Type: Speech

Statement on pre European Council Meeting of 15th December 2016 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY   Taoiseach, In advance of the European Council, I have a small number of concrete proposals that I hope you will take on board. The first couple relate to Brexit. Last night, my party held a Brexit forum, and I must say…

Labour Party Brexit Seminar, RIA, Dawson Street, Dublin. December 13th, 2016 Good evening. Thank you all for being here tonight, and thanks to the speakers who have shared their differing perspectives. Brexit will impact on all of us: It will define the next decade and more. To the people of Britain, it will have the…

I am presenting the Social and Affordable Housing Bill to the House this evening on behalf of the Labour Party It sets out the urgent legislative actions needed to address what has become a crisis of soaring rents and little or no construction of homes where they are desperately needed. I am very disappointed that…

Speech by Brendan Howlin TD on Labour’s Social & Affordable Housing Bill Our Bill tonight sets out to address key problems in the housing market. The history of our state has been marked by the insidious influence of private developers and property crashes. If we have any desire to change this, then it is clear…

Speech by Labour Spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government, Jan O’Sullivan, on the Secure Rents and Tenancies Bill. CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY “This Bill represents solidarity across left-wing political parties and groups in the Dáil as well as six trade unions and two Civil Society organisations.  It has been introduced by Deputy Eoin O’Broin and…

Speech by Willie Penrose TD in  Dáil Éireann on proposed Thirty-Fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2016 Labour supports Irish military neutrality. More importantly, we also believe that the principle is supported by the bulk of the Irish people, and that it should therefore be incorporated into the text of the Constitution. We will…

Speech by Brendan Howlin, T.D. Leader of the Labour Party #LabourRebuild regional meeting – Cork It is, I think, no understatement to say we stand at a cross roads. Brexit, the election of the new US President, the immediate hand out to the likes of Farage and Le Pen, constitute the biggest threat to the…

Ceann Comhairle, I move that the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2016 be read a second time. About 10 years ago, a small organisation came into existence called Choice Ireland. It was founded after a public meeting on the 8th amendment organised by Labour Youth. During their period of activity, I have no…

No-one can be untouched by the plight of the 1500 children who were left to fend for themselves when the Calais ‘jungle’ camp was dismantled. There is something deeply disturbing about seeing young people whose lives have already been so traumatised, abandoned in scenes reminiscent of a futuristic movie about survival after the collapse of…

I very much welcome the initiative of this debate. I applaud the motive and the actions of those who have been seeking to build all-party support for the motion on this matter, a motion which my party has been happy to endorse.   I am sure the supporters of this motion will understand and share…

Remarks by Brendan Howlin TD at the All-Island Civil Dialogue This forum presents a unique opportunity for those of us involved in the political space to hear from civic society – the sectors both economic and social that will be impacted by the momentous decision of the British people to exit the European Union. I…

Following on from the European Council meeting last week, it would be easy for all of us in this Chamber to focus on Brexit. I will certainly make some references to it. Given that the British Prime Minister, Ms Theresa May, took only a few minutes to set out her views at about 1 a.m.,…

I warmly welcome this Bill and I have no hesitation in offering Labour Party support for its passage into law.   This is a sensible, constructive and balanced proposal.   In that respect, it contrasts sharply with the proposals published by then Deputy now Minister Shane Ross in 2013.   Minister Ross wanted a Judicial…

Speech by Labour Finance Spokesperson Joan Burton on the 2016 Finance Bill. Key points include: Wealthy investors have been able to manipulate our tax laws. Corporate tax losses worth €1.24bn lost to Exchequer. Accumulated losses of €9 billion in financial sector. Minimum effective corporation tax rate required. Labour will oppose 6 month amnesty for offshore…

It’s always a pleasure to be here with members of the Chamber of Commerce. Firstly, and briefly, I want to talk about how we can begin to build a shared prosperity in Ireland. And perhaps a little more substantially, I want to share some of my thoughts on the impact of Brexit on our people….

Speaking on Dáíl Éireann statements on the conflict in Syria, with particular reference to the ongoing crisis in Aleppo. The now six year-old conflict in Syria is the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. The numbers are easy to throw out, difficult to grasp: 8 million displaced people inside Syria, 4.5 million…

Labour Party leader, Brendan Howlin TD, along with Finance Spokesperson, Joan Burton TD, and Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Seán Sherlock TD, have launched the party’s alternative budget in Dublin today, which contains a fully costed and progressive set of proposals for the coming year. The document, ‘Building a Shared Prosperity’ is made up…

“If a nation is defined by its culture – and it is – it’s hard to grasp why we Irish have allowed one of our greatest cultural assets – our music and song – to be banished from our primetime radio airwaves during the last few decades. It happened gradually – that’s why we didn’t…

I am pleased to move this motion on behalf of the Labour Party. The motion seeks to provide a route map towards the satisfactory resolution of the Dublin Bus dispute. It also seeks the introduction of a new mechanism, designed to complement and support the work of government, and our excellent industrial relations institutions to…

Welcome to Wexford! It is a clear sign of progress to see the Dublin economic workshop leave the august surroundings of Kenmare to visit the Sunny South East. As Dublin prepare for their second effort at defending the Sam Maguire, it is good to see their economic counterparts move from one of the two counties…

Good afternoon. I hope you all enjoyed the morning session, and welcome to the councillors who have joined us for the afternoon. Last night, I spoke about the rebuilding of the Labour Party. I spoke about our achievements over the five years. And I also spoke about some of the mistakes that we made, and…

  Good evening, and welcome back after what I hope was a relaxing summer break. My job is a simple one – to rebuild the Labour Party. To do so, I will rely on the talents of all those gathered here this evening. Tonight, speaking in this historic room, I want to talk about how…

It’s an honour to be here today to address the Labour Women Conference for my first time as Leader of the Labour Party. The work of Labour Women will be central to the rebuilding of the Labour Party. The numbers and the energy that is clear in this room are an example of how that…

Ceann Comhairle,   The Labour Party will seek to amend the Government motion before the House today.   My party supports in principle the decision of the Government to appeal this case.   At one level, it has not been an easy position to reach.   The prospect of an additional 13 plus billion of…