News

An education system that is beholden to the teachings of the Catholic church no longer has a place in a modern, secular society The Government’s programme to divest schools from Catholic church patronage is proceeding too slowly and is simply not working, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s […]

Government must provide realistic alternatives to attending emergency departments The Government’s failure to adequately plan for a winter surge in hospital admissions has resulted in the current crisis in our emergency departments, according to Social Democrats co-leader and Health spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “We have known for some months that there would be an upsurge in […]

Statement in relation to the resignation of Galway City Cllr. Owen Hanley Owen Hanley has resigned from Galway City Council after certain allegations were made on social media in recent days. The Party believes it is appropriate that Mr Hanley has resigned and these allegations are thoroughly investigated. When the Party first learned of allegations, […]

The government’s record is a litany of failure The government’s revised climate action plan is not worth the paper it’s written on unless the targets are actually met, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “Climate change is an existential crisis, but all this government has offered to date as a response is aspiration […]

Latest increase will further erode benefits of owning an electric car  Massive price increases due to come into effect tomorrow for electric vehicle charging points on the public network are a further setback for Ireland’s climate ambitions, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Climate and Biodiversity, said: […]

The Government is good at producing documents and headlines on climate action but falls down badly on delivery The updated Climate Action Plan, due to be published next week, must reflect the new reality that Ireland’s emissions have increased and key carbon reduction targets continue to be missed by the Government, according to Social Democrats […]

Attack on UN convoy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by members of the Defence Forces on peacekeeping missions News of the death of an Irish peacekeeper in Lebanon has caused profound shock and sadness throughout Ireland, according to Social Democrats Defence spokesperson Gary Gannon. “This morning we woke up to the terrible news […]

Parents and families should not have to wait any longer for the protections and security of legal certainty Confirmation that that Government intends to legislate for international surrogacy is hugely welcome, according to Social Democrats Children’s spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who chaired the Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy, said: “I am pleased that the […]

Will the Minister now take on board the Social Democrats’ 11 proposals to deal with recruitment crisis in our schools?  Comments made by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in the Dáil today add another bizarre twist to the Government’s botched response to the teacher recruitment crisis, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “In response to […]

Women in rural areas deserve certainty about their maternity services The HSE’s suspension of its plans to cancel home births in Cork and Kerry is a good first step – but the misguided plans should be permanently abandoned, according to Social Democrats Cork South West TD Holly Cairns. “In August we learned that the HSE […]

Some TDs, who were teachers before their election to the Dáil, are currently on career breaks Plans to cancel career breaks for teachers, in response to the recruitment crisis, show the government are out of ideas and grasping at straws, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon as speaking in advance of […]

The Minister for Education has been sleepwalking through this crisis and has failed to give it the urgency it deserves The Social Democrats will bring a Private Members’ Motion before the Dáil on Wednesday (December 7), calling for a range of measures to address the serious shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools. The […]

Parents and children deserve action, not apologies, from the HSE  Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns has called for urgent action from the HSE after unacceptably long waiting lists for Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) emerged today. Deputy Cairns, who is the party’s spokesperson on Disability, said: “It is a matter of deep concern to learn that […]

People with disabilities have been left waiting almost a decade for mobility support schemes to be replaced The delay in introducing a new personal transport scheme for disabled people has been described as cruel and indefensible by Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns, who is a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability […]