Irish society is fractured, unfair and insecure because successive governments has been unwilling to incorporate economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights into domestic law, which would force government to deliver policies that tackle poverty, provide housing, control rents, bring healthcare to everybody and guarantee a decent income for everyone. It’s pretty obvious that Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Frances Fitzgerald have no interest in human rights measures that would oblige government to address social injustice. So, homelessness, exploitative rents and crippling mortgages are set to continue and the likelihood that your parents or grandparents will end up on a hospital trolley after devoting their life to building this nation will endure. Almost a third of the population will still be unable to afford essential items such as heating, a warm coat or an adequate meal. Yet these abominations are infinitely solvable within our existing resources - we are after all, one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Are we going to put up with this? Are we prepared to let things that were hard fought for - healthcare, affordable housing, a decent income – slip away, so wealthy people can be even wealthier? It doesn’t have to be so. Ireland has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights but has failed to incorporate the Covenant into domestic law, claiming that economic, social and cultural matters are for government to decide. Yet governments have consistently failed to address poverty, homelessness and other situations arising from an absence of enforceable ESC rights. Thomas Pringle will introduce a Private Member’s Bill in the coming months proposing a referendum to strengthen constitutional protection of ESC rights in accordance with the recommendations of the Convention on the Constitution. With your support we can make this happen. Please indicate your support by putting your name to this demand. Be part of this human rights campaign. Together we can make it happen!

Civilians must be evacuated and afforded safe passage out of Aleppo. Our leaders must ensure the UN plan for evacuation is implemented.

The GMIT Mayo campus is one of the foundation stones on which our community is built on. And has been since it first opened its doors in 1994. We must protect this vital resource for all the current students and the thousands of local and visiting students that could pass through its doors in the future.

This bill will facilitate evictions, increase the power of landlords to evict tenants, & allow developers to build without any real regulation or consultation. What the Bill will do: - Give landlords the right to evict tenants if they feel they could charge more to new tenants. - Allow landlords to evict households who have been in their home and community for over 4 years with no extended notice. - Increase homelessness and put almost 25% of the population under constant threat of eviction. - Allow An Bord Pleanála to privately develop plans with private developers without public consultation. This will lead to unsuitable, untenable and unfinished housing developments nationwide. - Allow for developers to be compensated by up to €10,000 if their planning applications are delayed - an obscene waste of public money. We are in the grips of the worst housing crisis Ireland has seen in a century. However, there are 5,000 empty homes across South Dublin alone. This bill does nothing to tackle the problem of vacant properties, which affects every part of the country. This Bill directly steals from the pockets of a public struggling to keep their homes, to give to private developers and landlords. . This Bill is an obscene affront to the most basic right to a home, and is an insult to the thousands of families and individuals homeless and living on the streets and in cramped hotel rooms nationwide.

The proposed College Green Plaza will be an iconic civic space in the heart of Dublin - Ireland's capital. It has the potential to rival other great urban spaces like Dam Square in Amsterdam or Trafalgar Square in London. However to achieve this the expansion of the proposed extent of the College Green Plaza to the steps of the former Parliament building (now Bank of Ireland) is of paramount significance. Given that the tax paying citizens of the State funded the Bank Bailout, and Bank of Ireland is essentially now State owned this petition calls on that Bank to allow the expansion of College Green Plaza by removing Parking in the forecourt area as a gesture of goodwill towards the people of Ireland and its capital city. A recent public consultation on the proposed plaza at College Green heard that the railings at Bank of Ireland were private and would stay, while trees would be removed. It is therefore clear that retention of railings is to facilitate parking in the forecourt of the Bank. This is not in keeping with a pedestrian plaza and or the opening of a new cultural visitor centre at College Green in 2017 which will greatly enhance the amenity value of the College Green complex. While the present railings do have historic value they should not be used to curtail the extent of the plaza. With careful planning and your input College Green can become a focal point for our nation in the heart of our capital city and once again play host to historic public gatherings from the visit of President Obama in 2011 to rallies and marches in support of issues that matter to all of us. Please sign & share and have your say !

I care about it as they dont have a life. They are cramped up in hotel rooms and being ripped off and not given a chance to life like a human. Give back to society to work and make a better life for themselves. Please dont turn a blind eye. Employ more people in this area to process applications quickly. You are destroying people's choices.

Every one of us knows someone who has been affected by alcohol abuse. 85% of people think we drink too much and this needs to change. The new Alcohol Public Health bill is based on international research and is a package of changes proven to work. But it is under threat because the alcohol industry is lobbying our politicians to change it using a wide range of tactics. They even had to be told to stop harassing Senators on their way into the Seanad. Politicians say they have never seen anything like it. The Alcohol Industry are right in one respect. The new bill will not solve Ireland's alcohol abuse problem. It is however a vital first step in changing our culture so that children as young as 8 years are not brainwashed into thinking being Irish means drinking. Like a motor car which can't run properly if it loses a wheel, removing or changing sections of the bill means 3 people will continue to die each day from alcohol abuse. The alcohol industry is using Trump like tactics of fear and misinformation to get TDs and Senators to accept amendments. Examples include Alcohol Industry "Drink prices will increase" Fact: At the current proposed minimum unit price, drink prices will only increase if retailers are selling below cost or really cheap strong alcohol. Alcohol Industry “The Bill will damage our economy." Fact: we taxpayers subsidise alcohol industry profits by €1 billion euro each year (even after excise duties etc.) due to costs of alcohol harm. Reducing alcohol consumption to lower levels will benefit the economy. Alcohol Industry: It will cost retailers too much to segregate alcohol products as they have to build walls. Fact: Retailers can choose how they will separate alcohol products once they restrict display of alcohol products. Alcohol Industry "Voluntary advertising codes work" As the Conor Mc Gregor Budweiser campaign showed voluntary codes do not prevent children being targeted. Advertising will still be allowed under the new bill. Real change happens when everyday people like you and I come together and stand up for what we believe in. Together we can reach lots of people and help create change around this important issue. After you've signed the petition, could you also take a moment to share it with others? It's really easy – all you need to do is share below. Thank you!

