News

Was the Tánaiste kept in the dark or did he give partial information to the Dáil?  The Tánaiste must explain why he omitted the main reason visas for a Palestinian GAA club were refused during the summer when answering questions on this issue in the Dáil, according to Social Democrats spokesperson for sport Sinéad Gibney. […]

The government must urgently regulate the sale and marketing of nicotine pouches, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: “Nicotine pouches are increasingly being used by teenagers across the country – they’re cheap, flavoured, and aggressively marketed to children. “The product is widely available in corner shops with no age restrictions, packaging […]

Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly has today slammed the government’s latest response to juvenile anti-social behaviour. Deputy Farrelly said: “I am getting sick and tired of seeing politicians and commentators conflate anti-social behaviour and criminal activity. “Anti-social behaviour is defined as nuisance or disturbance, such as hanging around or making noise – things that […]

More tax breaks for developers in Budget 2026 is not the solution to the housing crisis and risks repeating mistakes of the past, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said: “It has been reported today that the government will reduce VAT in the Budget for new […]

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice will introduce a Bill today to close a loophole in the law that allows the drinks industry to circumvent restrictions on alcohol advertising when it comes to 0.0 products. Deputy Rice, who is the party’s spokesperson on health, said: “The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 was a landmark piece of […]

Cabinet Ministers must stop acting like bystanders and take action when it comes to runaway food costs, according to Social Democrats food spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: “St. Vincent de Paul has said that nearly half their calls this year were about groceries, while Barnardos reports that four in ten parents are skipping meals […]

The government must get tough on vacancy and dereliction in next month’s Budget, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne said: “New figures from the CSO show there was a fall in vacant dwellings from 76,457 at the end of 2022 to 72,245 in 2023. “However, if you consider there were officially […]

Today’s report has confirmed what we’ve long been warning: the government is failing to take meaningful action to meet its recycling targets, according to Social Democrats environment spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: “To meet our targets, 400,000 tonnes of additional waste must be recycled annually – yet the government continues to delay investment in […]

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice has described confirmation that Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is to be integrated into the HSE by 2027 as an inevitable consequence of the organisation’s litany of failures. Deputy Rice, who is the party’s health spokesperson, said: “This is welcome news, but hardly a surprising development given the succession of controversies […]

The government’s inability to clarify when it will enact the Occupied Territories Bill is shameful, according to Social Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson. Senator Stephenson said: “In response to Social Democrats party leader Holly Cairns during today’s leaders’ questions, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said that the Occupied Territories Bill is considered priority legislation and […]