News

The Social Democrats will be a strong voice for accountability, equality and sustainability  Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan has today announced the party’s new spokespeople. “At the last election, the Social Democrats received an increased mandate and we now have an enlarged parliamentary party with which to hold the government to account. “Our team […]

Instead of being laggards on gender balance, we should be leaders This government continues to go backwards when it comes to gender balance in government, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. “This government has a shameful record when it comes to giving women a seat at the top table. Last week, just three women […]

The government must urgently identify vulnerable groups of people most impacted by Storm Éowyn to ensure they are prioritised for supports, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. “For many of those hit by this devastating storm, including the elderly and those living with chronic medical conditions, the ongoing power outages and water shortages are […]

The latest OPW spending controversy further highlights the need for proper oversight of public projects and political accountability at ministerial level, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. “There will be justifiable public anger at this further waste of public money by the OPW, with the cost of replacing a wall at the Workplace Relations […]

New figures released by the Simon Communities of Ireland highlight the serious challenges faced by those who are reliant on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne, who represents Dublin North-West, said: “In its latest quarterly ‘Locked Out of the Market’ report, from December 2024, the homeless charity […]

The latest price hikes announced by waste provider Panda have been described as completely unjustified and unacceptable by Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on climate and biodiversity, said: “According to reports today, thousands of Panda’s domestic customers in parts of Dublin are set to be hit with price […]

A new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) provides some worrying insights into how the housing crisis is impacting young adults in Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. “The latest results from the ‘Growing Up in Ireland’ project show that 69 per cent of 25-year-olds still live with their parents. Among those, […]

Government parties are attempting to mount a rearguard action to reduce Opposition speaking time Instead of cynically using last week’s Dáil speaking time controversy as a pretext to erode Opposition Dáil time, the government could resolve the dispute by cutting all ties with Michael Lowry, according to Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan. “Government pandering […]

The new government must prioritise the full implementation of the third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore made her comments after new figures revealed a 20 per cent rise over the last two years in the number of domestic violence incidents reported to gardaí. […]

The Dáil must be recalled this week to discuss the devastation caused by Storm Éowyn along with plans to provide support to the hundreds and thousands of people still without electricity and water, according to Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan. “Storm Éowyn left a trail of utter destruction in its wake, with the west […]