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Renters in Dublin today will pay €12,000 more in rent per annum than they did in 2011 Average rental costs for new tenancies in Dublin are now more than the annual income of those on the minimum wage, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “According to the latest report from the Residential Tenancies […]

There is a real and genuine public concern that the government will be on the wrong side of history when it comes to the national maternity hospital  Health Minister Stephen Donnelly must publish the legal framework for the new national maternity hospital and bring it before the Dáil before it is signed off by cabinet, […]

It is not acceptable that children can be taught relationships should be placed in a hierarchy, depending on sexual orientation The refusal of a school in Wicklow to include LGBTQI+ relationships in its Relationships and Sexuality Education is an indictment of the government’s failure to reform the curriculum, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary […]

Nobody, in Ireland today, should be targeted because of their sexual orientation Garda confirmation that it is investigating a hate motive in relation to two brutal murders in Sligo marks a dark week for the LGBTQI+ community in Ireland, according to Social Democrats Social Justice spokesperson Holly Cairns. “The horrific murders of Aidan Moffitt and […]

The cost of living crisis is not impacting everyone equally The government has again failed to sufficiently target its cost-of-living measures to low and middle-income households, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. “In recent weeks, the Central Bank, the St Vincent de Paul, the ESRI and even the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight […]

It is clear that the Health Minister has lost control of his Department and lacks authority It is hugely regrettable that Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan was dragged into a political controversy of the Department of Health’s creation and is now leaving the public service, according to Social Democrats Health Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Public health […]

If these figures represent success for the Minister’s plan, one wonders what failure would look like? There has been lots of bluster from the Housing Minister on the progress he is making in housing – but very little evidence of any delivery, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The latest progress report for […]

The question for the government now is clear: when, not if, it will act? The cost of living crisis has vaporised household budgets, according to Social Democrats co-leader and Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “This month’s consumer price index makes grim reading. Prices in the past month have increased by nearly 7pc – the fastest rate […]

When will the Housing Minister deliver on his promises? A new Simon Communities’ report showing a huge decline in the number of rental properties available to HAP claimants is further evidence that the housing crisis is getting worse, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The ‘Locked Out’ report reveals that the housing crisis […]

With just two months to go before quotas are again exhausted, the Minister must come forward with proactive solutions Inshore fishing is rapidly becoming both unsustainable and unviable because the Minister for Agriculture has refused to review his own department’s mackerel quotas, according to Social Democrats Agriculture Spokesperson Holly Cairns. “Currently, a paltry 2% of […]