Senator Ivana Bacik has confirmed that the Labour Party will be supporting the motion from the ‘Not on Our Watch’ campaign (text below). “In the Seanad today I sought support from the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan for the proposal that Ireland would welcome 200 unaccompanied minors from Calais.” “Ireland needs to act to…

Labour Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sulllivan TD, is calling on the Government to tell homeless parents living in hotels around Ireland exactly when their children will be provided with free transport to and from school. “This was one of the promises in the Government’s Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness- and a…

Labour Youth is today reiterating the need to end pay discrimination in support of the ASTI’s call to tackle the issue of pay discrimination for newly qualified teachers. National Chairperson of Labour Youth, Grace Williams commented, “For too long we have seen entry level public sector workers, like newly qualified teachers, be subject to unequal…

I warmly welcome this Bill and I have no hesitation in offering Labour Party support for its passage into law.   This is a sensible, constructive and balanced proposal.   In that respect, it contrasts sharply with the proposals published by then Deputy now Minister Shane Ross in 2013.   Minister Ross wanted a Judicial…

Speech by Labour Finance Spokesperson Joan Burton on the 2016 Finance Bill. Key points include: Wealthy investors have been able to manipulate our tax laws. Corporate tax losses worth €1.24bn lost to Exchequer. Accumulated losses of €9 billion in financial sector. Minimum effective corporation tax rate required. Labour will oppose 6 month amnesty for offshore…

“I welcome the intervention of the Heritage Council in relation to vacant houses around the country. They are right to highlight the need to expand the Living City Initiative to include towns. I called for such an expansion in advance of the budget and for the scheme to be made more user-friendly. However, we need…

The Government needs to create more apprenticeship opportunities in the construction sector to cater for the expected surge in demand in the industry over the next four years. A new report by DKM economists has raised concerns about a possible lag in the availability of a skilled workforce, which it says is necessary for the…

Senator Ivana Bacik is today tabling a question for the Minister for Justice and Equality in the Seanad, seeking clarification on the incidence of cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ireland. Senator Bacik will put this question in the context of recent reports that an act of female genital mutilation (FGM) carried out upon…