News

Fine Gael’s piecemeal Budget punishes the most vulnerable in our communities and fails to address critical issues facing the country, the Social Democrats said today. Co-leaders Róisín Shortall TD and Catherine Murphy said: “The country is beset with problems, from the housing and homelessness emergency to the year-round trolley crisis in health, the dearth of […]

Ahead of tonight’s Dublin City Councillors’ vote on plans to privatise the redevelopment O’Devaney Gardens, Social Democrats Councillors have restated the party’s opposition to the current proposals which will not deliver homes at affordable prices. The SocDems’ five Dublin City Councillors are opposed to Council management’s current plans to privatise the redevelopment of O’Devaney Gardens […]

The Social Democrats today published a Budget2020 document which has prioritised key domestic issues which the party says must be tackled regardless of the current or future Brexit situation. SocDems Budget2020 priorities are: • Freeze Rents Nationwide • End Home-Care Waiting Lists • A National Home Retrofit Programme • Better Funding for Disability Services • […]

The Social Democrats will contest the upcoming by-elections in the constituencies of Cork North Central, Dublin Fingal and Dublin Mid-West The party will tonight hold the first of three conventions, when Sinéad Halpin will be selected as its candidate for Cork North Central. The other two Dáil candidates are Tracey Carey for Dublin Fingal and […]

The Social Democrats described today’s latest Brexit sop by Boris Johnson as a cynical and self-serving exercise which shows a complete disregard for the Good Friday Agreement and a lack of understanding or care for the delicate balance of the peace process. Party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “These last-minute proposals put forward today by […]

The Social Democrats today committed to a national Youth Homeless Strategy to make sure that young people are no longer left behind in the homeless crisis. The party’s political director and by-election candidate for Dublin Mid-West, Anne-Marie McNally said: “Young people are being severely impacted by the appalling homeless crisis with the number of homeless […]

It is an affront to our very values that we have a situation where so many children and families do not have a place to call home, but are instead living in hotels, B&Bs and so-called family hubs. Commenting on the latest homelessness figures, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said: “For the seventh month […]

“We know first-hand from working parents and guardians that they were impatient for the extended parental leave which we introduced in our Parental Leave Act, which took effect this month.” The Social Democrats today renewed calls for a national conversation on greater availability of a four-day working week along with government supports to get going […]

“Enough is enough. Today’s ESRI Report is yet another stark warning that the rental sector is out of control and so many families who are forced to rely on the sector as their only housing option are increasingly at risk of losing their homes. The Social Democrats by-election candidate for Dublin Mid-West, Anne-Marie McNally, has […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has slammed the Government for its failure to publish a new anti-poverty strategy. Deputy Shortall said: “The last anti-poverty strategy ran out at the end of 2017. It was a major failing of the Government and of the Department that there was no new strategy ready to replace it. […]