Type: Press

Labour Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has said that new figures from the ISPCC today highlight the need for an out-of hours social work service. In its annual report for 2016, the ISPCC revealed that 75 per cent of all calls to Childline happened outside office hours. Deputy O’Sullivan commented: “The…

Labour Party Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that says that the government’s ban on asylum seekers working is unconstitutional. “I am delighted with today’s Supreme Court decision as it vindicates campaigning by many lobby groups and NGOs over many years. This decision shows how the Department of Justice and successive…

Kildare North Labour Representative Emmet Stagg has expressed his disappointment that two Third Party Appeals have been lodged with An Bord Pleanala against the decision by Kildare Co. Council on Tuesday May 2nd to grant planning permission to Intel for their Modified New Chip Manufacturing Facility at its Headquarters in Leixlip. Mr. Stagg stated that…

Labour Leader Brendan Howlin has again called on the Cabinet and Michael Noonan to postpone the sale of AIB shares. The decision of the Minister for Finance to proceed with the IPO despite the decision of the Dáil is undemocratic. Following the publication of the Future of Healthcare Report, the Labour Party is now calling…

Labour spokesperson on Health, and member of the Future of Healthcare Committee Alan Kelly TD has welcomed the publication of the final report, and called now for immediate steps towards implementation. The Government should immediately commit to providing the €3 billion transition fund so that the plan can meet it’s ambitious objectives to transform our…

The Lord Mayor of Dublin and member of the Board of the National Maternity Hospital, Brendan Carr, has called for the State to take ownership and full responsibility for the new hospital rather than it being handed from the control of one private group to another. Brendan Carr said: “When I first raised serious concerns about the ownership…

Labour Spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has welcomed the announcement that the Religious Sisters of Charity are to relinquish ownership of their three hospitals, as well as the planned new National Maternity Hospital at the St. Vincent’s site in Dublin, and said that the precedent should now be studied by other religious orders. Deputy…

Labour Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has expressed deep concern over the findings of a report into the State’s child protection system. The audit by the special rapporteur on child protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, found evidence of serious failings in the system and that a complete cultural change was needed.  Deputy…

Commenting on revelations in the Sunday Times, Labour TD Alan Kelly has said: “The reported fact that the mobile phone that was used by Commissioner O’Sullivan during the period that the Charleton Enquiry are investigating is lost is quite frankly incredible. It raises so many questions about the behaviour of senior management in the Gardaí….

Labour TD for Tipperary and Vice Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Alan Kelly has said Minister Bruton must bear responsibility for lack of oversight of Universities. Deputy Kelly said: “The recent Prime Time revelations regarding some universities in Ireland highlight the need for more regulatory oversight but responsibility for the current lack of oversight…

Labour Housing Spokesperson, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has said a vacant tax on properties that are lying empty for long periods of time must be considered as a means of tackling the housing and homelessness crisis. It follows a week which saw 12 families reportedly sent to Garda Stations due to a lack of emergency accommodation,…

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has today questioned the legitimacy of Michael Noonan making a decision relating to the sale of AIB shares at his final Cabinet meeting next week, and has called on Independent Ministers to stand up against this plan to ignore the vote of Dáil Éireann on this matter. Deputy Howlin said: “We…

Labour Party spokesperson on Housing and Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has called on Minister for Housing Simon Coveney to urgently produce a strategy for vacant houses. “This morning I was shocked to hear that 12 homeless families, including 30 children, had been sent to Garda stations because there was no accommodation for…

Senator Ivana Bacik has welcomed this evening the passing at second stage of the Labour Party’s Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017. The Bill will now move to committee stage, with nearly all Senators present supporting it, and the Labour Group will seek an opportunity to progress it further…

Labour Women has commended Senator Ivana Bacik and the Labour Party for leading the way on addressing the gender pay gap ahead of today’s debate on the issue in the Seanad. Chair of Labour Women Sinead Ahern commented: “This Bill requiring employers to publish the difference between what they pay men and what they pay…

Labour spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Sean Sherlock TD has said it is bizarre that the Irish Minister’s for Finance and Public Expenditure are meeting with the European Investment Bank to borrow for investment, when they should instead be seeking to change the fiscal rules to allow the proceeds of the sale of AIB…

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr, has called for a full review of the operations of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) following the decision by the Judge in the trial of Sean Fitzpatrick to direct that he be acquitted of all charges. Brendan Carr said: “It is clear to me…

Commenting on the direction by a judge that Mr Seán Fitzpatrick should be acquitted due to the shredding of documents and coaching of witnesses, Labour spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has called on the Director of Corporate Enforcement to resign following the collapse of such a key trial. Deputy Kelly said: “I am calling…

Labour Party spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has welcomed the decision of the HSE Management in Limerick to open the A&E in Limerick on May 29th but he is concerned that HSE at a national level are trying to block this. “The Mid West desperately need this new A&E to open as planned. The…

Labour Party Leader, Brendan Howlin TD, has expressed his sympathies with all those affected by last night’s attack at the Manchester Arena. Deputy Howlin commented: “The news from Manchester is simply appalling. On behalf of my Party, I would like to offer our deepest sympathies with the victims, their families and the people of Manchester….

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has today called on Leo Varadkar to abandon his election pledge to outlaw industrial action by swathes of public sector workers. “The notion of outlawing industrial action by a cohort of workers should be anathema to anyone with even the most basic understanding of how trade unions can contribute to a…

Labour Dublin City Cllrs Mary Freehill and Alison Gilliland have secured a special meeting of Dublin City Council for Monday 22nd May at 5pm to discuss the shortage of staff that is hampering and delaying work across key Council functions. There is an urgent need for a Service Delivery Plan for the Council. Cllrs Freehill…

“The sequence of events today in relation to the Labour Party motion delaying the sale of AIB shares is an extraordinary one. “All parties were present in the Dáil chamber, and voted one by one on five amendments which had been tabled to our motion. Each of those was defeated in turn. This meant that…

A Labour Party motion to postpone the sale of AIB shares until the funds raised can be used to invest in vital State infrastructure, has been passed in the Dáil this afternoon. Welcoming the motion’s passage, Labour leader Brendan Howlin TD, said: “The planned use of the proceeds from the sale of AIB to pay…