News

Today’s news that 100 people have now died on Irish roads in 2026 must lead to a ramp-up in action taken by the Government, Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority to make our roads safer, according to Social Democrats Transport spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. “It has become clear that the Department of Transport doesn’t have any […]

The Minister should set up a swap scheme, so families can surrender e-scooters and replace them with pedal bikes The e-scooter free-for-all is resulting in a huge increase in children receiving devastating brain injuries and must be addressed now by this government, according to Social Democrats transport spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “A new […]

The National Transport Authority’s misuse of public money has gotten out of control and must be taken into hand by the Minister for Transport, according to Social Democrats transport spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “Irish taxpayers should not have to bear the brunt of the National Transport Authority’s incompetency, yet it will cost them […]

Government plans to sanction performance-related salary increases for transport bosses, including the CEO of CIE, must be shelved until there is full accountability for the botched handling of Irish Rail’s new traffic management system (TMS), according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly, who is the party’s transport spokesperson, said: “This essential IT project […]

A proactive approach to public transport provision must be taken to tackle the adverse health and economic effects of congestion on our motorways, according to Social Democrats transport spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “The findings of the Centre for Transport Research at Trinity College Dublin’s M50 user survey are grim but not surprising. We […]

Following the recent election of new Social Democrats TD Daniel Ennis in the Dublin Central by-election, Social Democrats party leader Holly Cairns has today announced some changes to spokespeople roles among the parliamentary party. As part of these changes, Deputy Ennis has been appointed the party’s spokesperson on Children, Equality and Sport. Deputy Aidan Farrelly […]

In response to a parliamentary question, the Minister for Children has said there is no plan to conduct a review of Tusla, despite recent reports that the agency is failing to report cases of alleged child abuse to the Gardaí, according to Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “I wrote to the […]

The Minister for Children must commission an independent review of Tusla after it was found that suspected cases of child abuse were not referred to Gardaí for over three months, and in some cases not referred at all, according to Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly said: “How many damning reports is it […]

The latest child poverty figures will be a stain on this Government’s term in office unless meaningful measures are introduced to tackle income inequality, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly, who is the party’s spokesperson on children, said: “The 2026 Child Poverty Monitor, published by the Children’s Rights Alliance, is a shameful […]

The Transport Minister must explain why the replacement of Irish Rail’s IT system is such an omnishambles and who is responsible, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly, who sits on the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, said: “Last month, it was revealed that Irish Rail had written down the value of a new […]