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The refusal of the Minister for Justice to answer questions in a normal manner about the circumstances of Seamus Woulfe’s appointment to the Supreme Court has the potential to bring both the Oireachtas and the judiciary into disrepute, according to Róisín Shortall, co-leader of the Social Democrats. Speaking in the Dáil today, Deputy Shortall said: […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has described this morning’s appearance of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NHPDB) before the Joint Health Committee as deeply unsatisfactory, with serious questions remaining about escalating costs and delays to the National Children’s Hospital project. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson for Health, said: “It […]

Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD, has called on the Government to clarify if international travel has been factored into modelling for a potential increase in Covid-19 infection levels over the Christmas period. Speaking in the Dáil today, Deputy Shortall said: “In recent days the Government has announced changes to the international travel […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has said that the Tánaiste’s action in leaking a confidential document was unworthy of his office, and his handling of the incident was unacceptable. Speaking during the confidence motion in the Dáil, Deputy Shortall said: “The situation we are dealing with here should never have arisen. The Tánaiste, while Taoiseach […]

Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD, today called on the Taoiseach to undertake an immediate review of the code of conduct for office holders in the wake of the Tánaiste’s admission that he leaked a confidential agreement between the Government and the IMO in 2019. Deputy Shortall said: “This episode has been very […]

Social Democrats view with extreme concern allegations made in current edition of the Village Magazine concerning the Tanáiste and the alleged leaking of confidential documents, which appear to have been under Cabinet consideration at the time. Co-leader Róisín Shortall TD called on the Tanáiste to make a statement: “In view of the import of these […]

Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, has called on the HSE to issue urgent medical advice after a hand sanitiser product used in schools was recalled due to a potential public health risk. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson for Health, said: “The priority at this point has to be to get […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has expressed serious concern at revelations that the Minister for Health only learned of the unfolding crisis with the contact tracing system on Tuesday night. Deputy Shortall, who is the party’s spokesperson on Health, said: “Today’s statement from the Department of Health on the collapse of the testing and tracing […]

The Social Democrats have called for assurances from senior management around the future of Ulster Bank in Ireland. The call comes from the party as the Minister for Finance meets the bank today. Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said: “There has been speculation for weeks around the future of Ulster Bank. Neither bank management in Ireland, nor the parent company Natwest, […]

The Social Democrats have called for swift action to introduce a targeted sick pay scheme for staff in the nursing home sector and meat industry. Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD today raised with the Taoiseach the need for the immediate introduction of a targeted scheme for staff who are particularly vulnerable. Commenting, Deputy Shortall said: “We have repeatedly […]