News

Jennifer Whitmore TD has called for all-party support in advance of the Social Democrats’ Private Members’ Motion on Wednesday, which seeks an extension of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, commented: “This is an issue that goes beyond party politics. The term of […]

The Minister for Children’s comments today that it may be possible to retrieve recordings of survivors’ testimonies highlights the importance of the Social Democrats’ Dáil motion calling for the extension of the Commission of Investigation, according to Jennifer Whitmore TD. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, said: “It is bizarre that, nine […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore will next week introduce the Social Democrats’ Dáil motion which seeks to extend the timeframe of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission by one year. The Dáil motion was submitted in response to the revelation that 550 recorded testimonies of mother and baby homes’ survivors were destroyed by the Commission. […]

Social Democrats TDs Jennifer Whitmore and Holly Cairns have called for clarity on a recent advertisement by Coillte looking to buy bare land and land with immature forestry. The advert, which has been circulating on social media platforms, also says the semi-state company’s position is to sell land that is no longer suitable for its […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has welcomed a proposed nationwide ban on smoky coal and restrictions on the sale of turf and unseasoned wood but says that any new regulations must be poverty-proofed. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Climate Action and Biodiversity, said: “Along with emissions from transport, solid fuel is one […]

The Social Democrats have written to the Office of the Data Protection Commission requesting that they examine the destruction of survivors’ recorded testimonies by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. Jennifer Whitmore TD, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, said: “The simple fact is that 550 testimonies have been destroyed. While […]

The Social Democrats have this week submitted a Dáil motion calling for CETA and the Investor Court System to be scrutinised by all relevant Oireachtas committees, not just one. The motion states that given the breadth and scope of CETA, there are potential implications for various issues, including workers’ rights, labour standards, food safety, agriculture […]

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore says it is baffling that the Minister for Children has refused to extend the term of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes to allow for a full investigation into the deletion of survivors’ recorded testimonies. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson for Children, had proposed a […]

Social Democrats spokesperson for Children, Jennifer Whitmore TD, has called on the HSE to engage with child experts to put in place a child-centred Assessment of Needs process. Deputy Whitmore was commenting on the findings of a survey carried out by the Psychological Society of Ireland of its members on the Assessment of Needs (AON) […]

The Social Democrats have submitted a Bill to extend the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes by another year. Jennifer Whitmore TD, the party’s spokesperson for Children, said: “We are hoping to publish this Bill in response to discovering that audio recordings of all 550 witnesses interviewed as part of the Commission of […]