Type: Press
Stanley must withdraw gerrymandering claim against boundary body – Whelan
A claim made by Deputy Brian Stanley this week that Laois is a “gerrymandered constituency” must be substantiated or unequivocally retracted, Labour Senator John Whelan has said. Speaking today, he said: “This is an outrageous slur cast upon the Electoral Boundaries Commission. If Deputy Stanley knows a constituency has been gerrymandered, then as a responsible…
Read more »SocDem failure to tackle USC a major letdown for working families – Ferris
Today’s uncosted Social Democrat manifesto attacks Labour for our pledge to reduce USC for low and middle income householders, accusing our party of recklessness. Across Ireland, workers are seeing USC cuts in their January pay-packet. The Labour Party is committed to standing up for working families and will make no apologies for it. Unlike the…
Read more »Costello criticises hospitality sector greed
Also urges establishment of new Dublin Docklands tourist trail Speaking in the Dáil today on the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, Labour Deputy Joe Costello welcomed the legislation, stating it was one of the shortest Bills presented to the Dáil in the last five years but extremely important as it provided for the doubling…
Read more »Sinn Fein water claims laughable as meter scheme rolled out across North – Whelan
“As usual, the party who promotes the ideal of one island are peddling two separate policies either side of the border.” Sinn Fein’s claim that only they will abolish water charges is laughable given that they have repeatedly failed to permanently abolish water charges in government in Northern Ireland. From 2007 to 2011, then Sinn…
Read more »Tuffy welcomes far left U-turn on Irish Water
Dublin Mid-West Labour Party TD Joanna Tuffy has said Paul Murphy, Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins signing a SIPTU petition for the re-designation of Irish Water as a non-commercial state agency represents a massive U-turn on their position. Deputy Tuffy commented: “For the last number of years we have heard the likes of Paul…
Read more »Hayden welcomes passage of Bacik bill
I am delighted to have seconded Senator Ivana Bacik’s Competition (Amendment) Bill 2016 which passed through Second Stage in the Seanad tonight. This Bill marks a very important step on a road which will enhance the security of income and opportunity for a number of self-employed professionals. To date the rigorous tests applied under the…
Read more »Government accepts Bacik Bill on workers’ rights
Senator Ivana Bacik’s Competition (Amendment) Bill passed Second Stage in the Seanad today after Minister Richard Bruton, on behalf of the Government, did not oppose it. Senator Bacik proposed the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2016 on behalf of the Labour Party Senators, as a Private Members’ Bill. Senator Aideen Hayden of Labour seconded the Bill. Welcoming…
Read more »Cahill welcomes publication of government strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence
Senator Mairia Cahill has today welcomed the publication of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD. “I welcome the publication today of a national strategy to deal with the very serious issues of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence over the next…
Read more »FF hypocrisy is criminal – Byrne
Labour Party TD Eric Byrne has criticised Fianna Fail’s crime policy announced earlier today. Deputy Byrne commented: “According to their new crime policy, Fianna Fail want to introduce anti-crime measures at a cost of €104 million. Where do they expect to fund these proposals? From within the Garda force! “It is financially unsound to propose…
Read more »Bacik Bill to boost rights of freelance workers
In the Seanad today, Senator Ivana Bacik will introduce the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2016 on behalf of the Labour Party Senators, as a Private Members’ Bill. Senator Aideen Hayden of Labour will second the Bill. Speaking to propose the Bill today, Senator Bacik will say: “Under competition law, currently every self-employed person is considered to…
Read more »White calls for increased investment in energy efficiency, renewables and clean transport
Minister for Energy Alex White today (Wednesday) said there must be an early review of Government capital spending plans to allow increased state investment in energy efficiency programmes to help Ireland meet its commitments on global warming and reduced carbon emissions. Speaking at the Dublin launch of the 2016 Better Energy Communities grant scheme, which…
Read more »Minister Howlin establishes group to examine labour market and retirement age issue
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin TD, has announced the establishment of an Interdepartmental Group, led by his Department, to examine the issues arising from prevailing retirement ages for workers in both the public and private sectors, in the context of the increase in the State Pension age from 65 to…
Read more »AAA’s perpetual protest won’t house families – Byrne
It is disappointing, but hardly surprising, that Ruth Coppinger and her hard left colleagues continue to play political football with the issue of housing and homelessness. The one consistent thing about Ruth Coppinger, the AAA, and People Before Profit is that, unlike the Labour Party, they prefer perpetual protest to actually delivering homes and solutions…
Read more »Sinn Fein’s eleventh-hour attempt to help elderly ‘a PR gimmick’ – Nolan
Sinn Fein’s charter for older people is a last-minute, desperate attempt to shore up support from a section of society they have completely ignored since 2011. Sinn Fein are not serious about investing in the elderly, in the same way they aren’t serious about being in Government. The party’s pre-Budget submission completely ignored older people…
Read more »Scrapping of fees for PRTB mediation services helpful – Kenny
Dublin Labour TD and member of the Oireachtas Justice Committee, Sean Kenny, has said that the new mediation service for tenants and landlords announced today is to be welcomed. Deputy Kenny stated: “The new service has been commenced as part of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 and will be operational shortly. The mediation services…
Read more »Ryan welcomes 350 jobs at Dublin Airport
Labour TD Brendan Ryan has welcomed the news that increased passenger traffic in Dublin Airport has led to the creation of 350 new jobs by the DAA. Deputy Ryan stated: “As a TD for Dublin Fingal, I am pleased by today’s announcement and that it comes on foot of a bumper year for Dublin Airport….
Read more »Policing Plan needed to deal with scrambler bike problem – Costello
Speaking at the Central Area Joint Policing Committee at City Hall this morning, Deputy Joe Costello raised the serious problem of scrambler bikes on the streets of the North Inner City. Deputy Costello was referring to an incident on Christmas Eve in which a young man on a scrambler bike crashed into a Garda patrol…
Read more »Children to benefit from Labour’s childcare plan
Speaking at Labour’s ‘Standing up for working families’ campaign launch:Families across the country will potentially benefit from Labour’s plan to introduce a €2 per hour childcare system, Labour candidate for Dublin South West Cllr Pamela Kearns has said. Speaking today at the launch of the Labour’s ‘Standing Up For Working Families’ campaign, Cllr Kearns, who…
Read more »Labour will deliver the smallest class sizes in the history of the State
Standing up for working families’ campaign launch: Speaking at the launch of the Labour Party ‘Standing Up For Working Families’ campaign this afternoon, Labour TD John Lyons outlined Labour’s achievements in education over the last five years, and unveiled an ambitious plan to deliver the smallest class sizes in the history of the state. “Labour…
Read more »Burton & Nash launch Action Plan for Jobs 2016
· Fifth annual plan is first in new phase of the Action Plan process, aimed at creating 200,000 extra jobs by 2020 · Plan is key part of Government strategy to keep the recovery going – 50,000 extra jobs targeted for 2016 The Government today launched Action Plan for Jobs 2016, the fifth in the…
Read more »Fianna Fail cannot be trusted on economy
The claims by Fianna Fail this weekend that they are competing to lead the next government, and that they can be trusted to build an economic recovery, is a clear indication that they are deluded. In 2011, the people of Ireland put Labour in Government to clean up the economic mess that Fianna Fail created,…
Read more »Fianna Fáil “fairer Ireland” claim is beyond belief
Fianna Fáil must be bonkers this weekend if they think voters will take them seriously with their promise to “build a fairer Ireland”. When Fianna Fáil’s economic policies failed dismally and almost destroyed the country, their immediate reaction was to kick the most vulnerable hard, and then kick them again when they were down. It…
Read more »Deserving causes might not have won the lotto but should still benefit
Galway East Labour Senator Lorraine Higgins today called for “Unclaimed lottery prizes to go to good causes, of which there are many”. Senator Higgins was reacting to claims that 2% of national lottery money has not been collected by suspecting winners which amounts to approximately €13m. Lottery winnings must be collected within a defined period…
Read more »Despite the severity of Ireland’s crisis, workers’ rights have been improved
Today the Tánaiste chaired the OECD Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting in Paris. The meeting saw ministers agree to review the OECD jobs strategy in order to build more resilient and inclusive labour markets – i.e. working to ensure that if any future economic shocks occur, jobs, incomes and workers’ rights are protected to a…
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