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Social Democrats spokesperson on Education Equality and Access, Gary Gannon, has said clear steps must be taken to end our two-tier education system which means privately educated young people have greater access to college. Commenting on the publication today of The Irish Times league tables, Councillor Gannon said: “It’s no surprise to see that fee-paying […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD has called for a raft of targeted measures to help people who are increasingly forced to share rental accommodation because of rising costs and the lack of affordable homes to buy and rent. Deputy Murphy said: “Today’s report from Savills Ireland shows that a fifth of the population nationwide […]

It is entirely unacceptable that no senior Garda management are to be held to account for the widespread abuse of the penalty point system and the falsification of breath tests, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has said. Deputy Shortall’s comments follow the publication today of a GSOC report which found superintendents and inspectors breached […]

Social Democrats co-leader, Catherine Murphy TD., today introduces the Consumer Protection (Gift Vouchers) Bill, 2017 to the Dáil which would tilt the balance in favour of consumers by banning many of the sneaky charges associated with gift vouchers. The Bill would ensure gift vouchers are valid for at least five years, would ban charges for […]

The independent Toland Review group which found the Department of Justice to be closed and secretive should be invited back to conduct an urgent progress update on its reform recommendations, the Social Democrats said today. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “The events of the past few days have exposed major problems once again […]

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan still has important questions to answer in relation to his department’s handling of the McCabe email affair, the co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD, said tonight. Deputy Shortall accused the Minister of evasion in how he handled a series of questions which she raised with him in the […]

The inquiry into how Department of Justice emails released last night were missed in the first trawl of documents for the Charleton Tribunal must be led by an independent external expert if it is to have the full confidence of the public, the Social Democrats said today. Speaking following Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil, the […]

The Social Democrats have called for the full transcripts of the O’Higgins Commission to be released so we can finally get to the truth about the aggressive legal strategy pursued against Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “I welcome the Tánaiste’s resignation, however overdue. But it does point to […]

The Social Democrats have said the Tánaiste’s position is untenable in the light of further documents released tonight about Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “The sheer extent of the Tánaiste’s dereliction of her duty as Minister for Justice is laid bare in the chain of emails released tonight. “The […]

The Social Democrats have accused Fine Gael of spoiling for an election rather than coming clean about the severe failings of the Tánaiste in her handling the Maurice McCabe email affair. Party co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said this morning: “It was spelled out to Frances Fitzgerald in the email she received in May 2015 that […]