Alan Kelly, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has today, Monday 1st February 2016, announced details of a new €40m programme of construction / refurbishment of 26 fire stations for the five year period 2016 – 2020. The programme will see 16 new fire station construction projects initiated between now and 2020,…

Colleagues, friends,   This will be a year of profound journeys for Ireland.   We’ll journey back in time, to 1916, to reflect on the spark that lit the flame of independence.   We’ll journey to airports, ferries and train stations, to see our loved ones return home in great numbers as the recovery gathers…

Saturday morning address at Labour Party Conference Colleagues and friends,   It’s a great pleasure to be here in Mullingar, and I’d like to thank Willie Penrose for his warm welcome.   Nobody needs reminding of the unique blend of political wisdom, legal skill and passion for people that Willie brings to the Dail.  …

Minister for Communications Alex White today (Friday) said he was concerned at the widespread perception among civil servants that their work was not valued by the public. Responding to yesterday’s publication of the Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey, which found that just 15% of civil servants believed the public valued their work, Minister White warned…

Deputy Joe Costello has welcomed today’s announcement by the Minister for Mental Health, Social Care and Primary Care, Kathleen Lynch, of an extra €2 million to address the mental health and addiction needs of homeless people in Dublin. Deputy Costello stated: “This additional funding will ensure that these often vulnerable people can access the range…

“The Banking Inquiry has done the State some service for which future economic historians will be grateful” Dáil Eireann gave the members of the Banking Inquiry an almost impossible mission given the restrictions, constitutional and legal, in which they had to operate. We owe the Chairman Deputy Ciaran Lynch and each member of the too…

Speaking on the report of the Banking Inquiry I welcome the report of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis.  I want to thank the chairman, Deputy Ciarán Lynch, and the members of the Committee for their hard work and dedication over the last year. The report adds significantly to our understanding of…

It was disappointing to see that the Technical Group and Independents could not agree to work with all other parties in the Dail today to make sure that the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 is passed into law. Deputy Catherine Murphy, speaking for the Technical Group today, admitted that she was strongly supportive of…