Type: Press

Labour spokesperson on Justice Seán Sherlock has said that action is needed to restore Garda morale and questions must be answered about why the perception exists that one rule applies to the top, and another to the rank and file as highlighted again today by revelations at the Disclosures Tribunal about the loss of mobile…

Commenting on the report into maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital, Labour Party Health spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has said that the management need to take accountability for what happened and lessons have to be learned. Deputy Kelly said:  “Serious lessons have to be learned at Portiuncula Hospital following the long-awaited report into the failure of…

Jack O Connor, who has been selected to contest the next General Election for the Labour Party in Wicklow, has called for an urgent integrated response, entailing innovative thinking, to address the problem of growing rush hour traffic congestion on the N11. Mr O’Connor said: “The endlessly increasing misery endured by people travelling to and…

Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD, reacting to the latest Daft.ie report has said that it shows the absolute failure of the Government’s Rent Pressure Zone model to slow the pace of increases in the rental market.  Deputy O’Sullivan said:  “The Daft.ie report that shows an annual average rent rise of 11.5% is truly…

Labour Youth is urging young people nationwide to get registered to vote for the upcoming referendum by the deadline on 8th May. National Chairperson Chloe Manahan commented: “With less than a week to the deadline and 150,000 young people still not registered to vote, time is of the essence to make sure the new generation…

Speaking from the INMO annual delegate conference, Labour Health spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has said in order to tackle the staffing crisis in our hospitals, the Government must end pay inequality for nursing staff. Deputy Kelly said: “We must address the standard of pay for nurses in Ireland when we compare it with that in…

Labour representative for South Kildare, Cllr Mark Wall has said the news that Coca Cola is to close its plant in Athy with the loss of 82 jobs is a devastating blow for the town, and that the Government must now urgently respond. Cllr Wall said: “The loss of 82 manufacturing jobs is a body…

Speech by Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin TD at Access to Medicines Conference,  Wednesday 2nd May, 2018 Thank you for asking me to speak today. The discovery and development of new drugs has dramatically changed our lives for the better. The revolution in health care over the last century has extended our lives and made…

Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has said the State must ensure that the full medical costs are covered for all women with cervical cancer who have been caught up in the scandal. Deputy Kelly said: “There is no doubt that these women have been let down badly by the State, and if it…

Senator Ivana Bacik will be speaking today at the launch of a cross-political and cross-professional group seeking to secure public understanding and support for the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment of the Constitution and campaigning for a Yes vote. The launch will take place at a press conference and photocall…

Following reports that up to 150,000 young people are not registered to vote in the upcoming referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, Labour Party Director of Elections, Councillor Jane Horgan Jones has urged young people to get on the Register. Councillor Horgan Jones said: “The upcoming referendum is a once in a generation opportunity to…

Speaking on May Day 2018, Labour Party Chairperson Jack O’Connor issued the following statement: “Best wishes to everyone on May Day. Even before it became International Workers Day, May Day traditionally evoked hope and opportunity. There is every reason to be hopeful in Ireland today. Thanks to the sacrifices the people have made we have…

Labour Women has noted with great concern that 17 women affected by the CervicalCheck controversy have died and are urging for urgent solutions to avoid such tragic errors from occurring into the future. Chair of Labour Women Sinead Ahern commented: “We have all watched and listened with horror the last few days as the extent…

Labour Party spokesperson on Health Promotion, Cllr Martina Genockey, has said steps must be taken to reassure women who are understandably worried and concerned in the wake of the Cervical Check controversy. Cllr Genockey said: “I think every woman around the country is feeling a sense of anxiety as well as shock and horror at…

Labour spokesperson on Employment Affairs & Social Protection, Senator Ged Nash has welcomed the announcment of the first major Chinese biopharma investment in Ireland by WuXi Biologics that will deliver 400 jobs in Dundalk. Dundalk site identified for large-scale pharma investment in 2015 Regional Action Plan for Jobs Senator Nash said:“The announcement of a massive…

Speaking at the all-island civic dialogue meeting with Michel Barnier in Dundalk today, Monday 30th April, Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin TD outlined the need for absolute clarity by the June meeting of the EU Council on arrangements for the Irish border. Deputy Howlin said: “I’ve always been a political optimist. “So in December I…

Labour Health spokesperson Alan Kelly TD has called for the Oireachtas Health Committee to meet next week on the revelations about the cervical cancer screening programme. Deputy Kelly said: “The revelations in the last few days about the CervicalCheck service have been deeply shocking, and has caused huge concern for women across Ireland. “The Joint…

Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has described Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald’s remarks that Brexit could not be stopped or ameliorated at Westminster as 100% wrong. Responding to remarks by the Sinn Fein leader quoted in the Ulster Herald, Deputy Howlin said: “Mary Lou’s remarks are self-serving nonsense designed to justify Sinn Fáin’s failure…

Labour Education spokesperson, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called on the Ministers for Higher Education to put her plans for future funding of higher education on the record of both Houses of the Oireachtas. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “For months, Ministers Bruton and Mitchell-O’Connor have fobbed off questions by parliamentarians on the subject of the future…

Labour Party Health spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has called for an investigation into CervicalCheck. This follows Vicky Phelan’s case in the High Court and the fact that fourteen other women who were given incorrect test results. Deputy Kelly said: “Firstly, my thoughts go out to Ms Phelan and her family. No amount of compensation she…

Senator Ged Nash has announced the creation of up to 100 new jobs at the PCI Pharma Services facility in the Donore Industrial Estate, Drogheda. The new high containment packaging facility in the town will specialise in the primary and secondary packaging of pharmaceutical products to the highest global standards. Senator Nash explained, “During my…

Labour Housing spokesperson, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has expressed concern at the low numbers of social housing units built by local authorities across the country last year, and said the pace of delivery needs to urgently step up a gear. Deputy O’Sullivan said: “It is pretty shocking that in the midst of this unprecedented housing crisis…

Labour spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Sean Sherlock TD has said that the announcement by Whatsapp that it would raise the minimum age from 13 to 16 shows that the Government’s proposal is now redundant, and welcomed the confirmation today that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin would now support the Labour position of 16….

The Labour Party will host the first in a series of roundtable discussions in Dublin tomorrow as part of a nationwide project to draft and publish a new Democratic Programme for Ireland. The party intends to publish the document in January 2019, 100 years since then Labour Leader Tom Johnson presented the Democratic Programme to…