Vice Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Alan Kelly TD has called on the Department of the Taoiseach to come before the Public Accounts Committee to face questioning on the spending by the Strategic Communications Unit on the advertisement of the Ireland 2040 project. Deputy Kelly said: “Following advertisements in cinemas, national newspapers and regional…

As the UK Labour Party prepares to commit to continued participation in a customs union with the EU, Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has highlighted that the vote in Westminister could hinge on the absent votes of Sinn Féin MPs that could determine our island’s future, and called on them to use their vote. Deputy…

Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is to lead another protest rally against President Donald Trump and his Irish-American support in the Riverside Church, New York City on March 16th in aid of the American Civil Liberties Union. This follows last year’s event which attracted over 1,500 people to the iconic Manhattan venue inspired by Senator Ó…

Labour spokesperson on Tourism Cllr Niall McNelis has welcomed the opening tonight of the Picture Palace in Galway, saying thenew cultural infrastructure will be a great boost to the west of Ireland and for the city as it prepares to celebrate being European Capital of Culture in 2020. Cllr McNelis said: “The Picture Palace opens…

POSTPONED SELECTION CONVENTION Further to the diary notification issued on Friday, the Labour Party Wicklow Selection Convention has been postponed on Thursday night due to the expectation of severe weather. This is to limit non-essential travel on Thursday evening in the event of severe cold, frost and snow. The event will be rescheduled in due…

I will concentrate on the importance of the Mercosur negotiations. If their outcome and that of Brexit are not successful from our perspective, it is conceivable that our beef industry will be obliterated. Ireland’s interest in the EU-Mercosur talks is clearly centred on beef. Irish farmers are understandably concerned that the EU may grant significant…

Dáil Éireann, February 21st, 2018 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Page 16 of the 177-page-long National Planning Framework has a section entitled Learning from the Past and it refers to the 2002 National Planning Strategy as being “not a statutory plan with legislative backing” It then refers to the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 as providing…

Labour Party Health spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has criticised the Government and HSE for failing to tackle the trolley crisis in our hospitals. Deputy Kelly said: “Six weeks after the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recorded 677 patients on trolleys, it is scandalous that we are still seeing trolley watch figures as high as 621….