ESRI analysis of budget highlights Government’s failure to tackle poverty

An analysis of Budget 2025 by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) provides further evidence that the Government have prioritised electoral gain over lifting vulnerable groups out of poverty, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Despite the headline grabbing short-term measures announced on Tuesday, the ESRI has warned that poverty among the […]

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Budget 2025 is a giveaway on steroids

Today’s budget is a giveaway on steroids that is bad for the public and bad for the State, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Budget 2025 has just one overriding purpose – self-preservation of the Government parties. “It bears all the hallmarks of a Bertie Budget – hardly surprising when you consider that […]

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Social Democrats launch Alternative Budget 2025

The Social Democrats have launched their Alternative Budget 2025 – titled ‘Building Services, Building Communities’ – which focuses on investment in public services to drive down the cost of living, targets support at those who need it most and prioritises children and families. Investing in affordable housing; creating a public model of childcare; increasing parent’s […]

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Confidential report into National Children’s Hospital shifts the spotlight back to Minister and HSE

The Minister for Health must immediately clarify if and when he became aware of a confidential report, which raises serious questions about the HSE’s readiness to commission and operate the National Children’s Hospital, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “While the Minister has been extremely keen to foist all the blame on developer […]

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Government must accept blame for Children’s Hospital omnishambles

The fingerprints of three health ministers, and two Taoisigh, are all over this disaster – Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris and Stephen Donnelly The government is attempting to foist all blame for the ongoing fiasco with the National Children’s Hospital on developer BAM in an effort to evade responsibility for successive government’s mishandling of this critical […]

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Govt defended corporate interests not public interest when it fought Apple tax decision

This government must now explain to the people why it has spent eight years fighting this case The government defended corporate interests instead of the public interest when it fought the €13 billion tax judgment, according to Social Democrats Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “I welcome today’s judgment of the European Court of Justice, which has […]

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Increase In Child Deprivation is Shocking and Shameful

It is an indictment of this government that the number of children experiencing material deprivation has increased by nearly 15 percent at a time when budget coffers are overflowing, according to Social Democrats Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “This government pay lip service to addressing child poverty – but that is all. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar […]

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Increased expenditure in Budget 2025 will be undermined by lack of future workforce planning

The €6.9bn in additional expenditure outlined in today’s Summer Economic Statement must be underpinned by proper workforce planning for future needs, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Problems highlighted in the Summer Economic Statement are mostly the result of consistent failures by Government to invest in critical infrastructure and lack of planning for […]

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