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The government is failing to recognise the scale of problems within An Garda Síochána, which call for exceptional measures including an entirely new senior management team, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall said: “The government’s response to the resignation of the Garda Commissioner and their hands-off response to mounting problems within […]

The Social Democrats have welcomed today’s announcement by the Garda Commissioner that she is retiring – but stress that it must be the first step in robust efforts to rebuild internal morale and public confidence in the force. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “The departure of the Garda Commissioner must be the start […]

Speaking this morning, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD called for “the principle of recovery to be put at the centre of drug treatment services.” Addressing the inaugural International Recovery Conference in Trinity College Dublin, Deputy Shortall outlined the value of moving beyond harm reduction and towards an approach that supports long term recovery from […]

The latest revelations of falsified Garda breath test figures are indicative of a force in crisis with deep and pervasive cultural problems that cannot be addressed without management changes, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall said: “The emergence today of an additional half a million falsified Garda breath tests shows that […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy has reiterated the party’s belief that water refunds should be paid net of the conservation grant.  According to the Social Democrats the number of people who would have paid the water charge and not claimed the conservation grant is minimal and therefore it would be very easy to deal with […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has said that the disgracefully high number of patients on hospital trolleys can only be tackled once and for all with the wholesale overhaul of our health system as set out in the Sláintecare reform plan. Deputy Shortall said: “The summer is barely over and already we have record […]

The Department of Education has responded to fire safety concerns in five primary schools at a snail’s pace – putting children and teachers at unnecessary risk, Social Democrats Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said today. Cllr O’Callaghan was commenting after the Department revealed that fire safety audits it commissioned found breaches of standards at five recently-built primary […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has called on the Minister for Health to provide assurances about the independent clinical governance of the new National Maternity Hospital. Deputy Shortall said: “It is reassuring to learn that the Department of Health is close to finalising an agreement that means the new hospital building will be owned […]

Opinion by Cllr Dermot Looney: Few of us need reminding of the worrying increase in childhood obesity. According to the body Safefood, one in four Irish children is overweight or obese. An astonishing 80% of children in the Republic do not meet the guidelines of at least one hour of physical activity per day. Last […]

The public will only have confidence in the proposed new system for handling complaints of judicial misconduct if the outcomes of hearings are a matter of public record and the names of reprimanded judges are published, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall said the Social Democrats will table amendments in the […]

[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 […]

A dedicated Housing Delivery Agency is urgently needed to step up the pace of home building, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said today. Deputy Murphy made her comments as homeless campaigners predicted that the number of children in emergency accommodation will double from 3,000 to 6,000 if present trends continue. “It’s a national shame […]

A fire safety report published by the Department of Housing today, arising from a rapid spread of fire in the Millfield Manor housing estate in March 2015, spectacularly fails to address the very serious risks faced in homes with fire safety defects, Social Democrats councillor Cian O’Callaghan said today. Councillor O’Callaghan said: “The publication today by […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD is calling for an open public debate on the National ID card issue, while voicing concerns that a mandatory identity system is being introduced by the back door. Deputy Shortall said: “The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty said today that using a Public Services Card is now mandatory […]