News

The Social Democrats have welcomed the passage tonight through the Dáil of our Bill to extend unpaid parental leave for working parents. The Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 allows parents to take a total of six months (26 weeks) unpaid leave from their jobs without their employment rights being affected. This is an increase on […]

The Social Democrats have welcomed the passage today at committee stage of our Bill to increase to six months the amount of unpaid parental leave available to working parents of children aged up to 12. The Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 aims to help working families enjoy better work-life balance by permitting parents to spend […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has said that serious questions remain following today’s cabinet meeting on the Cervical Check crisis and that the public should not have to wait until the outcome of a formal investigation to get answers. Deputy Shortall also called on the government to expedite legislation to allow for a statutory […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD today called on the Minister for Health to appoint a new head of the HSE on an interim basis – and to only fill the post permanently once key accountability reforms are carried out. Deputy Shortall said: “At the heart of the Cervical Check crisis is a lack of […]

The Social Democrats are seeking cross party support for legal changes to ban the commercial monetisation of the digital data of children and teens under the age of 18. The party is today tabling amendments to the government’s Data Protection Bill 2018 to prohibit the use of children’s data for marketing purposes. The party’s co-leader […]

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has said immediate steps must be taken to make sure that people affected by the CervicalCheck controversy receive prompt and appropriate treatment and supports, and to guarantee that there is full accountability for mishandling of diagnosis cases. Deputy Shortall said: “I welcome the proposed setting up of an independent […]

The Social Democrats have accused Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil of two-facedness over the refusal of both parties to disclose the amount they are spending on Facebook advertising. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said today: “Given the backdrop of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the furore over the Strategic Communications Unit, it is inexcusable […]

On International Women’s Day, the co-leaders of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall TD and Catherine Murphy TD, have raised the need for more women to be involved in politics and urged people to support the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Deputy Shortall said: “International Women’s Day is an important occasion to celebrate women’s many […]

The Social Democrats have called for the North’s Civic Forum to be reconstituted as a way to give voice to people left behind by the peace process. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said the consultative forum of civil society and community groups could serve as a counterbalance to the ‘green and orange’ straitjacket of […]

The Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD has called on the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to stop treating childcare workers as ‘second class educators’ and provide proper supports so that they can undertake mandatory in-service child protection training. Deputy Shortall made her call after questioning Minister Zappone in the Dáil today about the […]