News

Fundamentally, this government cannot be trusted The government’s u-turn on cuckoo funds is brazen and downright dishonest, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “We are in the midst of a housing crisis that is causing untold misery all over this country. The Taoiseach has acknowledged this. He said housing is the “number 1 crisis […]

Affordability must be linked to income and ability to pay The absence of a definition of affordability is a major gap in the Affordable Housing Bill, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “It is remarkable that the Government’s Affordable Housing Bill has come to the Dáil this week without even a basic definition […]

People struggling to secure an affordable home deserve better than this half-baked Bill Serious questions must be asked about why the Government is ramming the Affordable Housing Bill through the Dáil this week, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Affordable Housing Bill is being rammed through the Dáil at breakneck speed. You […]

Renters are in total despair about their living situation Nearly 45pc of households in Dublin Bay South are in private rental accommodation – and have been utterly abandoned by successive governments, according to Social Democrats by-election candidate Sarah Durcan. Ms Durcan was commenting as she launched the Social Democrats’ Renters’ Charter, outlining reforms that are […]

We are now facing a fourth wave of Covid-19 and lessons must be learned from the previous three There must be a full public inquiry into what happened in our nursing homes during the pandemic, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. Deputy Shortall was responding to an RTE Investigates programme on care in nursing […]

Linking rents to inflation is a policy for another era The Government plan to link rent increases to the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices will see rents continue to rise by about 2pc per year, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Government’s plan to link rent increases to inflation is coming […]

We urgently need clarity on Nphet’s figures and their projections The government’s plans to reopen the country are unworkable, unenforceable and raise serious legal and ethical issues, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “In his address today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the government wanted to reopen the country in a “sensible” and “balanced” […]

Clarity on the PUP can be provided in advance of Nphet meeting and providing its public health advice. The government urgently needs to clarify whether it intends to extend the cut-off date for new applicants to the PUP, according to Social Democrats Social Protection Spokesperson Gary Gannon. “The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will close to new […]

Government housing policy prioritises the interests of private developers and private profit The Department of Housing has confirmed it is undertaking a review of its long-term leasing policy and targets, according to Social Democrats Councillor Aidan Farrelly. In January, on foot of a motion from Cllr Farrelly, Kildare County Council wrote to Housing Minister Darragh […]

Ordinary buyers cannot compete with investors who have millions or even billions to spend The asking price of a four-bed semi in Rathmines increasing by nearly 80pc in a week suggests sky-high rents are now distorting the entire housing market, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “This house in Rathmines – which will […]