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This is devastating blow for the students involved, who have spent thousands of euro on this degree Students in Dublin Business School who have spent significant sums on a degree in Applied Social Care deserve answers about why the course has not been accredited by the regulator, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon. […]

This controversy has again highlighted the toothless nature of the State’s ethics watchdog SIPO Junior Minister Robert Troy must make a comprehensive statement in the Dáil when it returns outlining all of his business interests, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. “The drip feed of information, from Robert Troy, has been deeply unsatisfactory. As […]

This level of denial and myopia at cabinet is deeply concerning Ministers who claim to be “livid” or “astounded” at Ireland’s worsening electricity security crisis have been asleep at the wheel, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The Business Post has reported that ministers are “livid” and “astounded” that Ireland is facing into […]

The blame falls squarely at the feet of a government that rolled out the red carpet for data centres Ordinary consumers should not bear the financial cost of the government’s failure to ensure the country has a sufficient supply of electricity, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The government has been trying to […]

The snail’s pace of decongregation cannot continue A new report from HIQA has highlighted the need to speed up the transfer of people with disabilities from congregated settings, according to Social Democrats Disability Spokesperson Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns was commenting following the publication by HIQA today of an overview of its inspection and regulation of […]

If we ever want to fill the vacancies in our health service, then NCHDs must be treated with respect and dignity at work The Minister for Health has been repeatedly warned that unreliable pay is a serious issue for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) but has failed to act, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín […]

There is no excuse for any further delay The government must commit to introducing a windfall tax on energy companies, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has called on governments around the world to tax the super-profits of energy companies – and use that revenue […]

The lack of urgency is deeply worrying The Minister for Health must clarify when the monkeypox vaccination programme will be rolled out, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Last week, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that a monkeypox vaccination programme, targeted at individuals at high risk, would be rolled out. However, there is […]

We have less than eight years to radically reduce our emissions and the lack of a tangible strategy is deeply worrying The Government’s emissions reduction plan must assist all farmers – not just the big players, says Social Democrats Agriculture spokesperson Holly Cairns. “The Government’s climate action plans must support small family farms in a […]

The Government is clearly not prepared to make the tough decisions required to deal with climate change The agreement of a 25% reduction in carbon emissions for the agricultural sector represents a shocking failure by Government to listen to the science, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The decision to put in place […]

The Government must develop a proper just transition plan for farmers to help them reach their climate targets The Government must ensure there is a just transition and a fair deal for farmers as they face the emission challenges ahead, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “Farmers will play a major role in […]

It’s no wonder farmers are afraid of what this will mean for their families and their businesses – the Government is failing to be honest with them The failure of the Government to come to a decision on sectoral emissions ceilings is doing farming families a disservice, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. […]

While this government excels at climate rhetoric, it fails miserably at climate action Today’s EPA report, which reveals our carbon emissions are going up instead of down, must act as a wakeup call for the government, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “Today’s EPA report confirms that our carbon emissions are going up, […]

It is not that long ago that the Irish public bailed out the banks, to the tune of €60 billion The decision by AIB to remove cash services from 70 branches around the country will disproportionately negatively impact people in rural Ireland and elderly people, according to Social Democrats Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “The decision […]