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There are now more than 671,000 people living in poverty – over 188,000 of them children The sharp rise in the number of people living in poverty in Ireland highlights the increasing level of income inequality in this country, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. The at risk of poverty rate, as measured by […]

Scarring effects of living in persistent poverty as a child can be lifelong The Government must immediately outline how it intends to end the scandal of child poverty in Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, made her comments to mark the […]

Government is clearly not serious about ending child poverty  The Qualified Child Increase of €2 announced in yesterday’s budget has been described as shamefully inadequate by Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Social Protection, said: “This miserly increase is an insult to vulnerable families and proves that this […]

Immediate clarity needed from Minister on several issues There are significant ambiguities in the Government’s pension proposal that need to be addressed, according to Social Democrats Social Protection spokesperson Gary Gannon. “I welcome the introduction of flexibility in the pension system – with workers being given the option of retiring at 66 or up to […]

There can be no going back to old working practises The government must introduce legislation that gives workers a legal right to work remotely – not merely the right to request flexible working arrangements, according to Social Democrats Enterprise Spokesperson Catherine Murphy. “The pandemic has been hugely difficult for people right across society – but […]

We don’t need an independent inquiry to tell us this practice is abhorrent The Defence Minister must immediately act to amend the law so that victims of rape or sexual assault in the defence forces can no longer by cross-examined by their abusers, according to Social Democrats Defence Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The harrowing revelations of […]

The government must outline how it will remove barriers faced by people with disabilities  The stark findings of a new ESRI report on the employment prospects of people with disabilities are shocking but not surprising, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns, who sits on the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, said: “The […]

This decision is a huge blow to the delivery of safe cycling infrastructure in the South city Dublin City Council should appeal the High Court decision on the Strand Road cycle lane, according to Social Democrats councillors on Dublin City Council. Councillor Catherine Stocker said: “This decision is a huge blow to the delivery of […]

Serious questions must now be asked about the  real intent driving these changes The government’s last-minute amendments to the Climate Action Bill have compromised the legislation, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. On Friday, the government introduced a series of amendments to the Bill in the Seanad which will be voted on in […]

Clarity on the PUP can be provided in advance of Nphet meeting and providing its public health advice. The government urgently needs to clarify whether it intends to extend the cut-off date for new applicants to the PUP, according to Social Democrats Social Protection Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will close to new […]

The range of problems facing the industry have now become a perfect storm, threatening its future viability The fishing industry is facing its biggest ever crisis, according to Social Democrats Agriculture Spokesperson Holly Cairns. “Today’s flotilla of 50 trawlers in Cork is a visual representation of the extent of the frustration felt by the fishing […]

Parents are given more choices when it comes to childcare under budget proposals put forward today by the Social Democrats, the party’s spokesperson on Children, Cllr Jennifer Whitmore, has said. The party’s Alternative Budget 2018 includes a new Early Years Payment as well as a new 13-week long paid parental leave entitlement. Speaking today as […]

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has raised strong concerns about the confidentiality and safety of citizens’ data held on Public Services Cards, which are currently required by a private US company which operates driver theory tests in Ireland. Deputy Shortall said: “The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty […]