Type: Press

Speaking ahead of the launch of Senator John Whelan’s election campaign in Portlaoise this evening, Labour TD and former Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn outlined his views on the choice facing voters in the next election. “The people of the new, three seat constituency of Laois will have a clear political choice in…

The announcement today by Labour Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash, that a review will be undertaken into company and employee protection law is welcome news, Labour Youth have said. This review comes in light of the appalling treatment of the Clerys workers and the seven-month campaign that has ensued since the company was…

The outcome and consequences of the 2016 general election will be as significant and as profound as the events of the 1916 Rising. The election has the capacity to influence, shape and impact on our society and country for decades and generations to come and like the Rising a century ago will prove a defining…

Labour TD Arthur Spring has congratulated the group of Irish actors, directors and writers who received Oscar nominations this afternoon. Spring stated: “This is a wonderful day for the Irish film industry. While we all had great faith that movies like ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Room’ would do well, I think most people are surprised by how…

Dublin Central Labour Party TD Joe Costello has welcomed today’s announcement by Minister Ged Nash of the appointment of two experts to examine the legal protections for workers, particularly where operations and assets may be moved to separate legal entities as part of a restructuring, such as happened with the closure of Clerys. Deputy Costello…

–       Two experts to consider employee protections and interface between company and employment law –       Company Law Review Group to review law and recommend ways to ensure better safeguards for employees and unsecured creditors Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash TD has announced a twin track examination of protections in law for employees and…

 The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton T.D., has today (Wednesday, 13 January, 2016) announced David Begg as incoming Chairperson of the Pensions Authority for a five-year term.  Mr. Begg will take over from Jane Williams who had been Chairperson since June 2010 until now. David Begg brings extensive strategic and corporate governance…

Minister for Mental Health, Social Care and Primary Care Kathleen Lynch has today (Wednesday, 13th January 2016) turned the sod on the new National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) hospital, which will be built on the site of St. Ita’s Hospital, Portrane.    When completed, this new state of the art facility will replace the…

Labour TD Joe Costello has reiterated his view that insurance companies should be obliged to provide flood cover in areas where remedial defence works have proved to be effective. Speaking today in the Dáil, Deputy Joe Costello stated: “One of the most significant features of the large-scale flooding which occurred in December 2015 and January…

Pathways to Work 2016-2020 will fuel the drive to full employment and the increase in the numbers at work to 2.2 million by 2020. The strategy, devised by the Department of Social Protection, was launched by Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton T.D. and the Minister for Education and Skills Jan O’Sullivan T.D….

Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North South Co-operation Seán Sherlock TD, has called for an immediate and full end to the denial of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Syria. Nearly 400,000 Syrians are living in fifteen besieged locations without access to life-saving aid. Reports suggest, for example, that up to…

Labour TD Arthur Spring, warns that the Independent Alliance in government would result in a coalition of chaos for Ireland. Deputy Spring said: “Ireland needs stability and balance with Labour in Government, not a gamble on an uncertain future. “With the Independent Alliance, people are risking voting for the unknown as they have no whip,…

Today’s comments from Fianna Fail Finance Spokesperson Michael McGrath that his party would cut USC are barely credible. First, the USC is Fianna Fail’s baby. This tax was one of the first measures that they introduced in response to the economic downturn that they directly caused and was so ruinous for the country. The USC…

Labour Youth today welcomes the Labour Party’s proposals on workers’ rights, “Standing Up for Working People,” by Tánaiste Joan Burton ahead of the general election. These proposals outline Labour’s plans to further improve the working rights and conditions of all, committing the Labour Party to further ensuring stable, fairly paid, and secure employment. Labour Youth…

Speaking today at Labour’s launch of a workers charter – ‘Standing Up For Working People’ – the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, and the Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash TD committed to increasing Minimum Wage to €11.30 over lifetime of next Government. In addition, they outlined the Labour Party’s…

Labour TD in Galway West, Derek Nolan, has welcomed a recent proposal by Tánaiste Joan Burton to host a major Global Arts Forum in Ireland, stating that Galway would be an ideal location for the event. Deputy Nolan said, “A Global Arts Forum is a fantastic proposal. The idea is that it would be modelled…

Speaking at the Programme for Government report This is a report that looks back on the fifth and final year of this Government’s term. But it’s also a report that helps us look forward – to the recovery now firmly under way and what we need to do to sustain it. In that respect, it’s…

Labour T.D. Ciara Conway is welcoming the development that women are outnumbering men on the ballot paper in the Waterford Constituency. “I’m delighted to say that we seem to be ahead of the rest of the country at this juncture in terms of female representation on the ballot paper. Of the nine declared election candidates…

Renua’s plan to abolish the TV licence would bury RTÉ and end public service broadcasting in Ireland, Labour TD for Galway West Derek Nolan has said. “The license fee makes up the bulk of RTÉ’s funding. Renua’s plan to gut RTÉ by depriving it of almost €180m would devastate the media landscape in Ireland. We…

Any involvement by the Independent Alliance in the next government would be quite simply a recipe for chaos. This much at least became clear from John Halligan on RTE’s This Week today, in an interview that to be honest, didn’t offer much clarity on anything else! Deputy Halligan admitted that because of the dramatically divergent…

I welcome the findings of the Expert Panel on the provision of ambulance services in Dublin and the of rest of the country. The Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) mainly serves the greater Dublin area while the National Ambulance Service (NAS) mainly serves the rest of Ireland. Because of their separate geographical remits, the Expert Panel…

Listening to Mary Lou McDonald today, it is clear that Sinn Fein would have no problem whatsoever putting Fianna Fáil back in power. On RTE’s Saturday with Claire Byrne, Deputy McDonald was asked whether there were circumstances where Sinn Fein would go into government with Fianna Fáil after the next election, and she said quite…

Dublin Labour TD and member of the Oireachtas Justice Committee Sean Kenny has welcomed the announcement of seven new Garda Youth Diversion Projects that will be getting underway in 2016. In addition, a new pilot mentoring service which deals with young people who come to the attention of An Garda Síochána will also be implemented….

The insurance companies can’t have it both ways. They won’t insure where they believe there are inadequate flood defences, and where adequate flood defences have been installed, they won’t insure either because there was flooding there in the past. Parts of my constituency of Dublin Central were prone to flooding in the past. East Wall,…