News

The Social Democrats have welcomed the passage tonight through the Dáil of our Bill to extend unpaid parental leave for working parents. The Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 allows parents to take a total of six months (26 weeks) unpaid leave from their jobs without their employment rights being affected. This is an increase on […]

Social Democrats from across the Fingal County Council area have today demanded that the next mayor of the county ends the outright ban on political meetings in community centres. Under current Fingal County Council policy, community centres may not be used for political meetings. The outgoing mayor, Labour’s Cllr Mary McCamley shut down a debate […]

Social Democrats Co-Leader Catherine Murphy has called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to extend an official State invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Leilani Farha. Ms Farha visited Ireland this week on an academic visit rather than an official State visit. She explained that without being here in an official capacity she is […]

Speaking on foot of the publication on the Progress Report of the Scally Inquiry, co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD has expressed her disappointment with the slow progress of the report and the delays experienced by many of the women affected by the scandal when seeking their medical records. “The most significant finding […]

A Social Democrats’ private members bill to increase to six months the amount of unpaid parental leave available to working parents goes to final stage in the Dáil tomorrow, Wednesday 13th June. The Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 aims to help working families enjoy better work-life balance by permitting parents to spend more time caring […]

Social Democrats’ Councillor Cian O’Callaghan has said the dangerous use of quads and scramblers by teenagers and children has been allowed to reach epidemic levels. Speaking after a man was seriously injured when he was struck by a scrambler bike in Darndale Park at the weekend, the Dublin Bay North councillor said: “The misuse of […]

Commenting on the report of the Fire Safety Task Force, Social Democrats Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said today: “The report of the Fire Safety Task Force Fire Safety in Ireland, published a year after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, fails to examine the extensive problem of structural fire safety defects in Celtic Tiger era developments. […]

Social Democrats spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change Councillor Cian O’Callaghan has said proposed reductions in the Public Service Obligation Levy (PSO), made today by the Energy Regulator, should be passed onto customers. Under the proposed new rate for 2018/2019 the PSO on electricity bills would reduce by 45% and would mean decreases of about […]

Commenting on today’s conviction of the former Anglo-Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm on fraud charges, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD has said lessons must be learned for future white-collar crime prosecutions. Deputy Murphy said: “Ten years on from the 2008 banking collapse that cost the country its economic sovereignty, the fact that a […]

In the wake of the liquidation of Sammon construction, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD has demanded that Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton prioritise the completion of the Maynooth Post Primary Schools projects. Catherine Murphy, Kildare North TD said: “It is absolutely vital that any delays to the Maynooth Post Primary project are kept to an absolute minimum. This critically important project for Maynooth and North Kildare cannot […]