News

Even government ministers are confused – and it is their plan The government is rushing through legislation to reopen hospitality in a complete information vacuum, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “The Health Committee had a briefing this morning and members were more confused afterwards than they had been before. This is no reflection […]

Several privately-run emergency accommodation centres were operating until recently without fire certs The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) should conduct independent inspections of all homeless services, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. The recommendation is contained in an Interim Report on Homelessness, published by the Oireachtas Housing Committee today. Deputy O’Callaghan said: […]

We will soon find out how serious the Government is about reforming childcare in this country The government must act to make childcare more affordable, according to Social Democrats Children’s Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore was reacting to the launch of a new campaign, ‘A New Deal for Early Years’, from SIPTU and a coalition of […]

Serious questions must be asked about whose interests are being served by this Bill Billed as this government’s landmark piece of housing legislation, the Affordable Housing Bill falls significantly short on several fronts, according to the Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Government’s Affordable Housing Bill is flawed on a number of fronts. The […]

This is a moment of truth for the Green Party in Government Plans for cost rental housing have been distorted by a Minister who can’t see beyond private interests, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Government is stretching the concept of cost rental to breaking point. A progressive vision for a new […]

Fundamentally, this government cannot be trusted The government’s u-turn on cuckoo funds is brazen and downright dishonest, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “We are in the midst of a housing crisis that is causing untold misery all over this country. The Taoiseach has acknowledged this. He said housing is the “number 1 crisis […]

Affordability must be linked to income and ability to pay The absence of a definition of affordability is a major gap in the Affordable Housing Bill, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “It is remarkable that the Government’s Affordable Housing Bill has come to the Dáil this week without even a basic definition […]

People struggling to secure an affordable home deserve better than this half-baked Bill Serious questions must be asked about why the Government is ramming the Affordable Housing Bill through the Dáil this week, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Affordable Housing Bill is being rammed through the Dáil at breakneck speed. You […]

Renters are in total despair about their living situation Nearly 45pc of households in Dublin Bay South are in private rental accommodation – and have been utterly abandoned by successive governments, according to Social Democrats by-election candidate Sarah Durcan. Ms Durcan was commenting as she launched the Social Democrats’ Renters’ Charter, outlining reforms that are […]

We are now facing a fourth wave of Covid-19 and lessons must be learned from the previous three There must be a full public inquiry into what happened in our nursing homes during the pandemic, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. Deputy Shortall was responding to an RTE Investigates programme on care in nursing […]