News

Focused effort needed to ensure a company is found to replace Teva in the Baldoyle Industrial Estate  The closure of Teva Pharmaceuticals, with the loss of 100 jobs, in Baldoyle is the second major jobs blow to the area in less than five months, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan. “Sudocream has been produced […]

Ordinary buyers’ dreams of home-ownership are being bulldozed by cuckoo funds with bottomless pockets Every day the government delays banning cuckoo funds from bulk-buying residential homes, millions of euro of property is taken out of the reach of ordinary buyers, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “Cuckoo funds are spending €53m a week […]

The government should not have to rely on legislation, drafted by the Social Democrats, to fix our housing problems. That it does, tells its own story. The Social Democrats are bringing forward legislation to help end the practice of the State entering long-term leasing deals with developers and investment funds – instead of purchasing social […]

Fundamental questions about patient confidentiality, consent, the HSE’s use of power as an employer and data protection remain to be answered by the Department of Health. The appearance of the General Secretary of the Department of Health, Robert Watt, at the Oireachtas Health Committee has raised more questions than answers, according to Social Democrats Health […]

There is nothing affordable about a home that costs nearly half a million euro The government is more interested in providing a subsidy to developers than making homes genuinely affordable, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan was reacting to media reports that the government has set a price cap of up […]

Two years ago a vulture fund described Ireland as “the gift that keeps on giving” The block purchase of 135 homes in a new development in Kildare is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to investment funds hoovering up housing supply, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesman Cian O’Callaghan. “The same REIT […]

Last week in one day, in one town, one vulture fund bought up three times more homes than the government’s affordable scheme is going to deliver this year – across the entire country. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien’s Affordable Housing Scheme shows Fianna Fáil is incapable of learning the lessons of history – the scheme is […]

Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns says she is disappointed at the failure of the Taoiseach to acknowledge the easing of maternity hospital restrictions in his announcement on reopening the country. Holly said: “After months of uncertainty, the HSE has finally confirmed a uniform, nationwide approach to the easing of restrictions at maternity hospitals. It emerged […]

The crucial thing is that we want businesses, when they open, to remain open. As the country prepares to reopen, the government must do everything in its power to ensure there is no return to lockdown, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “Today is a positive day and there are many reasons to be […]

– Birth partners should be reclassified as ‘essential accompanying person’ instead of ‘visitor’ for all stages of the maternity journey, says Holly Cairns TD Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns has called on the Taoiseach to take a uniformed approach to restrictions at maternity hospitals when he announces the phased reopening of the country. Holly said: […]