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Today’s budget will be met with bitter disappointment by parents due to the absence of measures to bring down the cost of childcare, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly, who is the party’s spokesperson on children, said: “Despite Tánaiste Simon Harris expressing support for a public model of childcare before last year’s […]

The government has splashed the cash to the tune of half a billion euro in order to provide tax cuts for multi-millionaire investor funds and developers, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne. Deputy Heane said: “Those in need of affordable homes – renters, generations stuck in their childhood bedrooms, and working families – […]

Budget 2026 will be remembered for prioritising big developers and fast-food chains over the needs of struggling households, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “This is a budget characterised by bad choices and missed opportunities. It paints a picture of a government firmly on the side of vested interests rather […]

It’s concerning that the Environment Minister has not provided details of his meeting with energy companies a week on, according to Social Democrats environment spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: “With great fanfare, it was announced that Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien would be meeting with energy providers to discuss the cost of gas and electricity […]

The government must act on the recommendations of a new report which found that using more standardised housing designs and modern methods of construction could slash homebuilding costs by up to an eighth, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said: “The conclusions of this study, commissioned […]

Budget 2026 must strike a balance between protecting our economic security, dealing with the long-term challenges we face as a society, and providing targeted support to hard-pressed households, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. Speaking at today’s launch of ‘Better Services, Stronger Communities – Alternative Budget 2026’, Deputy Cairns said: “When we launched our […]

The Dáil will debate a Social Democrats’ motion on Wednesday (October 1) calling for the abolition of the means test for Carer’s Allowance in next week’s Budget. Liam Quaide TD, who is the party’ spokesperson on social protection, said: “Pre-budget kite-flying by the government over the weekend suggests there will be modest increases in income […]

Next month’s budget must include targeted measures to tackle deeply concerning child poverty levels, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly. Deputy Farrelly, who is the party’s spokesperson on children, said: “New research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) shows that more than 225,000 children are now subject to income poverty, when housing […]