Type: Press

Labour Councillor and Chair of Dublin City Council Planning Committee, Andrew Montague, has said we should be using the planning system in Ireland to try and reduce our carbon emissions. Cllr Montague said: “As we put together the National Planning Framework for the next 20 years, we must be ambitious for the development of the…

Labour Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has called on the Minister for Sport and the FAI to answer questions on the treatment of the Republic of Ireland’s women’s national football team. “As a firm supporter of promoting women in sport, I was appalled to hear of the treatment of our national women’s football team.“It is not…

Labour Women has today welcomed the Labour Party Bill published today which would safeguard people against online harassment including ‘revenge porn’, describing it as a “vital measure to tackle the horrific online abuse many people endure without ever getting justice”. Chair of Labour Women Sinead Ahern commented: “There has been an epidemic of online harassment…

Chair of the Labour Party Policy Committee, Alex White has outlined today how the Labour Party Conference, later this month in Wexford, will debate a policy paper outlining radical proposals to tackle climate change. One of the proposals is to leave fossil fuels in the ground by eventually ending the licensing of oil and gas…

Labour Justice Spokesperson, Brendan Howlin TD, has today published a Bill that aims to modernise Ireland’s existing harassment legislation to safeguard people against all forms of harassment, including stalking, cyber- bullying and so-called ‘revenge porn’. The Harassment and Related Offences Bill 2017 follows recommendations made by the Law Reform Commission in its report on Harmful…

Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD has said that the Government’s housing policies are directly causing the surge in prices, and that the help to buy scheme has accelerated the rise.Deputy O’Sullivan said: “The rapidly increasing price of housing is a direct result of the policies that the Fine Gael Government, ably supported by…

Labour spokesperson on energy, Sean Sherlock has said that if we are serious about meeting carbon reduction targets the State must lead on energy efficiency across its infrastructure, with energy audits and specific targets for all public buildings, a deep renovation programme and increased funding for residential and commercial building retrofitting. Deputy Sherlock said: “Ireland…

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has today called on the Government to expedite the establishment of the promised root-and-branch review of an Garda Síochána, and has published draft terms of reference for an independent commission to carry out such a review. But he warned that this must not be used as an excuse to long-finger the…

Labour Party spokesperson on Agriculture, Willie Penrose, has called on the Government to bring in comprehensive safeguards to protect the agri-food sector and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy. “The €1.5 billion received by Irish farmers annually must be guaranteed in any post-Brexit adjustments to the EU Budget and the Government must ensure that…

Labour Party Leader, Brendan Howlin today attended a meeting of all member parties of the Party of European Socialists (PES), to discuss in detail ways of revising the fiscal rules of the Stability and Growth Pact to allow for greater public investment. Commenting after the working group meeting, Deputy Howlin said: “The rules that govern…

Senator Ged Nash has said that legislation from government on precarious work must comply with ‘the letter and spirit’ of the University of Limerick proposals he published in government.  Government legislation designed to improve the working conditions of employees in precarious work is expected in a matter of days. Senator Nash said: “Making work pay…

Labour Tipperary TD and vice chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Alan Kelly, has expressed concern about an interim report highlighting financial irregularities at the Garda training college in Templemore. Deputy Kelly commented: “This report raises a number of concerns, not least the time it’s taken to publish it, given that these issues go back…

Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has criticised Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney for excluding Limerick, Waterford and Drogheda from rent pressure zones. “Yet again, we see that Limerick, Waterford and Drogheda have not been included in the next round of rent pressure zones announced by the Minister for Housing today. “This is disastrous…

Labour Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is continuing his campaign for appropriate investment in the Emergency Department in Beaumont Hospital with a public meeting in Donaghmede Inn on Thursday evening the 30th of March at 8pm. “I have been campaigning for increased investment in the Beaumont Hospital’s Emergency Department for a number of years. “On the…

Speaking in Brussels, Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has today said that the triggering of Article 50 by the United Kingdom will usher in years of uncertainty, and  Ireland must prepare now with concrete actions for all possible outcomes. Deputy Howlin said: “With the formal Brexit process now underway, and no certainty on what the…

Labour Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has expressed her disappointment that the second interim report of the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes won’t be published on schedule, by the end of this week. Minister Katherine Zappone confirmed the delay in response to a Parliamentary Question by Deputy O’Sullivan…

The controversial Heritage Bill returns to the Seanad tomorrow, Wednesday 29th March for Committee stage, and Senator Kevin Humphreys, who is leading for the Labour Party, said: “The current Heritage Bill proposals that will be debated again in the Seanad is based on bad science and will not give protection to the endangered species of…

Labour Party TD for Longford-Westmeath, Willie Penrose, has called on the Government to establish regional fora to examine how the regions can minimise the impact of Brexit. “Discussion about the potential benefits for Ireland from Brexit has largely centred on the possible gains in the IFSC. The Government seems to have done little analysis on the…

The Parliamentary Labour Party has today agreed a motion proposed by Party Leader Brendan Howlin, which expresses no confidence in Garda management, and calls for changes to the remit of the Policing Authority to allow that body to publish a reform programme based on the Garda Inspectorate recommendations and to direct Garda management to implement…

The Labour group of Senators will be seeking to amend the Order of Business in the Seanad today, to call for the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald to address the House on the ongoing crisis in An Garda Síochána. Labour Seanad whip, Senator Kevin Humphreys said: “As the Minister for Justice has said,…

On the eve of the triggering of Article 50, the Labour Party has provided details of a Brexit Policy Paper containing 20 concrete actions aimed at protecting the Irish economy in the face of the oncoming challenges. The plans will be presented and debated at the upcoming Labour Party National Conference in a few weeks’…

“During her press conference today, the Garda Commissioner said that no deliberate distortion of facts or falsification of figures had yet been established.  This is, quite literally, incredible. Commissioner O’Sullivan’s position seems to be that almost a million mistakes might have happened over recent years. “Exaggerated numbers of breath tests – almost a million of…

With just days to go until the UK triggers Article 50, Labour Louth Senator Ged Nash has called for an Early Warning System to be introduced to help protect Irish workers and industries that are vulnerable to Brexit. The all-Island warning system would bring together trade unions, employers and other stakeholders to identify sectors and…

Labour spokesperson on urban regeneration, Joe Costello has called on the Taoiseach to act on the recommendations of the Mulvey Report, following a shooting on Railway Street last night. Costello said: “Last night’s shooting on Railway Street is a matter of grave concern.  Gangland feuding had dissipated in recent months.  It would be a serious…