Type: Press

The dramatic increases in standing charges that some waste companies seem intent on imposing on customers from next month, were never envisaged when I signed the Statutory Instrument to give effect to the new charging structures. In fact, I made it perfectly clear to the waste companies at the time, both in public and in…

It was with shock and sadness that I learned of the death this afternoon of Labour Party MP, Jo Cox. My thoughts first and foremost are with Jo’s husband Brendan and their two young children, and on behalf of the Irish Labour Party, I would like to extend my sympathies to them. I understand that…

Senator Landy welcomed the Governments recognition of a problem which has been ongoing for a number of years where councillors are paying 4% of a small salary of approximately €16,000 per annum and in turn receive no benefit.In his statement in the Seanad yesterday Minister Varadkar acknowledged the unfairness of this position and accepted that…

Speaking from Liverpool I would like to condemn in the strongest possible terms, the attack today on Labour MP Jo Cox. I understand that Ms Cox has played a very active role in Labour’s Remain campaign, and while the circumstances surrounding the shooting have yet to emerge, it is clearly the case that this attack…

“It is a pleasure to be here in Liverpool to meet with representatives of the Irish community.I want to thank Conor McGinn for his invitation to be here.Conor has long been a friend of the Irish Labour Party. He often comes to Ireland to campaign alongside my party.And so it is my pleasure to return…

I was glad to have an opportunity in the Dail this week, to raise an issue concerning the impact of the decision by the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, board to terminate the Irish Pensions Trust, IPT, pension with immediate effect for the employees of CRC. I communicated by letter on 2 June 2016 with the…

Labour Party Senator and former Minister with responsabilty for the National Drugs Strategy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has criticised the announcement today by Minister Simon Harris that the Misuse of Drugs Bill is to be divided up with the introduction of Medically Supervised Injecting Centres to be long-fingered indefinitely. In response to a question tabled by…

Labour Party spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan T.D. has welcomed the announcement of Minister Zappone that proposals to give children with disabilities better access to pre-school is being implemented in time for this September. Deputy O’Sullivan has also commended the commencement of the LINK programme of education for Early Years practitioners which…

Speaking this morning in the Seanad, Senator Ivana Bacik called for an urgent response from the Taoiseach and the Government to the ruling last week by the UN Human Rights Committee that Ireland has breached the rights of the applicant Amanda Mellet due to the prohibition in Irish law of termination of pregnancy under the…

The decision by Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys to establish a consultative group on Moore Street is a welcome, if somewhat belated development. I have seen the properties in Moore St and they are in a very precarious condition, but they are the very heart of the story of the 1916 Rising, and it would be…

Earlier today, along with my colleagues Joan Burton and Kevin Humphreys, I met with a group of representatives from the arts community. Representatives of the community have a number of significant concerns which they have asked the Labour Party to pursue – namely adequate funding of the arts sector, how to develop a visionary approach…

Speaking during Order of Business in Dail Eireann Coming just over a year after the joyous scenes that followed the passage of the Marriage Equality referendum in Ireland, the appalling crimes carried out in Pulse nightclub in Orlando late on Sunday night serve as a stark reminder to us all of the need to maintain…

Wes Hoolohan’s wonder goal in UEFA 2016 in Ireland’s draw against Sweden last night sent Ireland’s fans into ecstasy. Wes is from Dublin’s North Inner City and his parents still live in Portland Row. Another hero from Portland Row is Kelly Harrington who won silver at the World Boxing Championships in Azerbaijan a couple of…

Labour Youth is sending messages of solidarity to the people of Orlando, after the shocking news yesterday that 50 people were murdered in a gay nightclub. Declan Meenagh, Labour Youth International Officer said: “We are devastated at the news of the attack on the LGBTQ+ community in Orlando. On behalf of Labour Youth, we send…

One year on from the scandalous overnight closure of Clery’s, Senator Ged Nash has called on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation to urgently implement the proposals contained in the Duffy-Cahill Report. Speaking this afternoon outside Clery’s building, Senator Nash said, “The manner in which the Clery’s workers lost their jobs scandalised the nation….

Labour Spokesperson on Mental Health Kathleen Lynch has welcomed news that funding ring-fenced for mental health has been restored in the 2016 budget allocation. “Under the previous Programme for Government 2011-2016, there was a specific commitment to ring-fence funding of €35 million for the mental health budget every year. “As Minister with responsibility for mental…

Ireland should now recognise the State of Palestine so that the people of the Middle East can move towards a final and comprehensive peace settlement. Late last year in the Oireachtas, Labour in government supported a motion to recognise a Palestinian state, and this symbolic recognition should be adopted at Government level. The Labour Party…

I welcome the fact the government has responded positively to Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin’s call at Leaders Questions on the urgent need to establish a robust task force dedicated to tackling crime and deprivation in Dublin’s North Inner City. Last week myself and Brendan Howlin met with community leaders in the North Inner City…

Ciaran Lynch has been appointed by the Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin as spokesperson on Affordable Housing and the Retail Sector. Mr Lynch was first elected in 2004 to Cork City Council and elected to Dáil Eireann in 2007 and again in 2011. Mr Lynch previously served as Labour spokesperson on Housing and Local Government…

I am delighted to accept the position of spokesperson on Urban Regeneration for the Labour Party. Ireland has changed dramatically over the last fifty years from a largely rural to a largely urban society.  The changes were most pronounced in recent decades.   Urban planning has not kept pace with urban development.  Too often developments are…

As I said when I became Leader of the Labour Party, I am confident about this party’s future, because we have values that are immutable that are not going away any time soon. They have endured 100 years and will endure another 100. And they are needed today more than ever.” Today, it is my…

First case under Industrial Relations Act yields positive results for food processing workers  Labour Senator Ged Nash has welcomed a binding Labour Court recommendation issued last Friday (3rd June) which has provided for significant pay increases and the introduction of a sick pay scheme for workers at Freshways Food Company in Dublin. Senator Nash Commented:…

I spent several hours in Dublin’s North Inner City in recent days with my Labour colleague Joe Costello where I met with members of the local community, community leaders, business owners, educators, service providers and Gardai. The spotlight is shining on the area at this moment, thanks to the recent spate of gang-related gun deaths….

I do not welcome a visit to Ireland by Donald Trump, particularly during the course of the US Presidential election campaign. And I believe he should not receive any official welcome, even of the most cursory nature. Citizen Trump holds no elected office in the United States. To extend diplomatic courtesies would be not only…