News

The Social Democrats today publish a Bill to help tackle hasty evictions, unfair rent hikes and growing homelessness by strengthening tenants’ rights. The party is seeking cross-party support for its Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018 which extends the minimum notice period for terminations of tenancies and strengthens tenants’ rights in relation to how rent caps are […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD has backed the call by the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission for extra resources to investigate serious allegations made by garda whistleblowers. Deputy Murphy said: “It is unconscionable that a request more than a year ago by GSOC for 12 extra staff for its dedicated Protected Disclosures Unit has gone […]

The Social Democrats’ candidate for Roscommon-Galway, Ken Campbell, has called for substantially increased fixed charged fines for drivers who park illegally in disabled parking spaces. Mr Campbell said the move would help deter able bodied motorists from illegally parking in spots designated for holders of EU disabled parking permits, which are issued for people whose […]

The influenza vaccine should be offered for free to all school children to arrest the spread of the virus, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Children, Jennifer Whitmore said today. Greystones Councillor Whitmore was commenting after the HSE today released its weekly Influenza Surveillance Report which showed a 130 per cent increase in the number of […]

Paul Mulville, Social Democrats councillor for the Swords local electoral area, has highlighted the need for Rogerstown Estuary to be protected. Cllr. Mulville stated, “The 2010 – 2015 Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality in Ireland report published last August, highlighted issues at Rogerstown Estuary, which is a Natura 2000 International site, being both a Special […]

As children return to school tomorrow after the Christmas break, schools, parents and crèches need clear guidance from the HSE on how to prevent the spread of influenza, the Social Democrats’ spokesperson on Children, Councillor Jennifer Whitmore, said today. Councillor Whitmore said: “Many parents I have spoken to over the past week are concerned about how […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has described today’s record high levels of hospital overcrowding as disgraceful, predictable and avoidable. Deputy Shortall was commenting on figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation which show that the number of people on trolleys and wards awaiting hospital beds has risen to a new high of 677. […]

After a night of distributing and stacking donated sandbags to Galway residents and businesses, Social Democrats candidate Niall Ó Tuathail, says Galway Councils were “simply not good enough” and “need to learn from this for future floods”. Following damaging Tuesday evening floods, there were worries of further flooding during the high tide at 5.30a.m. on […]

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD has said rent pressure zones have failed to prevent soaring rental prices driving more people into homelessness and must now be scrapped and replaced with nationwide rent caps. Deputy Murphy was commenting on data from the Residential Tenancies Board released today which shows that the average rent of new […]

The Social Democrats have called on the government to commit to the publication early next year of a referendum bill to give effect to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment. The party’s co-leader Catherine Murphy TD was a member of the cross-party committee which deliberated for 13 weeks and considered […]