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Social Democrats TD and spokesperson for Social Protection, Gary Gannon, has criticised the further suspension of an employee’s legal entitlement to claim redundancy if they have been laid-off or put on reduced hours for a set number of weeks. Deputy Gannon said: “This decision is a worrying erosion of statutory redundancy rights. Under the Redundancy […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has expressed surprise that there are no measures contained in the Government’s announcement on Phase 4 to address the fact that 90% of people travelling into Ireland are from non-green list countries. Deputy Shortall said: “This worrying figure will almost certainly rise now that five countries have […]

Róisín Shortall, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has paid tribute to John Hume, who passed away earlier today. Deputy Shortall said: “John Hume’s contribution to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland will be his enduring legacy. He will be remembered as a humanitarian, civil rights champion, risk taker and key architect of the […]

Figures for passenger numbers coming into Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports by country of origin released to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD show the scale of the problem which the Government has ignored for too long. Catherine Murphy said: “The numbers of people coming in from countries that are not on green lists in […]

Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson and Dublin Bay North TD, Cian O’Callaghan, has expressed concern at the latest homelessness figures. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “The latest figures show that 8,699 people are homeless. Despite an increase in the availability of properties due to Covid-19 and the emergency ban on evictions, the overall homeless numbers have fallen by […]

Róisín Shortall TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Health, has called on the Government to immediately act on the recommendations contained in the Interim Report on Covid-19 in Nursing Homes, which was published today. Deputy Shortall said: “This report highlights the glaring gaps in the system which led to so many deaths of people in our […]

Reacting to today’s Supreme Court decision to quash the Government’s 2017 National Mitigation Plan, Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson on Climate, said: “This decision should serve as a wake-up call for the Government. We need to act decisively and urgently to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and this means frontloading measures that will see […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, said today that concerns expressed by the Data Protection Commission about social welfare checks at ports and airports will require a full and detailed response from the Taoiseach. Deputy Shortall said: “In the Dáil this week, I challenged the Taoiseach to state the specific legal basis under […]

Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson, Cian O’Callaghan TD, will tell the Dáil today that frontline workers deserve the same protections as other tenants. Deputy O’Callaghan said: “I’ve tabled an amendment to the Government’s Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020 that, if passed, will ensure that all tenants, including frontline workers, receive the same level of protection. […]

Social Democrats TD for Cork South West, Holly Cairns, says that supports for the tourism and hospitality sectors in the July stimulus package fall far short of what is required. Holly said: “I believe there is a need for further practical supports and increased grants for the tourism sector in the July stimulus. Clearly there […]