Meet Róisín

Róisín Shortall is a co-founder of the Social Democrats and a TD for Dublin North-West.

She has been re-elected at every general election since first winning a Dáil seat in 1992, giving her over 30 years’ experience in national politics.

A former primary school teacher with a degree in Economics and Politics, Róisín has throughout her career been particularly vocal on social justice issues, in all its forms, and good governance.

She is a former Minister of State at the Department of Health and chaired the All-Party Committee on the Future of Healthcare which produced the Sláintecare reform plan for the Irish health service.

Róisín is passionate about accountability and fair distribution of resources.

Healthcare is a human right – not a commodity. Healthcare should be equally accessible and free at the point of access, not dependant on your ability to pay.

Róisín’s Priorities

  • Ensure the full implementation of Sláintecare.
  • Establish universal access to quality public services based on fair taxation.
  • End child poverty.
  • Drive down the cost of housing.
  • Reverse the creeping privatisation of health and social care services.
  • Establish a statutory right to homecare.
  • Increase capacity of primary care including all essential therapies.
  • Introduce the Living Wage.

Get in touch

roisin.shortall@oireachtas.ie

(01) 618 3593

Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

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Latest News

Rory Hearne selected as Social Democrats’ Dublin North-West candidate in General Election

Rory Hearne has been selected by the Social Democrats as the party’s general election candidate in Dublin North-West, a constituency where Róisín Shortall has held a Dáil seat since 1992. The well-known housing expert and campaigner, author and lecturer was officially confirmed as a candidate at a selection convention this evening (July 25) in the […]

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Increased expenditure in Budget 2025 will be undermined by lack of future workforce planning

The €6.9bn in additional expenditure outlined in today’s Summer Economic Statement must be underpinned by proper workforce planning for future needs, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Problems highlighted in the Summer Economic Statement are mostly the result of consistent failures by Government to invest in critical infrastructure and lack of planning for […]

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Minister for Health and CHI must account for misspending of scoliosis funds

The Minister for Health must come into the Dáil and answer questions as to why €19m in funding specifically allocated to reduce waiting times for children’s spinal surgery was spent elsewhere, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “This latest controversy is a further betrayal of children awaiting scoliosis surgery. “In 2017, then Minister […]

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