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Commenting on recent events in Catalonia, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD today condemned police violence and urged all sides to reach a political solution to the constitutional crisis. Deputy Shortall said: “The weekend’s scenes of police violence and the forced closure of polling stations in Catalonia were shocking to witness. It is vital that […]

The government’s inability to accurately count the number of new houses built each year is masking the true scale of the housing shortage, the Social Democrats said today. The party’s co-leader Catherine Murphy TD was commenting on a Goodbody BER housebuilding tracker published today, which shows that 5,377 houses were completed in 2016. This compares […]

The criteria used to allocate Garda resources must be transparent – not narrowly set to achieve a predetermined outcome, as is evident from today’s Garda report on the reopening of Stepaside station, the Social Democrats said today. Party co-leader Catherine Murphy TD, a member of the PAC, said: “The Garda report published today shows that […]

Today’s Comptroller and Auditor General’s report highlights the government’s lack of ambition and long-term planning when it comes to managing our economy, the Social Democrats said today. The party’s co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said the government’s reliance on a small number of large corporations for its corporate tax base was ample evidence that mistakes of […]

Government spin cannot mask the stark reality of its failure to get to grips with the homeless crisis, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said today – as new figures show the number of homeless families and adults continues to rise. Deputy Murphy was commenting on Department of Housing figures which show that a total […]

Speaking at the All Ireland Civic Dialogue in Dublin, Social Democrats representative for Castleknock and Blanchardstown Aengus Ó Maoláin said that it is time for Ireland to stop coping with the fallout from Brexit, and start planning to maximise the opportunities presented by the UK’s departure from the EU. “The decision by the UK to […]

The Minister for Justice must heed the stark warning from the Commission on the Future of Policing regarding the extent of the problems in the Garda which are clearly more significant that the government seems to realise, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Deputy Shortall was commenting on the Commission’s warning in a […]

Assurances by the Minister for Education that all school buildings have been built to the highest standards in recent years don’t stack up in the light of the announcement this week that another 30 schools are to undergo fire safety audits, Social Democrats Cllr Cian O’Callaghan said today. The Fingal Councillor, who is the party’s […]

The housing crisis will not be solved until the obstacle presented by the constitutional provision on private property is amended, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today. Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil, Deputy Shortall called on the Taoiseach to commit to holding a referendum on Article 43 of the constitution as a […]

Catherine Murphy TD, Co-Leader of the Social Democrats, has cautiously welcomed the Taoiseach’s remarks yesterday regarding property tax hikes but she said the entire system of Local Property Tax requires significant overhaul as research undertaken by her shows the system is not working in a fair manner across the country. She also strongly challenged the […]