News

Hate crime legislation must be enacted and implemented as a matter of priority A huge increase in hate crimes across the country is shocking but not surprising, according to Social Democrats Justice Spokesperson Catherine Murphy. “Hate crimes, and hate related incidents, increased by nearly 30pc last year. Almost 600 incidents were recorded, nearly 200 more than […]

Long-awaited report is a damning indictment of organisation’s failure to protect children  The findings of a report into child sexual abuse within St John Ambulance have been described as devastating by Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Children, said: “Dr Geoffey Shannon’s report has been a long time […]

Clarity on guidelines urgently needed to avoid risk of book shortages in classrooms in September The Minister for Education must immediately outline how the Government’s free books scheme for primary schools will operate to avoid classroom chaos next September, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Education, […]

Arrival of FV Margiris off south-west coast met with dismay by environmentalists and fishing communities Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for on-board monitoring of fishing activity off the south-west coast of Ireland by the world’s second largest super-trawler. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Climate and Biodiversity, said: “The FV Margiris, […]

If the Government fails to act, we will see devastating outcomes for people facing eviction The latest figures from the Residential Tenancies Board paint a deeply worrying picture of what’s to come now that the Government has lifted the ban on evictions, according to Social Democrats Housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The report showed that 4,741 […]

Health Committee backs Deputy Shortall’s proposal to follow WHO policy in respect of the availability of contraception The Minister for Health should mark International Women’s Day by allowing pharmacists to dispense prescription-free oral contraceptives, according to Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall. “At today’s Oireachtas Health Committee, representatives of the Irish Pharmacy Union made a compelling […]

The Social Democrats have welcomed the co-option of Alan Curran to Galway City Council. Alan has been a member of the Galway branch of the Social Democrats since 2018 and is the co-author of the party’s cycling policy. Holly Cairns TD, leader of the Social Democrats, said: “I would like to congratulate Alan on his […]

Delay is especially reprehensible in light of the vulnerability of those children and adults requiring psychological services  The Minister for Health is continuing to drag his feet on the long overdue regulation of psychologists, according to Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats. Deputy Cairns, who is a member of the Joint Committee on Children, […]

Timeline will be crucial in tackling the safety threat posed by illegal drone usage  The Government must act urgently to mitigate the risk posed by drones to aircraft passengers and residents living in the vicinity of Dublin Airport, according to Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy. Deputy Murphy, who is the party’s Transport spokesperson, said: “The […]

HSE report reveals 700 vacancies across 91 Children’s Disability Network Teams  Disability services for children continue to be severely impacted by the HSE’s failure to get to grips with the serious recruitment crisis within the sector, according to Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats. Deputy Cairns, who is the party’s spokesperson on Disability, said: […]