News

How the Data Protection Commission goes about its tasks is already opaque Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has criticised a Government amendment to a Justice Bill that would create confidential processes for data protection investigations. “I share the concerns expressed today by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) in relation to the amendment proposed […]

Department of Justice must urgently act on report’s findings Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has called on the Government to urgently implement the recommendations of an independent study which found that an average of four women in Ireland died every year between 2014 and 2019 as a result of family violence. Deputy Murphy, who is […]

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 […]

Six units do incredible work in treating and helping vulnerable victims of sexual assault  More resources are needed to help the HSE and gardaí understand and respond to rising attendance rates at Sexual Assault Treatment Units around the country, according to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns. “Professor Maeve Eogan, the National Clinical Lead for the […]

Nobody can successfully argue that criminalising addicts is the way forward The so-called war on drugs is essentially a war on poverty, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told the Dáil today. “We’ve known for a long time that a law-and-order response to drug addiction is harmful and counterintuitive. But this Government has so far continued […]