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Why is there such an unseemly rush to push this deal through cabinet?  The cabinet must not sign off on the national maternity hospital deal tomorrow when a number of significant questions remain unanswered, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “The legal documents underpinning the State’s biggest ever investment in women’s healthcare were […]

There are just 64 properties to rent in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities combined – but 225 on Airbnb in Galway city alone Double digit increases in rent, and an unprecedented 77pc collapse in rental supply, are further indictments of the government’s handling of the housing crisis, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian […]

There have now been a number of high profile resignations during Health Minster Stephen Donnelly’s tenure in office It is a huge loss to the public service that the two people who chiefly led the public health response to the pandemic have now resigned, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Outgoing deputy chief […]

Why is the ambition of this government, when it comes to housing, so pathetically weak? The Housing Minister’s plan to bail out developers out to the tune of €120,000 per apartment, without securing any reduction in the cost of those apartments, is perhaps his most inane policy yet, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian […]

We are still awaiting the government’s updated policy statement on data centres – which has not been revised since 2018 The surge in energy consumption by data centres underscores the government’s ‘see-no-evil, hear-no-evil’ approach to the climate emergency, according to Social Democrats Energy Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “The country has been convulsed in recent weeks by […]

There is a crisis of decreasing rates of home ownership in this country which this government has failed to address The Housing Minister must confirm whether it is government policy that more than 80pc of residential development in Dublin City should be build-to-rent, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The proportion of build-to-rent […]

We have seen, with the reported imminent overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States, that rights, once secured, must continue to be fought and advocated for The government cannot sign off on the proposed new national maternity hospital deal while its terms are still shrouded in mystery, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson […]

Just 175 social homes were built by the four Dublin local authorities last year It is a shocking indictment of the government’s failed housing policy that child homelessness has increased by 30pc in the past year, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “Figures released by the Department of Housing today show that homelessness […]

The women of Ireland deserve better than the Minister doing a grubby backroom deal in secret Health Minister Stephen Donnelly must come before the Oireachtas Health Committee to answer questions about the proposed relocation of the national maternity hospital to St Vincent’s campus – before he signs off on the deal, according to Social Democrats […]

Renters in Dublin today will pay €12,000 more in rent per annum than they did in 2011 Average rental costs for new tenancies in Dublin are now more than the annual income of those on the minimum wage, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “According to the latest report from the Residential Tenancies […]

There is a real and genuine public concern that the government will be on the wrong side of history when it comes to the national maternity hospital  Health Minister Stephen Donnelly must publish the legal framework for the new national maternity hospital and bring it before the Dáil before it is signed off by cabinet, […]

It is not acceptable that children can be taught relationships should be placed in a hierarchy, depending on sexual orientation The refusal of a school in Wicklow to include LGBTQI+ relationships in its Relationships and Sexuality Education is an indictment of the government’s failure to reform the curriculum, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary […]

Nobody, in Ireland today, should be targeted because of their sexual orientation Garda confirmation that it is investigating a hate motive in relation to two brutal murders in Sligo marks a dark week for the LGBTQI+ community in Ireland, according to Social Democrats Social Justice spokesperson Holly Cairns. “The horrific murders of Aidan Moffitt and […]

The cost of living crisis is not impacting everyone equally The government has again failed to sufficiently target its cost-of-living measures to low and middle-income households, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “In recent weeks, the Central Bank, the St Vincent de Paul, the ESRI and even the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight […]