Type: Press

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…

Councillor Dermot Lacey has once again called for the opening of Fitzwilliam Square Park to the Public and the many office users working in the surrounding areas. “As we enjoy the rare rays of sunshine it is quite simply unfair to the thousands of residents and workers here in Dublin that they should be locked…

Labour spokesperson on Children & Youth Affairs Seán Sherlock TD has welcomed the commitment made today by Minister Katherine Zappone to return funding to Scouting Ireland. Deputy Sherlock said: “The ongoing process of examining governance and safeguarding procedures in Scouting Ireland has been welcomed by rank and file volunteers throughout the State. “I had been…

Commenting on the publication of figures documenting the number of assaults on staff in HSE run hospitals, Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD has said that there needs to be a zero tolerance approach to attacks on hospital staff. Deputy Kelly said: “The shocking figures published showing over 742 assaults on healthcare staff in…

Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin TD has warned that the failure of the Government to deliver on the backstop, and the latest demand by Boris Johnson for a full British Brexit mean the risk of a disastrous Brexit is increasing, and that the Government should insist on a deadline for agreement on the backstop well…

At a meeting of the Executive Board of the Labour Party today, members expressed solidarity and support to the Lloyds pharmacy workers seeking recognition from their employer, and the members of Fórsa in Roscommon seeking the retention of family friendly flexi-leave. Labour Party Chairman Jack O’Connor said: “The Labour Party stands with all workers seeking…

Commenting on the report to Councillors on the proposal to consolidate depot sites and sell key sites, Labour Cllr Mary Freehill for the Rathmines Rathgar ward and former Lord Mayor of Dublin has said: “The Dublin City Council Chief Executive is keeping key information from City Councillors on his proposal for the fire sale of…

Labour spokesperson on Education, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said that the current controversy regarding examination marking is a crisis of the governments own making. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “The failure to deal with the teacher supply issue is linked with pay inequality in staff rooms which the government has failed to address. “Every week, I…

Labour Employment Affairs spokesperson Senator Ged Nash has said the revelations that 157 workers at RTÉ were misclassified as self-employed shows the need for the Government to more pro-actively tackle this across the economy. Senator Nash said: “RTÉ did the right thing by reviewing the employment status of over 400 contractors to determine whether they…

Labour Transport spokesperson Sen. Kevin Humphreys has welcomed the move by Irish Rail to put on extra security staff at certain north Dublin stations but said there was still a need for a dedicated transport police force to address the overall increase in violence and anti-social behaviour. Senator Humphreys said: “The large increase in anti-social…

Ahead of tomorrow’s planned industrial action by Lloyd’s Pharmacy staff, Labour Party spokesperson on Employment and Social Affairs, Ged Nash, has urged the company to accept the recent Labour Court recommendation. Senator Nash said: “Firstly, I want to offer Labour’s full support to the Lloyd’s Pharmacy workers who feel they have no option or alternative…

Labour transport spokesperson Sen. Kevin Humphreys has called for an increase in rush hour public transport services, saying we can no longer tolerate silly debates about the free travel scheme, and the latest spat shows that it is time to put the scheme on a statutory footing with clear rules to protect it into the…

Labour Youth has today called for the restoration of funding to the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), the recipient of this year’s Jim Kemmy Thirst for Justice Award last weekend in Limerick. Speaking on the matter, Chairperson, Chloe Manahan has said “The work that the RCNI does for people at a time when they are…

The Seanad will tonight debate a bill introduced by Senator Kevin Humphreys to finally regulate ‘AirBnB’ type short term lets. The bill would ensure that these lets are classed as a commercial enterprise, require planning permission, and would reverse the trend of homes being used as hotels in the middle of a housing crisis. Senator…

At Leader’s Questions today, Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin raised with the Taoiseach the need to restore funding to the Rape Crisis Network and for better data collection. Deputy Howlin said: “According to Garda statistics in 2017, there were 2,945 sexual offences committed in Ireland and 655 cases of rape. “While the 2017 Women’s Aid…

Labour Party Education spokesperson, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has hit out at Fine Gael for reserving 25% of school places for the children and grandchildren of past-pupils in the Admissions to Schools Bill Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “It is outrageous that a school should be allowed to keep 25% of its student body for children and…

Labour Finance spokesperson Joan Burton has highlighted that there is actually up to €2.2 billion available in the fiscal space for new measures in Budget 2019 before any new revenue raising or saving measures, and that the Minister for Finance is misleading the public debate. A further €2.6 billion has already been committed. The Minister…

Reacting to the Summer Economic Statement, Labour Party Housing spokesperson, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has said that it we are unlikely to see an affordable housing scheme from Fine Gael in the upcoming budget. Deputy O’Sullivan said: “It is clear from the Summer Economic Statement that the Government has no intention of allocating enough money in…

Labour Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs has expressed his disappointment that there is no mention of the childcare sector in the Summer Economic Statement published today despite the strain these costs put on Irish parents and need to support staff in the sector in the drive to full employment. Deputy Sherlock said: “The childcare…

In advance of the publication of the Summer Economic Statement, and responding to the suggestion by the Minister for Finance, Pascal Donohoe, that a portion of Corporation Tax revenue should be allocated to the Government’s proposed “rainy day fund”, Labour Finance spokesperson and former Tánaiste, Joan Burton TD, criticised the lack of coherence in the…

The Labour Party in Co Wicklow is today opening a Campaign Office at 7 Marine Tce , Strand Road, Bray. Coinciding with this, the Party has launched an online survey to highlight the co-relation between low quality jobs and dependence on rented accommodation at rapidly escalating prices, among younger workers.The survey can be accessed at…