number of people becoming homeless and living in emergency accommodation remains high. During August, the numbers of adults living in emergency accommodation for homeless people increased marginally while the […]

Holly Cairns TD, Social Democrats spokesperson for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has called on the Government to legislate on necessary reforms needed for the Fair Deal scheme to ensure it works for farmers and small business owners. Holly said: “In the financial assessment for the scheme, the value of farm assets is taken into […]

Reacting to today’s publication of the HSE Winter Plan, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, said that while the level of investment is significant, the recruitment of staff will be critical to get additional services up and running. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson on Health, said: “The investment of €600m and […]

Holly Cairns TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Agriculture, said that today’s revelations that workers in a meat plant were charged for personal protection equipment (PPE) further highlights the need for a taskforce for the sector. Holly said: “Today we learned that one of the country’s largest chicken processors is not only charging staff for PPE, […]

Social Democrats Brexit spokesperson, Cian O’Callaghan TD, said it is worrying that the UK Government is seeking to put the blame for severe delays and tailbacks at ports from next January onwards on the shoulders of UK businesses. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “This blame game is deeply unhelpful and irresponsible. We need leadership from political leaders […]

Cork South-West TD for the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns, is continuing to put pressure on the Government to have Covid-19 restrictions lifted in maternity hospitals. Holly, who has been one of the most prominent voices in highlighting the issue, said: “It is important that we continue to raise awareness of the mental toll that these […]

A cross-party leaders’ forum should be established by the Government to build consensus on a strategy for controlling and managing Covid-19 outbreaks, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, told the Dáil today. Deputy Shortall said: “Issues such as cutting the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or extending protections for tenants are political issues – but […]