News

The Social Democrats have come out in strong support of school secretaries represented by Fórsa, who will go on strike tomorrow following unsatisfactory negotiations with the Workplace Relations Commission. The current two-tier pay system leaves many school secretaries on unregulated, short-term contracts earning just €12,500 a year, a far cry from their counterparts in ETB […]

Social Democrat co-leader Roisin Shortall TD has accused the Minister for Justice of dragging his heels in the wake of several serious incidents involving scramblers and quad bikes over the Christmas period. These incidents were entirely predictable and will continue unless we see urgent action from the Minister. Deputy Shortall said: “This is a serious […]

In response to the Government’s announcement yesterday of a €1500 average grant to childcare providers, Róisín Shortall TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats has criticised the decision as a stop-gap measure and no substitute for adequately resourcing childcare. Ms Shortall said, “The Government’s tactic of keeping childcare at an arm’s length means most providers […]

Responding to the large Conservative win in yesterday’s UK Elections, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, highlighted the risks for Ireland in not tackling underlying inequality in society and not safeguarding democracy. Róisín Shortall TD said: “The election of a very right-wing Conservative government in the UK heralds a very uncertain future for […]

Speaking in advance of the Social Democrats ‘No Confidence’ motion in the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy TD to be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday evening, 3rd Dec, co-leaders Catherine Murphy TD and Róisin Shortall TD outlined 10 immediate actions a new Housing Minister should undertake. Catherine Murphy TD said: “Our motion on Tuesday evening aims to […]

The Social Democrats will use their private members time next week to bring a motion of no confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD, to the floor of the Dáil. Speaking as they confirmed the motion for next week, Catherine Murphy TD said: “Our housing situation has gone beyond […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) the continued spending of public funds by the Government on works for the proposed new National Maternity Hospital. “It is just reckless to continue to spend public money – €43m to date – on the new National Maternity […]

Róisín Shortall TD, Social Democrats co-leader, today called on the Government to come clean on the position between the Vatican and the State on the New National Maternity hospital, and to halt further spending until ownership is resolved. “Despite commitments given by Minister Harris in the Dáil a year ago, we’re still waiting to see […]

Commenting on today’s ESRI research that shows Budget 2020 will increase poverty rates, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “It was clear from the off that Budget 2020 failed to protect the most vulnerable in our society and as a result is highly regressive. Today’s research by the ESRI think tank confirms that the […]

The Social Democrats support today’s call for new legislation giving workers the right to ‘switch off’ once their working day is over. Party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “All workers have a right to ‘switch off’ once their working day is over. Undoubtedly the ‘always on’ culture of many workplaces contributes to workplace stress. The […]

Fine Gael’s piecemeal Budget punishes the most vulnerable in our communities and fails to address critical issues facing the country, the Social Democrats said today. Co-leaders Róisín Shortall TD and Catherine Murphy said: “The country is beset with problems, from the housing and homelessness emergency to the year-round trolley crisis in health, the dearth of […]

The Social Democrats today published a Budget2020 document which has prioritised key domestic issues which the party says must be tackled regardless of the current or future Brexit situation. SocDems Budget2020 priorities are: • Freeze Rents Nationwide • End Home-Care Waiting Lists • A National Home Retrofit Programme • Better Funding for Disability Services • […]

The Social Democrats described today’s latest Brexit sop by Boris Johnson as a cynical and self-serving exercise which shows a complete disregard for the Good Friday Agreement and a lack of understanding or care for the delicate balance of the peace process. Party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “These last-minute proposals put forward today by […]

“We know first-hand from working parents and guardians that they were impatient for the extended parental leave which we introduced in our Parental Leave Act, which took effect this month.” The Social Democrats today renewed calls for a national conversation on greater availability of a four-day working week along with government supports to get going […]