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The millions allocated to greyhound racing in this week’s budget could be put to far better use elsewhere, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, said: “Calls for greyhound racing to be defunded and eventually banned have yet again fallen on deaf ears. It is bitterly […]

The extension of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme is welcome, but Budget 2026 lacks detail, timelines, and confirmation of whether artists with disabilities will be accounted for, according to Social Democrats arts and culture spokesperson Sinéad Gibney. Deputy Gibney said: “I welcome that the Basic Income for the Arts scheme will be extended […]

People with disabilities and their families have been failed by Budget 2026, according to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide. Deputy Quaide, who is the party’s spokesperson on disability, said: “It has long been recognised that having a disability comes with significant additional financial pressures, including the costs of therapies, equipment and transport. Despite repeated calls […]

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 […]