Today’s recommendation by Low Pay Commission of an increase of just one per cent in the National Minimum Wage is very disappointing and falls well short of what is needed if the Programme for Government commitment to increase it to €10.50/hour by 2021is to be achieved. In 2011, Labour took office shortly after Fianna Fáil…

The Labour Party spokesperson on Housing Jan O’Sullivan today launched the Party’s Social and Affordable Housing Bill 2016. Among the measures included in the legislation are: The implementation of the recommendations of the Kenny report The remit of NAMA to be broadened and for the organisation to be rebranded as the National Housing Development and…

I reiterate the call made by Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin in the Dáil today that the government must urgently deliver on its commitment to establish a task force to tackle crime and economic disadvantage in Dublin’s North Inner City. The rise in gang land crime in the North Inner City demonstrates the urgent need…

Dáil Éireann, Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2016 With one or two caveats I and my Party support this Bill. We agree with the proposal to reduce the threshold value of property subject to      confiscation from €13,000 to €5,000. And we agree with a new, short-term, administrative power of seizure and detention at CAB officer…

In the Dáil under the Order of Business I told the Tánaiste that I am not satisfied with the government’s progress on establishing a taskforce to focus on regenerating the North Inner City of Dublin.   In the wake of a spate of gang-related killings, I visited the North Inner City with Joe Costello where…

A study by the Nevin Economic Research Institute has shown that almost three quarters of people earning the minimum wage in Ireland are women. The disproportionately high number of women earning the minimum wage clearly demonstrates the need to introduce a living wage to help tackle the gender pay gap. This government has completely taken…

The Government’s Housing strategy leaked today and due to be published next week contains a lot of measures but no clear direction. It contains sops to the construction industry, for example upfront payment for Part 5 social houses and the use of public land for mixed tenure development, the majority of which will be for…

New research from the ESRI suggesting that young people find life much tougher than the over-65s comes as no shock to the young people reading it. Grace Williams, Labour Youth National Chairperson said on the report: “It has been clear for some time that young people are finding it difficult to navigate an increasingly expensive…