News

Dublin Bay North TD and Social Democrats spokesperson for Housing, Cian O’Callaghan, has said that barriers to accessing emergency accommodation must be removed as homeless figures remain too high. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “The latest figures released by the Department of Housing show that the number of people becoming homeless and living in emergency accommodation remains […]

Cork South West TD Holly Cairns has called on the Government to lead by example by providing suitable facilities for public service workers who are breastfeeding. Holly said: “I have been contacted by some mothers who had recently returned to work in the public service but the only space made available for them to express […]

Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon has called on the Minister for Education to come into the Dáil next week and account for the latest recall of sanitiser products from schools. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Education, said: “Just one week after the ViraPro hand sanitiser brand was recalled from schools due to […]

Social Democrats Councillor for Trim Municipal District, Ronan Moore, has expressed grave concern after the HSE confirmed that hundreds of occupational and speech and language therapists continue to be redeployed for testing and contact tracing, while children needing assessments are being told to wait. In response to a Parliamentary Question from Social Democrats co-leader Róisín […]

Responding to the reports in the Irish Examiner that the government did not follow the Data Protection Commissioner’s (DPC) advice on the Mother and Baby Homes Bill, the Social Democrats spokesperson for children, Jennifer Whitmore TD called on the Minister for Children to immediately publish the advice given to the Department by the DPC. Deputy […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has called on the HSE to issue urgent medical advice after a hand sanitiser product used in schools was recalled due to a potential public health risk. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson for Health, said: “The priority at this point has to be to get […]

Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson for Children, has called on the Government parties to allow a vote of conscience on controversial legislation that would seal the records of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby homes for 30 years. Deputy Whitmore said: “This is a very emotive and sensitive issue. I have spoken […]

Social Democrats Housing spokesperson and Dublin Bay North TD, Cian O’Callaghan, has tabled amendments to the Residential Tenancies Bill 2020 that would see the ban on evictions extended for six months. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “Today, I’m proposing an amendment to the Residential Tenancies Bill 2020 that would extend the ban on evictions for six months. Yo-yoing in and […]

Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Climate Action, said that a report detailing the deliberate killing of hundreds of birds of prey highlights the urgency for the establishment of a Wildlife Crime Unit. Deputy Whitmore said: “The report revealed that the vast majority of Ireland’s birds of prey killed by human attacks or other […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has expressed serious concern at revelations that the Minister for Health only learned of the unfolding crisis with the contact tracing system on Tuesday night. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson on Health, said: “Today’s statement from the Department of Health on the collapse of the testing and tracing […]