Type: Press

The Government needs to immediately clarify when social welfare increases outlined in yesterday’s Budget will come into effect, says Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin. When pressed on the matter by Deputy Howlin in the Dáil this morning, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny could only confirm that the payments would be made “across the month of March”,…

The failure of Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton to secure any improvement to class sizes or make any meaningful reduction in back to school costs, is a major disappointment to those in the sector according to Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. “Last year, Jan O’Sullivan brought primary school class sizes back to pre-crisis level….

The Budget includes an astonishing proposal to reduce Ireland’s Debt to GDP ratio to 45% by 2025. Ireland has made great progress in bringing down our debt to GDP ratio in recent years from a peak of 120% to 76% in 2016. However Minister Noonan’s Budget speech contains an astonishingly conservative proposal to bypass the…

    Labour provided a bigger increase to pensioners in 2016 than that provided in the 2017 FG-FF Budget No increase in Child Benefit provided in Budget 2017 while all other major payments going up Social Welfare budget only increased by 1% Under 26’s getting only €2.70 extra a week Labour TD and Spokesperson on…

Labour TD and Spokesperson on the Arts, Joan Burton, has expressed her disappointment with the overall reduction of 16 per cent in the Arts Budget for 2017. The estimates show that the provision for current expenditure in the sector has fallen by a million euro on 2016 levels, while capital spending will be slashed by…

Labour Senator and Spokesperson on Rural Development, Denis Landy, says today’s Budget shows the Government is more focussed on a welfare scheme for sheep support, than a renewal of rural communities. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Pascal Donohue, allocated 25% of the Rural Development Programme to the welfare of sheep but provided no new…

The childcare package announced today is underfunded and fails to address the chronic issue of low pay in the sector, according to Labour TD and spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan. “In the Budget for next year, the sum that Katherine Zappone has secured for investment in a new programme covering childcare and…

Labour Senator and Spokesperson on Labour Affairs and Workers Rights, Ged Nash, says the Government’s 10 cent increase in the National Minimum Wage outlined in Budget 2017, is a slap in the face for 70 thousand of Ireland’s lowest paid workers. “The government has failed to meet its own commitments to raise the minimum wage…

Last Friday, after the main opposition parties had published our alternative budget proposals, it was reported in the Irish Times that an “extra €200 million to expand the so-called “fiscal space”, is understood to have been found through “savings””. Following on from this report, we have sought clarifications from either Paschal Donohoe or Michael Noonan,…

Labour Tipperary TD and Spokesperson on Health, Alan Kelly, says any move to cut rapid-response emergency ambulance services in Tipperary and Clare is completely unacceptable. In a statement to media today, the HSE confirmed the National Ambulance Service has started a review in the Mid-West region, including the provision of rapid response vehicles operated by…

Budget 2017 should include a significant increase for Ireland’s international aid fund.  At 0.35% of GNP, the Irish Aid fund is at its lowest percentage in nearly two decades.  It is only half of our UN target of 0.7%.   Our neighbours in the United Kingdom reached the UN target a few years ago despite…

Labour Senator Kevin Humphreys has slammed Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over continued speculation of a possible delay to the old age pension in next week’s Budget. “Reports that an increase of €5 would be delayed until July would mean a real increase of only €2.50 a week in 2017,” said Senator Humphreys. “Any move…

Today’s revelation that the Government has conjured an extra €200 million of fiscal space for the Budget next week must be urgently clarified. According to reports, a further €200 million is now available to fund a cut in the USC and increase spending through ‘savings’. The Labour Party has sought further details from the Departments…

Labour TD for Longford- Westmeath, Willie Penrose, has expressed solidarity with workers at the Cameron factory in Longford, after the company warned it may cease manufacturing at its Aghadad plant next year, with the potential loss of around 170 jobs. Cameron, which designs and manufactures technologies for the global oil and gas sector, blamed a…

Labour TD and Spokesperson for Finance, Joan Burton, has called on the Government to restore the Christmas Bonus following today’s healthy end of September Exchequer Returns. Commenting on the figures, Deputy Burton said: “Today’s very strong exchequer returns means that the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal…

Labour Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Senator Ivana Bacik, has called for Ireland to take a stronger stance against Russia, in light of the appalling situation in Aleppo, with the ongoing bombardment of the city by Russian and Syrian government forces having resulted in the deaths and injuries of so many civilians, including children. Senator Bacik said that…

Labour TD and Spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government, Jan O’Sullivan, has called on the Government to bring forward the new Vacant Site levy by one year, from 2018 to 2017, to tackle the housing crisis. The levy, which consists of a 3 per cent charge of the market value for unused land, aims…

Next week Budget 2017 will be revealed. The entire commentary to date is about the ‘fiscal space’ and what sectors will get a slice of the pie. The Budget should be about guaranteeing that every citizen has a sufficient income to make possible a minimum acceptable standard of living. For the two million working adults…

Labour Party TD and Spokesperson on Transport, Brendan Ryan, has welcomed progress made in the Dublin Bus dispute. Workers will now be balloted on improved pay proposals reached following extensive negotiations between unions and management at the Workplace Relations Commission. Unions have suspended planned industrial action until the outcome of the ballot is known. “While…

Labour Party Senator and spokesperson on Labour Affairs and Workers’ Rights, Ged Nash, has called on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connell, to quickly move to establish an Employer-Labour Conference, after the Labour party motion was successfully passed in the Seanad, last night. The proposed body would complement and support the…

Labour Party Senator and spokesperson on Dublin, Kevin Humphreys, has again called for construction to begin on the new National Maternity Hospital as a matter of urgency. Plans for the new facility have been delayed in a dispute over who should have governance control at the proposed site on the campus of St Vincent’s Hospital….

Labour Party leader and Wexford TD, Brendan Howlin, has called on the Government to provide clarity on whether or not the Christmas Bonus will be paid this year. The payment was partially restored over the last two years, with a 75% Christmas Bonus paid to all social welfare recipients last year. However in his response…

Labour TD and spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Alan Kelly, has slammed media reports of government plans for a so-called ‘emigrants tax’ as preposterous. According to newspaper reports today, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, is considering offering a 30 per cent tax rate to highly-skilled Irish workers currently living…

Senator Ivana Bacik today welcomed the recommendations made by the Law Reform Commission in their Report on Harmful Communications and Digital Safety. “In recent years the growing recognition of online abuse has highlighted the legislative gap in this area. Reports from Women’s Aid here in Ireland and by international experts point to an increased problem…