Type: Press

Labour Party member of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has called for the Taoiseach to unequivocally commit to holding a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment in the month of May. Ahead of the Dáil debate, Deputy O’Sullivan said: “Public statements up to very recently have set May as the…

Labour spokesperson on Climate Action and the Environment, Senator Ivana Bacik, has welcomed plans by the EU to ensure all plastic packaging is recyclable by 2030, saying that Ireland must move to tackle the issue before that. Senator Bacik said: “The sheer volume of plastic packaging used in everyday items now is astonishing, and the…

Labour spokesperson on Affordable Housing, Joanna Tuffy has called on South Dublin County Council to look to example of the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Planning Scheme when amending it’s SDZ Planning Scheme for Clonburris. Joanna said: “In the Poolbeg SDZ Planning Scheme adopted last year by Dublin City Council, 900 social and affordable…

Speaking in advance of the Dáil debate, Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has called for the pay of Section 39 workers to be restored in line with their Section 38 colleagues in the public sector. The Labour Party has called for this in the Dáil over the last three months, is supporting today’s…

Labour Party spokesperson on Health Promotion, Martina Genockey, has said the Minister for Health must regulate rogue crisis pregnancy agencies during this Dáil session. Councillor Genockey said: “During this Dáil term, it is imperative that the Minister for Health bring in regulations to ensure that rogue crisis pregnancy agencies are no longer able to give…

Labour Party TD for Limerick City, Jan O’Sullivan has offered her sympathies to the family and bandmates of Cranberries frontwoman, Dolores O’Riordan. Deputy O’Sullivan said: “I was saddened to hear of the sudden death of The Cranberries lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan. “My thoughts first and foremost are with her family. “Dolores was an iconic figure…

Labour spokesperson on Education, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has called on the Minister for Education to urgently provide clarity on the future of five schools built by UK company Carillion, following news the firm is going into liquidation. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “The rug has been pulled out from under all those involved in these…

Labour spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Sean Sherlock TD, has said that children with disabilities in foster care and their carers must be provided with adequate support and services by the State. It follows a report by the Ombudsman for Children today into the case of a young girl, ‘Molly’, who had been in…

Labour Party spokesperson on Health Promotion, Councillor Martina Genockey has today welcomed the advice published by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland on ‘online influencers’.  Councillor Genockey said: “Following much public debate around the role online influencers play in advertising products to Irish consumers, I welcome the advice published by the CEO of the ASAI…

Labour TD Alan Kelly has said an explanation is needed for the volume of material provided to the Disclosures Tribunal in recent weeks, and accountability for why newly revealed records of emails and phone calls are only coming to light now. Deputy Kelly said: “Several days on, there has still been no explanation from An…

Labour Party spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD has repeated her longstanding proposal for NAMA to form the backbone of a new State Agency to deliver and finance affordable and public housing. Deputy O’Sullivan first put forward a proposal on repurposing NAMA in Summer 2016, while Fianna Fáil have now indicated their support for similar…

Labour spokesperson on Affordable Housing, Joanna Tuffy, has said that a report in today’s Irish Times that Fianna Fáil will pursue an affordable housing plan in their manifesto is welcome, but has come too late. Ms Tuffy said: “For the last two years the Labour Party has advocated for a State Agency to drive the…

A motion calling for DCC to seek legal advice, including from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, to ascertain if the Gresham Hotel is in breach of Equality legislation was passed at the Council’s Housing meeting this evening. The motion tabled by Cllr Alison Gilliland also condemned the actions of the Gresham in ceasing…

Labour representative for Kildare South, Cllr Mark Wall has welcomed the news as reported on RTE this morning that plans are underway for the possible construction of a sugar beet plant on the Kildare/Carlow border. Cllr Wall said: “The prospect of the return of the sugar beet industry to the south east as reported on…

Labour Party Environment spokesperson, Senator Ivana Bacik, has called on the Government to ban non-compostable coffee cups in tandem with introducing the latte levy. This comes as major retailer, Argos, saw a huge surge of people buying re-usable travel cups in Ireland. They estimate that there was a 537 per cent year on increase of…

Labour TD Seán Sherlock has said Ireland must follow in the footsteps of the UK and swiftly move to ban the use of microbeads and other micro-plastics in cosmetic and personal products. Deputy Sherlock’s Prohibition of Micro-Plastics Bill 2016, which passed second stage in the Dáil last year, would make it an offence to manufacture,…

Labour spokesperson on Equality, Cllr Deirdre Kinsgton, has said the high proportion of girls participating in this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition shows the enormous potential for women in the STEM sectors, and that girls should be actively encouraged to continue in these fields as they progress through the education system and into…

Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has welcomed the news that the Minister for Justice has held discussions with the Attorney General on progressing a Commission of Inquiry on Bill Kenneally, but said the meeting with victims should happen within the next two weeks. Deputy Howlin said: “I wrote last week to both Minister for Justice…

Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has said that the Cabinet has little or no freedom for manoeuvre on the nature of the abortion referendum it has committed to hold. He said media reports on the views of individual members of the Government serve no purpose. They have collectively supported a process to date and should…

Labour Party spokesperson on Education, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has said the only way to solve the teacher shortage is by ending pay inequality to make it more attractive. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “The comments by the Minister for Education yesterday that the growing economy is to blame for the shortage of teachers are preposterous….

Ahead of today’s symposium, ‘Rising to the challenge- addressing Ireland’s gender pay gap’, Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, who is speaking at the event, said: “Today’s symposium on the gender pay gap in Ireland represents another important step on the road to equality between women and men. “Despite significant progress over the years, women in Ireland…

Labour TD Alan Kelly has said an urgent explanation is needed from An Garda Síochana and the Department of Justice for the volume of documents provided to the Disclosures Tribunal in recent weeks. The volume of documents presented has led to a delay in the taking of evidence from the previously published schedule of witnesses….

Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has extended his sympathy to the family and friends of former Donegal North East TD Paddy Harte. “I was deeply saddened to hear today of the death of former Fine Gael TD for Donegal North East, Paddy Harte. “On behalf of the Labour Party I want to extend my deepest…

Labour Party spokesperson on Education, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has criticised the Minister for Education for the collapse in numbers for those applying to be teachers. This comes as a report has shown a 62% decrease in applications for teacher training courses. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: “Once a highly respected profession, now young people are…