Type: Press

Labour TD and member of the Finance Committee which investigated insurance costs in Ireland, Seán Sherlock TD, has said there are still too many questions to be answered on motor insurance costs. “If there is a lack of transparency on claims, how is a national claims information database located in the Central Bank going to…

Ken Whitaker will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. I had the singular honour of being invited to speak at his 98th birthday celebrations just two short years ago. His contribution to the modernisation of Ireland is well documented and generations of Irish citizens owe Ken a great debt of…

I am saddened to hear of the death of TK Whitaker one of our nation’s greatest public servants.   My thoughts first and foremost are with his family.  Whitaker embodied public service in Ireland and was in many ways the father of our economic prosperity and growth. His economic reforms were a model of fearless,…

‘Minister Coveney must make funding for four additional ambulances for Dublin Fire Brigade emergency medical services available immediately. The emergency ambulance service in Dublin is a Fire Based Emergency Medical Services (EMS) model which is a unique public safety model reflective of best practice internationally in urban areas and is provided in accordance with Section…

Cllr Mary Freehill, former Lord Mayor, and Councillor for Rathmines, said that Dublin City Council’s failure to have the Vacant Site Register completed by January 2017 is absolutely unacceptable. She and the Labour Councillors are calling on fellow Councillors to support them at Januarys Council meeting in calling on the CEO to make necessary resources…

Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has welcomed the move to identify several private hospitals that can support public hospitals and GPs in certain areas, but says questions need to be answered about a clear lack of proper planning for the current crisis. This recommendation was one of six proposals put forward by Deputy…

Speaking on Nollaig na mBan, Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Rebecca Moynihan has urged the Government to do more to tackle the gender pay gap which was most recently reported to be as high as 20%. Cllr Moynihan said: “On Nollaig na mBan, as we celebrate the enormous contribution by women to every sphere of…

Labour spokesperson on workers rights, Senator Ged Nash has said it is time Independent Ministers were judged on their actions and not their entertainment value. Senator Nash said: “It is time John Halligan started to behave like a Minister and deliver on the things he tells the media he believes in. “In an interview today…

Commenting on the revelations from FOI requests by journalist Ken Foxe, Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD has said Minister Harris must answer questions on how much he knew, and why the Department of Health deliberately down played HSE warnings on the risks of overcrowding in January. Deputy Kelly said: “Department of Health records…

Reacting to the remarks of Minister Shane Ross on the health crisis, Labour spokesperson on Dublin, Senator Kevin Humphreys has said it is time the Minister got to grips with his own Department. “While there were 18 people waiting on trolleys this morning in his local hospital in St Vincent’s it’s incredible that the best…

Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD, has outlined six proposals aimed at tackling the current crisis in Ireland’s A and E departments. It comes ahead of a meeting between Minister Harris and the head of the HSE, later today. Deputy Kelly has proposed: 1. Opening beds in Model 2 hospitals. Making better use of…

Reacting to the latest figures on hospital overcrowding, Labour spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD has said it is time for Minister Harris to recognise that it is now a national emergency and that all available beds must be opened immediately, and spare capacity in private hospitals accessed. “The figures published today by the INMO…

City and County Councils must show leadership in the fight against Litter and Dumping, said Joe Costello, Labour Party spokesman on Urban Regeneration in response to the annual Irish Business against Litter(IBAL) survey for 2016 which was published today. The IBAL survey states that levels of litter have risen throughout the course of the year….

There will be no New Year cheer for Ireland’s lowest paid workers with the derisory 10 cent per hour increase to the National Minimum Wage which will take effect on New Year’s Day, according to Labour spokesperson Ged Nash. “This time last year, 70,000 workers in the National Minimum Wage saw a 6% rise in…

Commenting on the High Court ruling on Apollo House, Labour Party spokesperson Joe Costello said: “A grassroots movement has transformed Apollo House into a symbol of how a community can respond positively to the homelessness crisis.” “It has become a touchstone for the failures of our profit driven housing market, which has failed to provide…

Labour Party spokesperson on Dublin Senator Kevin Humphreys has again raised the need to ensure AirBnB and the Fair Deal scheme do not lead to houses being removed from the rental market. He welcomed the acknowledgment from Minister Coveney in the Seanad today that he will examine the issues further in 2017. Senator Humphreys said:…

Labour spokesperson on Communications, Seán Sherlock TD, has hit out at the Government’s plans to create another group to implement the recommendations of the Mobile Broadband taskforce. Deputy Sherlock said: “Since the Government took office, this plan has been delayed and pushed from pillar to post. And now again we see the creation of yet…

Labour spokesperson for Dublin Senator Kevin Humphreys has warned that any cut to Garda frontline services in Dublin to cover the cost of the Labour Court agreement should be resisted. Senator Humphreys said: “With up to €25 million euro to be cut from the Garda operational budget I am calling for the Minister for Justice…

Labour Party spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly TD has welcomed the comments by Minister for Health Simon Harris on the possible use of private hospital Accident and Emergency facilities, but action is urgently needed now. Deputy Kelly said: “I originally proposed back in October that the Minister for Health should seek to use spare capacity…

Labour Party spokesperson on Social Protection, Willie Penrose TD, has drafted a bill aimed at protecting and defending the pension rights of workers in vulnerable situations. His Bill would amend the Pensions Act by protecting workers when their defined benefits scheme is being wound up, and/or if their employer remains solvent. Deputy Penrose will seek…

Alan Kelly has today written to Ms. Isolde Goggin, Chairperson of the Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) calling on her to open an investigation into the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) following the IPOAs highly publicised threats to have landlords impose a range of levies, charges and other measures. “It is my view, having…

Today’s report by the Irish Independent that over 4,000 Bank of Ireland customers have been paying too much interest on their tracker mortgages further highlights the need for the authorities to take a harder line with financial institutions. “Banks have cheated thousands of customers out of their tracker mortgages, while I welcome the fact that…

Labour Women has today made its submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on the need to repeal the Eighth Amendment, and is urging others to do so in the final hours before the deadline today. Chair of Labour Women Sinead Ahern commented: ‘Today Labour Women made its submission on the importance of repealing the Eighth Amendment…

Today Senator Ivana Bacik renewed her call made at last night’s Women for Election event in the Royal Irish Academy, urging those present to make submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on the need to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Senator Bacik said: “This week, I made my own personal submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on the…