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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 […]