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Social Democrats spokesperson on housing quality and building standards Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said: “The failure of Dublin City Council and other local Councils to enforce minimum standards in the private rental sector as exposed in last night’s RTÉ Prime Time should come as no surprise. Local authorities have a very poor track record when it […]

Anne-Marie McNally, the Political Director of the Social Democrats, has expressed concern at the connection of Independent News and Media to a major public event on freedom of speech and the conflicts between journalism and the law. Ms McNally questioned the professional judgement of both Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University in choosing to partner […]

Serious questions remain in relation to the financial management of banks in light of the tracker mortgage scandal, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said today. Deputy Murphy said: “It is important to look at the tracker mortgage issue from a financial management point of view. AIB would have launched its IPO in June this […]

Rents in Dublin are so shockingly high that many working people are denying themselves basics so they can meet their monthly payments, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said today. Deputy Murphy was commenting on new figures from estate agent Sherry FitzGerald which show that renters in Dublin are spending up to 55 per cent […]

Róisín Shortall TD, the co-leader of the Social Democrats has called on the government to prioritise the introduction of anti-HIV drugs as new figures show the rates of HIV infection continue to rise at alarming levels. Deputy Shortall said: “According to figures from the HSE, there were 508 new cases of HIV in Ireland last […]

Fianna Fáil has been accused of rank hypocrisy on the issue of pension inequality by Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD over their refusal to back a vote that would have curtailed bumper pensions for Ministers and senior civil servants in order to restore pensions to people who lost out in changes introduced in 2012. […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD today urged the Government and Central Bank to call in the Gardaí to investigate the conduct of bankers in the overcharging of tracker mortgages. Speaking today, Deputy Murphy said: “This seems to me nothing short of thievery. In any other such circumstances you would expect the Gardaí to be […]

Following the recent announcement by the government that it intends to hold a plebiscite on Directly Elected Mayors for cities, Social Democrats Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said: “I’m a strong supporter of a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin – I was the only councillor in Fingal County Council to speak in favour of this proposal when […]

The Government has been accused of double standards by Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD over its refusal to reverse the unfair 2012 cuts affecting state pensions for women. Speaking ahead of a Dáil debate tonight, Deputy Shortall said: “The changes to state pension introduced in 2012 have resulted in an estimated 36,000 people, mainly […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy has today urged Government to accept an amendment tabled by her to the Water Bill 2017. The amendment seeks to make Irish Water answerable to the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding its finances. Deputy Murphy has received a reply to a parliamentary question which indicates that a subvention of €753 […]

Any group set up to examine the impact of separating private practice from the public hospital system must be fully independent and free from conflicts of interest, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD cautioned today. Deputy Shortall was speaking as the Cabinet meets in Cork to discuss the Sláintecare blueprint for a reformed public health […]

The Social Democrats have accused the Finance Minister of crying crocodile tears while failing to address punitive rules that mean tens of thousands of women are losing out on pensions payments. The party’s joint leader Róisín Shortall TD said today: “The Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has admitted it is ‘bonkers and unbelievable’ that women […]

There is little or no tax benefit from Budget 2018 for 1.5 million income earners on less than €35,000, the joint leader of the Social Democrats Róisín Shortall TD said today. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Shortall said: “Yesterday’s budget represented a scatter gun approach to the country’s finances. It lacked any kind of vision […]

Budget 2018 falls very far short of what is needed to implement the Sláintecare health reform plan, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Speaking immediately after the Budget was announced, Deputy Shortall said: “For the first time in history, the government had in front of it a fully costed plan for health reform […]