News

Chronic underfunding of policing and safety initiatives in Ballymun has exposed children to the horrors of the drug trade, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne, who represents the Ballymun area, said: “Yesterday’s incident in Ballymun happened as a result of safety and drug-related intimidation being left unchallenged in the community by successive […]

The European Commission’s prospective fining of Meta for failing to maintain adequate safeguards for children is welcome, but the source of these issues remain unaddressed, according to Social Democrats enterprise spokesperson Sinéad Gibney. Deputy Gibney said: “The European Commission has found that Meta is doing very little to prevent minors under the age of 13 […]

A new report lays bare Ireland’s dismal record on nature restoration and the failure of successive governments to protect our environment, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s environment spokesperson, said: “The report from the Independent Advisory Committee on Nature Restoration reveals that 90 per cent of our protected […]

People cannot afford to pay for this Government’s haphazard handling of the cost-of-living crisis, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “Figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show there is no end in sight to the skyrocketing cost-of-living crisis. “Prices have risen a further 3.6 per cent in […]

We are now over 400 days past the deadline the Tánaiste set for himself to publish a plan to reduce childcare costs to €200 per month The cost of childcare in Dublin has become so extortionate for families that it amounts to the cost of a second mortgage, according to Social Democrats Dublin Central byelection […]

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice has called on the Minister for Health to introduce a rolling replacement programme for radiation therapy machines. Deputy Rice, who is the party’s health spokesperson, said: “At today’s Health Committee, we heard from the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Society of Radiation Oncology about the indisputable need for a […]

It is madness that the Government refuses to adopt solar energy on a large scale to protect consumers from price shocks in the energy market, according to Social Democrats energy spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: “Wholesale energy prices are up 19% in just a month as war raged in the Middle East, yet the […]

The Taoiseach does not believe that Tusla should be subject to an independent review as he believes it will paralyse the organisation, according to Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “The volume of social workers in Tusla who have gotten in touch and expressed their concern about recently undertaken reforms is a […]

For too long, sexual health services have been treated as little more than an afterthought by the State, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice. Deputy Rice, who is the Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, said: “A new Sexual Health Strategy was published last year, three years after the previous one expired, but […]

The Government is putting AirBnB ahead of renters as short term rental legislation is delayed, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne and Galway West byelection candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich. Deputy Hearne said: “It’s been a year since Enterprise Minister Peter Burke secured Cabinet approval to publish the General Scheme of the new Short […]