News

Today’s announcement by the Government of an additional three weeks paid parental leave can only be described as a cynical move by Government designed to give the impression of supporting parents, whilst in fact parents are being short-changed, said SocDems spokesperson for Children, Jennifer Whitmore TD. Whitmore said: “A key commitment given in the 2019 […]

All 18 Social Democrats Councillors have jointly signed a letter to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, urging him to provide clarity on the financial security of local authorities in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The party’s Councillors are calling on Minister O’Brien to prioritise support for local government […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has expressed grave concerns at the Government’s delay in publishing a green list of countries that are deemed safe or low-risk. Speaking earlier today, Deputy Shortall said we now have “the worst of both worlds” when it comes to the serious risk posed by tourists travelling into Ireland from countries […]

Holly Cairns TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson for Agriculture and the Marine, has called for a task force to review the meat processing industry. After hearing from representatives of the Migrants’ Rights Centre and Meat Industry Ireland, Deputy Cairns believes that the levels of uncertainty around the Covid clusters in some plants and concerns for […]

Last year more than 4,300 people were hospitalised with the seasonal flu in Ireland – more than the total number hospitalised so far with Covid-19. Speaking in today’s Dáil, Róisín Shortall, TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats, called on Government to secure additional supply of the flu vaccine to counteract a surge of flu […]

The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Catherine Murphy TD, today called on the Taoiseach to outline how prepared the Government was to deal with a second wave of Covid-19, should it occur, in the nursing home sector. Speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions, Deputy Murphy said: “We now know from the numbers of clusters […]

Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore has today offered her support to a group of mothers who formed the Extend Maternity Campaign and who are calling for the extension of Maternity Leave and pay by three months. Deputy Whitmore met with campaigners and members of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) outside Leinster […]

Despite Government advice to wear face masks in public spaces, compliance is still very low. Face masks should be a requirement in high risk spaces to protect public health as the economy reopens, according to Róisín Shortall, TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats. Speaking on the matter, Deputy Shortall said, “The Government needs to […]

Holly Cairns, Social Democrats spokesperson for Rural and Community Development, has written to new Ministers to highlight the importance of rural broadband. The Covid-19 emergency has exacerbated the extensive issues with internet connectivity for businesses and community in rural areas. Holly said: “Every week I get several calls and messages about the poor or non-existent […]

The Irish Government needs to take immediate action on foreign travel to prioritise public health and provide clarity to the public, according to Róisín Shortall TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats. Deputy Shortall commented, “The EU yesterday announced a green list of countries that it considers safe for non-essential travel, which excludes Ireland. “There […]

The Social Democrats have tonight welcomed the election of their Councillor, Mary Callaghan, to the role of Deputy Lord Mayor. Callaghan, a Finglas native herself, ran for the first time in the 2019 Local Elections and was elected to represent the Ballymun/Finglas Ward. A former computer programmer, Mary has worked both in Ireland and abroad […]

Social Democrats co-leader has described today’s newly formed government as a retrograde step and accused Fianna Fáil of forgoing the opportunity to break with the past and choosing instead to maintain the old guard of Irish politics.  She said people had voted for permanent change and certainly didn’t expect to find themselves with a grand coalition […]

Speaking on the nomination of Michéal Martin as Taoiseach at today’s Dáil sitting in Dublin’s Convention Centre, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said that today’s vote is not a vote about an individual but rather a vote on a Programme for Government for the next five years. She said that while commentators had a lot […]

Social Democrats Spokesperson on Energy, Jenifer Whitmore TD, has said today’s announcement by the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) that the moratorium on disconnections will cease on June 29th  and that the provision of emergency credit to Pay As You Go Customers will revert to €10 from the current €100, is premature and will cause […]