I was saddened to hear of the sudden death of Munster Head Coach, Anthony Foley. My thoughts first and foremost are with his wife Olive and his family. Anthony was an iconic figure in Munster and Irish rugby. His loss is tragic to Munster and Irish rugby fans across all the world. The vigour Anthony…

On Tuesday 18th October, the Labour Party will table a motion during Dáil private members time on Tuesday evening to seek to address the lack of funding committed to education in Budget 2017. The motion particularly focusses on reducing class sizes, tackling school costs for parents, funding higher education, and the roll out of new…

A new survey has found that 74 per cent of Dubliners polled would favour a directly elected mayor of the city, if a referendum was held. More than 500 people living across Dublin, and aged 18 and over, were interviewed by polling company Ireland Thinks in September. The research found that support for a directly…

Former Minister for Overseas Development Assistance, Seán Sherlock TD, has called on the Government to clarify its position in relation to the resignation of Mr Barry Andrews as CEO of GOAL. “GOAL is partly funded through Irish aid. Notwithstanding the suspension of funding to GOAL by Irish Aid pending the outcome of the USAID investigation…

Despite being touted as the centrepiece of Budget 2017, the Government’s childcare package has failed to deliver the best possible outcome for children, says Labour TD and Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan. “There was much hype that children would be the main beneficiaries of this year’s Budget, but as more details become…

“Since last Friday I have been raising concerns about the magical appearance of an extra €200 million for the overall Budget package. It is astounding to suddenly hear the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin enquiring today as to where the extra fiscal space came from. For the last few weeks they have led us all…

Labour TD and Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Seán Sherlock , has highlighted how thin the Government has spread the ‘fiscal space’ in the Budget announced yesterday. “The immediate aftermath of a Budget announcement tends to focus on top-line figures in the areas of Social Protection and Excise Duties, along with some media friendly…

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Earlier this week, in a newspaper article, I made two predictions.My first guess was that Minister Donohoe would wear a blue or a purple tie.My second was that this Budget would not be regarded as fair, progressive, or even sensible.I take no joy in being right on both fronts.For the first time…