Dublin’s transport plan must be introduced without delay

Attempts to delay the Dublin City Transport Plan by fearmongering must be rejected, according to Social Democrats councillor Eoin Hayes. Cllr Hayes, who represents Kimmage-Rathmines, said: “The economic assessment prepared for the Dublin City Centre Traders’ Alliance (DCCTA) does not take into account the significant costs to the capital caused by traffic congestion and underestimates […]

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Review of taxi licence system must be completed quickly

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has given a guarded welcome to the Government’s commitment to review the system in place for granting taxi licences to drivers. “In the Dáil today, my party proposed a range of measures to tackle the epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in this country. “We called on the Government […]

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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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Still no timeframe for making ‘sex for rent’ an offence

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has expressed disappointment at the Government’s failure to provide a timeframe for the introduction of legislation to make demanding sex for rent a criminal offence. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson on housing, said: “There was an expectation that outlawing sex for rent arrangements would be included in the […]

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Absence of FAI safeguards to protect women players is unforgiveable

The weekend revelations concerning the abuse of young women players represent the lowest point in the history of scandals involving the Football Association of Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on sport, said: “It was deeply unsettling to watch the RTÉ Investigates/Sunday Independent documentary as it […]

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House prices rising at fastest pace for nearly two years

The latest report from myhome.ie is further proof that the Government is unable or unwilling to bring down the cost of buying a home, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said: “The findings of the Q2 2024 MyHome.ie Property Price Report will come as little surprise to first-time buyers. “The median […]

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Soc Dems’ motion calls for meaningful zero tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence

The Dáil will debate a Social Democrats’ motion on Wednesday, July 10, calling on the Government to match its words with action on adopting a zero tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Party leader Holly Cairns said: “Just last night, a harrowing RTÉ Investigates documentary revealed details of historic abuse allegations made by […]

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