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The Social Democrats today published their 10-point plan to make life better for renters in Ireland. The Renters’ Charter was launched by Rory Hearne, the Social Democrats candidate in Dublin North-West, and Róisín Shortall, the party’s finance spokesperson. The charter commits to building 25,000 affordable rental homes over a five-year period, with average rents in […]

Rory Hearne, the Social Democrats general election candidate in Dublin North-West, has urged the National Transport Authority (NTA) to reverse its plans to axe the Number 11 route as part of BusConnects changes due to come into effect next month. Dr Hearne said: “Under changes to be introduced in late November, the Numbers 4, 11 […]

An analysis of Budget 2025 by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) provides further evidence that the Government have prioritised electoral gain over lifting vulnerable groups out of poverty, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Despite the headline grabbing short-term measures announced on Tuesday, the ESRI has warned that poverty among the […]

Today’s budget is a giveaway on steroids that is bad for the public and bad for the State, according to Social Democrats finance spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “Budget 2025 has just one overriding purpose – self-preservation of the Government parties. “It bears all the hallmarks of a Bertie Budget – hardly surprising when you consider that […]

The Social Democrats have launched their Alternative Budget 2025 – titled ‘Building Services, Building Communities’ – which focuses on investment in public services to drive down the cost of living, targets support at those who need it most and prioritises children and families. Investing in affordable housing; creating a public model of childcare; increasing parent’s […]

The Minister for Health must immediately clarify if and when he became aware of a confidential report, which raises serious questions about the HSE’s readiness to commission and operate the National Children’s Hospital, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “While the Minister has been extremely keen to foist all the blame on developer […]

The fingerprints of three health ministers, and two Taoisigh, are all over this disaster – Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris and Stephen Donnelly The government is attempting to foist all blame for the ongoing fiasco with the National Children’s Hospital on developer BAM in an effort to evade responsibility for successive government’s mishandling of this critical […]

There must be a reckoning for the political system, which failed to respond to an obvious crisis in the midwest, and allowed the population there to be put at risk There must be accountability, at political and hospital management level, for the circumstances at University Hospital Limerick that led to the tragic death of Aoife […]

This government must now explain to the people why it has spent eight years fighting this case The government defended corporate interests instead of the public interest when it fought the €13 billion tax judgment, according to Social Democrats Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “I welcome today’s judgment of the European Court of Justice, which has […]

It is an indictment of this government that the number of children experiencing material deprivation has increased by nearly 15 percent at a time when budget coffers are overflowing, according to Social Democrats Finance Spokesperson Róisín Shortall. “This government pay lip service to addressing child poverty – but that is all. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar […]