There are now more than 671,000 people living in poverty – over 188,000 of them children The sharp rise in the number of people living in poverty in Ireland highlights the increasing level of income inequality in this country, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. The at risk of poverty rate, as measured by […]
Read moreScarring effects of living in persistent poverty as a child can be lifelong The Government must immediately outline how it intends to end the scandal of child poverty in Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, made her comments to mark the […]
Read moreGovernment is clearly not serious about ending child poverty The Qualified Child Increase of €2 announced in yesterday’s budget has been described as shamefully inadequate by Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Social Protection, said: “This miserly increase is an insult to vulnerable families and proves that this […]
Read moreImmediate clarity needed from Minister on several issues There are significant ambiguities in the Government’s pension proposal that need to be addressed, according to Social Democrats Social Protection spokesperson Gary Gannon. “I welcome the introduction of flexibility in the pension system – with workers being given the option of retiring at 66 or up to […]
Read moreThere can be no going back to old working practises The government must introduce legislation that gives workers a legal right to work remotely – not merely the right to request flexible working arrangements, according to Social Democrats Enterprise Spokesperson Catherine Murphy. “The pandemic has been hugely difficult for people right across society – but […]
Read moreWe don’t need an independent inquiry to tell us this practice is abhorrent The Defence Minister must immediately act to amend the law so that victims of rape or sexual assault in the defence forces can no longer by cross-examined by their abusers, according to Social Democrats Defence Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The harrowing revelations of […]
Read moreThe government must outline how it will remove barriers faced by people with disabilities The stark findings of a new ESRI report on the employment prospects of people with disabilities are shocking but not surprising, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns, who sits on the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, said: “The […]
Read moreThis decision is a huge blow to the delivery of safe cycling infrastructure in the South city Dublin City Council should appeal the High Court decision on the Strand Road cycle lane, according to Social Democrats councillors on Dublin City Council. Councillor Catherine Stocker said: “This decision is a huge blow to the delivery of […]
Read moreSerious questions must now be asked about the real intent driving these changes The government’s last-minute amendments to the Climate Action Bill have compromised the legislation, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. On Friday, the government introduced a series of amendments to the Bill in the Seanad which will be voted on in […]
Read moreClarity on the PUP can be provided in advance of Nphet meeting and providing its public health advice. The government urgently needs to clarify whether it intends to extend the cut-off date for new applicants to the PUP, according to Social Democrats Social Protection Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will close to new […]
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