Labour spokesperson on Education, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin will be available to speak to reporters at 11.30am today, Thursday 28th June on the Leinster House plinth. He will outline proposals on free schoolbooks, and proposed legislation to ban voluntary contributions towards ensuring a genuine free primary education. What: new proposals on free primary education Where: Leinster…

Taoiseach, this will mark your fifth EU Council meeting. It will also mark two years since the UK voted to leave the European Union.   Unfortunately, we can report that little progress has been made on addressing Ireland’s core outstanding concern.   The bullet proof backstop that was agreed last December has not been translated…

Labour LGBT is calling for the immediate commencement of legislation to allow for formal parental rights for couples in same sex marriages following a peaceful protest held outside Leinster House today on the matter. Co-Chair of Labour LGBT Aoife Leahy commented: “The Children and Family Relationships Act has to be amended to fix unintended problems…

Labour Party spokesperson on Equality, Cllr. Deirdre Kingston has welcomed the agreement of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s organisational committee that it will look at formulating and implementing a new policy to support Councillors who have become new parents. Cllr Kingston said: “At the moment, we have absolutely no maternity leave for councillors. This means that…

Commenting on the appointment of Mr Drew Harris as Garda Commissioner, Labour spokesperson on Justice Seán Sherlock TD welcomed Mr Harris’s appointment. Deputy Sherlock said: “I wish Mr Harris well in his appointment, and I hope that he will be able to make progress on the many issues that have dogged An Garda Síochána over…

Commenting on the appointment of Mr Drew Harris as Garda Commissioner, Labour Leader Brendan Howlin said: “The recruitment of an external person into the role of Garda Commissioner is an opportunity to inject new thinking into An Garda Síochána and to drive organisational change, and I wish Mr Harris well in taking on this role….

Labour candidate for Dun Laoghaire, Cllr. Deirdre Kingston has expressed outrage at attempts by two general elections candidates to delay the building of social housing in Dún Laoghaire. At a local area meeting in Dun Laoghaire last night, Cormac Devlin (FF) and Barry Ward (FG) both tried to pass motions to delay and defer the…

Labour Seanad Leader, Ivana Bacik has welcomed the move by the Government to finally approve and publish their own gender pay gap reporting bill, but said she was disappointed at the delays to date and the length of time it will take to pass the bill, noting that Labour’s Bill passed committee stage a year…