Type: Press

Labour employment affairs spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock has urged the Tánaiste and Minister for Business to stop foot dragging and implement sick pay for all. Nine months after Labour published a bill to put sick pay on a statutory footing, Senator Sherlock said the lack of urgency on providing this urgent support is outrageous. Senator…

Sky Sports and GAA should allow games to be broadcast on free to air channels over next six weeks. With the upcoming senior GAA inter-county games only available to view with a Sky Sports subscription, Labour sports spokesperson Mark Wall has called on the games to be made free to air when spectators are limited…

Dublin Bay South candidate Senator Ivana Bacik has said if elected, she would work to implement legislation to end Airbnb’s grasp on the housing market in Dublin and other cities. Citing a report by the European Commission, Senator Bacik said that Government cosying with corporates needs to end. People renting in cities are just as…

Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has said the time has come to end the State reliance on investment funds to solve Ireland’s housing crisis. Citing the ESRI report published today, Senator Moynihan said this report should be a watershed moment for the Government and represents a clear, evidence-based argument to invest State money in housing for…

Responding to the new advice from NIAC allowing for the gap between AstraZeneca vaccine doses to be reduced to 8 weeks, Labour Leader Alan Kelly said what the public will want to know is if it will be implemented, and called on the Minister for Health to provide clarity. Deputy Kelly said: “This is a…

UL and NUI Galway due to start on 6th September. No explanation provided for delay this year despite established written and predicted grade options. Responding to the announcement of the 3rd September as the date for Leaving Cert results, Labour Education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin called on the Minister to move the date back to…

Labour defence spokesperson Senator Mark Wall has said the cross-border healthcare system for Defence Force personnel must not be a casualty of Brexit. Currently due to expire on December 31, the scheme provides essential access to healthcare for our Defence Force, and is vitally important for workers on low income. Senator Wall said: “The Government…

Economic recovery strategy for young people required Responding to an ESRI report that lays bare the stark realities of Ireland’s young workers, people with disabilities and migrant workers, Labour enterprise and education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said Government’s lack of ambition for a recovery for all is damaging. It’s clear that a stand alone economic…

Speaking in response to the announcement of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Labour Party Arts Spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock said: “We welcome the confirmation from Minister Catherine Martin that Government will fund a basic income guarantee pilot scheme for the arts sector. “This basic income pilot scheme is testament to the trojan work of the…

Redundancy rights suspended until end of September. Taoiseach says no workers will lose out. Questioning the Taoiseach in the Dáil today on whether the time a worker spent on the PUP will count towards their redundancy entitlements, the Taoiseach confirmed a bespoke scheme is being worked on to ensure a worker gets their entitlements and…

Early €50 cut to PUP a cliff edge drop in anyone’s language New wage support scheme should replace EWSS to give firms a shot at viability Minister must clarify ‘aggressive tax strategy’ reform pledge to allow draw down of €950million New deal needed for young people Ged Nash, Labour’s Finance & Public Expenditure spokesperson has…

Labour education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called on Government to reintroduce the school library grant to give every child the right to read. Backing the Children’s Books Ireland campaign, Deputy Ó Ríordáin said the school library is a crucial part of building children’s literacy skills and must be properly resourced and funded. Deputy Ó…

Labour sports spokesperson Senator Mark Wall has said sporting organisations at home and abroad must learn from the actions taken by Naomi Osaka to protect her mental health by withdrawing from the French Open. Senator Wall said that in the era of ‘be kind’, we must all be cognisant that mental health struggles can affect…

Following confirmation in the Seanad today that the Minister for Education will not fund the development of an astro-turf pitch for Harold’s Cross Educate Together Secondary School, Senator Ivana Bacik and Councillor Mary Freehill have said that Government needs to do more to ensure adequate local sports facilities and public spaces. Senator Bacik said: “It…

Government has no answer for how families will pay their bills with lower payment while workers forced to wait for sector to recover. Responding to the expected government announcement on the planned cuts to the PUP, Labour Employment Affairs spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock said this bore all the hallmarks of a technocratic Government disconnected from…

Many students will have to travel in August and some colleges and countries have a vaccine requirement. Labour Further and Higher Education spokesperson Sen. Annie Hoey has raised concerns in the Seanad today about the lack of clear guidance for Erasmus and exchange students on requirements that may be in place for them to have…

Time to turn EWSS into a Short Time Work Scheme. Time spent on PUP must be reflected in future redundancy payments. Speaking in advance of the publication of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Labour Finance spokesperson Ged Nash TD warned that setting hard targets on the phasing out of pandemic income and business supports was…

Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has called for a common sense approach to be adopted in planning for an outdoor summer, and in developing a real vision for our public spaces. At a time that communities are encouraged to embrace the outdoors, local councils must have adequate resources to help the public enjoy their summer outside….

Focus on vaccine rollout and controlling variants essential. 60-69 year olds being left behind in reopening due to AstraZeneca dosing gap. Antigen testing still not being used enough. Continued economic supports for workers and businesses critical. With a further lifting of restrictions confirmed this evening, Labour Party Leader Alan Kelly warned that 60-69 year olds…

Rise of 12 homeless families from March to 925. 27 additional children now homeless meaning 2,193 children are without a home. Evictions are the primary cause of homelessness. With the homeless figures for April recording an increase of people without a home, Labour Housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has called for the for the re-instalment of…

Labour spokesperson on children, Senator Ivana Bacik, has again urged Government to implement a €100 million ‘Catch Up for Children’ scheme to make up for lost time in the classroom, and has warned that this year’s Summer Provision programme must be a success in order to offset the effects of prolonged school closures in 2020…

Labour Spokesperson on Higher and Further Education, Senator Annie Hoey, has called for Minister Harris to rectify the unfair decision to allow the Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP) to be counted towards students SUSI grant applications. Senator Hoey said: “It came to my attention last year that students who have been in receipt of PUP were…

The Minister needs to intervene immediately and apply a rent freeze until there rents continue to fall, said Labour Housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan. The loophole in the legislation that a double rent increase could be applied in July further highlights a Government totally out of touch with ordinary people. With a housing crisis continuing to…

Why hasn’t Minister for Health asked NIAC yet? With a NIAC letter showing they are keeping the gap between doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine under review, Labour Party Leader Alan Kelly has called again on the government to submit a formal request for a review after the Health Minister wasn’t clear in the Dáil today….