This is why I’ve called on the Minister to increase allocations for community Gardaí across the constituency.

In Dublin Bay South our community Gardaí do excellent work even as their numbers are falling. Issues such as pension fairness, resource allocation, and rostering have led to morale issues which are not being properly addressed by government.

Community Gardaí play a critical role in the prevention of crime and supporting positive development among youth in our communities, and it is of the utmost importance that they are supported at every turn.

The Social Democrats have been calling for targeted supports for months - and have been met with a dismissive and hypocritical government that has failed to act decisively when it matters most. Read my latest blog post here:

The measures brought in by the government this week to address the fuel crisis are coming too late, and by not targeting supports, they will fail to shield those who are most vulnerable to the growing crisis.

The Emergency Winter Payment for disabled people, for one, would cost a fraction of the cost of these recent fuel measures, as would the Energy Credits we are proposing. The government cannot say these are not fiscally sustainable -  it is crass hypocrisy.

If it is fiscally sustainable to introduce these energy measures, why is supporting the most vulnerable in our society with much cheaper measures not fiscally sustainable? Why has the government opposed every targeted measure we have proposed since the Budget?

We understand the need for the fuel supports brought in over the last number of weeks, but they have come too late, and at the cost of this government’s own logic that making changes to spending plans is not fiscally prudent.

The government has repeatedly said they will not adjust their spending plans. They have said this constantly as we have called for interventions over the last number of months.

Tomorrow, the Social Democrats will bring a motion to the floor of the Dáil calling for more supports for households and to help the most vulnerable through this unprecedented energy crisis. Ask your local TDs to support our motion.

The government have survived the confidence motion, but the Social Democrats will continue to push for more supports for people during the energy crisis.

“These protests are a manifestation of how desperate many people feel as costs continue to soar - not just for fuel, but for everything in this country. “People are increasingly struggling to pay for the basics - food, energy and housing - and the government is just not listening to them. They are out of touch and out of ideas. “All of the indications now are that the support package, being considered by the cabinet later today, is going to exclude huge numbers of people who are under significant pressure. “The Social Democrats have repeatedly demanded that the government introduce a targeted €400 energy credit, as well as other support measures, to give people who are really struggling some relief. “The Social Democrats have no confidence in this government’s ability to manage this crisis - and, for that reason, we will support the no confidence motion in them.”

Statement from Party Leader @hollycairns.bsky.social

As a result of last year's Budget, those on lowest incomes are €250 worse off this year – and that was before the illegal war in Iran made fuel prices skyrocket.

The govt is missing opportunity after opportunity to help people with the cost of their energy bills.

It's time they took a chance.

That’s is an important clarification, thank you!

But the solutions must be designed to support progressive outcomes and long-term financial security, not only for individual savers but for the state too. The Social Democrats put forward proposals in our alternative budget which would be truly transformative. Read my blog for a comprehensive view.

Ireland is an outlier in that our system is not well set up for people to make the most of their savings, which is why I’ve been calling for reform in this area for a long time.

Simon Harris recently announced plans to improve returns for Irish savers, but the scheme as it’s designed is problematic. My latest blog post gets into the detail on why the current system isn’t working, and what a truly progressive solution might look like.

eoinhayes.ie/2026/04/09/h...

Social Democrats launch 'Solar for All' plan to reduce energy costs for households - Social Democrats Going big on solar is a no-brainer and the Social Democrats have a five-point plan to do that  Supports for solar panel installation need to be dramatically expanded and improved to help households cu...

Social Democrats launch ‘Solar for All’ plan to reduce energy costs for households.

Supports for solar panel installation need to be dramatically expanded and improved to help households cut their energy bills...

www.socialdemocrats.ie/social-democ...

This is my favorite climate change chart. Japanese monks, aristocrats, and emperors kept meticulous records of cherry blossom festivals for 1,200 years and accidentally built the world's longest climate dataset.

I like that idea!

The coming crisis makes these interventions even more urgent which is why we in the Social Democrats are continuing to call for emergency payments and energy credits.

Before the war in Iran, Ireland already had the highest prices in Europe and ordinary people paid higher rates than data centres which put pressure on our supply.

Everyone, and  especially those most vulnerable to energy price hikes, such as carers, disabled people, and those on lower incomes, need targeted interventions which can support them through a now worsening crisis, having already been struggling under the pre-existing high prices.

While we supported cuts to excise duties to bring down fuel costs - it is not enough for people to weather the current energy crisis caused by the American-Israeli War in Iran.

Trying to making TD numbers add up Does securing the basics need to be so complicated?

How many TDs should we have? I take a stab at it.

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...

In an unpredictable geopolitical environment further measures may be needed, but all decisions must be accountable to the Dáil and by extension the people of Ireland - particularly when they could have such a huge impact on our ability to tackle climate change and achieve our decarbonisation goals.

But while all of the other measures were time limited to the next two months, the one measure which has an impact on the Climate Action Fund gives the Minister carte blanche to extend the tax cuts for the next two years.

And they certainly should not allow for a raiding of the Climate Action Fund without any accountability to the Dáil.

In the Social Democrats we are supportive of the measures to reduce the cost burdens brought about by the American-Israeli War in Iran, particularly for the most vulnerable.

The energy crisis which we are facing requires decisive and impactful interventions from the government, but emergency measures cannot be taken without proper scrutiny and oversight.