We want to bring your attention to the dire situation of a mother and a political prisoner in Iran by the name of Maryam Akbari Monfared. Maryam was convicted to 15 years in prison simply because her brother and sister were a part of an Iranian opposition group. It is been six years since her imprisonment. She is a mother to three daughters aged 11, 12, and 19 they are all at an age that they need their mother the most. Maryam’s brother and sister were executed in summer of 1988. During the past weeks I was informed that Maryam had launched a complaint against the perpetrators to her brother and sister’s execution. Because of this complaint the prosecutor cut all her visits and scheduled medical appointments. It is obvious that a simple legal complaint about the Iranian regime’s atrocities can bring about the wrath of the regime and in such a system there is no hope for any kind of justice. 1- Condemn cutting of her family visits. 2- Cancelling her medical appointments and lack of medical care. 3- The illegal and inhumane pressure exerted on her just for filing a legal complaint. 4- Ask the proper human rights bodies at the United Nations to launch a formal complaint against the regime.

This deportation order almost certainly see him returned to Iran, where he is convinced that he will be killed, as well as endangering his family. As a result, he has said that he would rather die here in Ireland than be killed in Iran. Our understanding is that he receives a brief daily visit from a doctor, and is being kept under CCTV surveillance. The Direct Provision system has already come under severe criticism for its treatment of adults and children, but to watch a man die a needless and tragic death in the 'care' of the State is unconscionable. Please act now by signing and sharing the petition as widely as you can. Thank you.

Everyone is very aware of the fight that has been taking place for our water since 2011 and hit the headlines in 2014 when 100's of thousands marched on our streets. The expert water commission is not setup to allow for a referendum on ownership of our water so please sign this petition and demand that Fianna Fail TD's support the bill next week.

At the moment, only 125 childminders are registered with TUSLA & included in the new childcare package in Budget 2017. However, up to 2000 more professional childminders are: -Registered members of Childminding Ireland or -Notified to County Childcare Committees, or -Registered with Revenue for Childcare Tax Relief Most of these professional childminders have insurance, garda vetting and training in childcare. Surveys indicate that over 50% have FETAC 5 in childcare. They are not registered with TUSLA because they are NOT ALLOWED TO, since they mind 3 or fewer children at any one time. Thousands of parents choose childminding because they feel it's the best for their children. Thousands more rural parents choose a childminder because there is no other option. Thousands more choose a childminder because they offer flexible, often very long hours, to parents, who may need childcare for over 12 hours a day. They should be able to avail of the childcare subsidies at their professional childminders. The Goodbody Report estimated that there were 19,000 childminders with as many as 57,000 children attending a 'hidden‘ childminding service in 2011. It is completely unacceptable that only 125 childminders (,0.1%) will be included in the new scheme. Ultimately all childminders should be included in some form of registration and all families who choose childminder care should be supported. In the meantime, at least include those who have spent considerable time and money in becoming professionals and engaging with professional and state agencies. IT IS UNFAIR TO EXCLUDE THEM WHEN THEY CANNOT REGISTER WITH TUSLA. IT IS UNFAIR TO THE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN THEY SERVE. Minister, do the right thing, and include these professional childminders in the new childcare subsidy scheme.

We, the EPIC Youth Board, are petitioning the government to provide adequate funding to Tusla (Child and Family Agency) and for Tusla to implement Aftercare for all young people leaving care. Young people who are in care have been marganalised from achieving their full potential in their lives., for most of their lives. 'We face barriers and difficulties that no young person should have to face.' (Young Person) One of the key areas to allowing people in care equal opportunities and equal outcomes is an Aftercare Plan and it's implementation. 'Young people leaving care need ongoing support in order to achieve their potential. The provision of an appropriate aftercare service has been highlighted as a key element to achieving positive outcomes for young people upon leaving care. It is essential that young people leaving care are provided with the type of transitional support that their individual situation requires.' (Department of Children and Youth Affairs) The Child Care Amendment Act 2015 states all young people in care are legally entitled to an Aftercare Plan once they have been in care for twelve months or more. However the right to Aftercare itself is not placed on a statutory footing. In Ireland today there are too many young people who are leaving care with no Aftercare Plan or an Aftercare Plan but no action on it's implementation. There are many young people leaving care who have an Aftercare Plan which is being implementated with great success. This difference between those that have a good Aftercare Plan and those that have none can be the geographical area they live in. Young people who have been discriminated against for most of their lives are again being discriminated against through no fault of their own. The harsh reality for those young people is that they are at best under huge stress in a time of uncertaintity, which is affecting their whole lives, or at worst they are falling through the cracks and put in a position where they are accessing services such as homeless services. 'Our vision is to make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to grow up and raise a family, and where the rights of all children and young people are respected, protected and fullfilled; where their voices are heard and where they are supported to realise their maximum potential now and into the future' (Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people, 2014-2020.) Our government makes choices all the time, we are calling on Tusla and the government to choose to give young people in care an equal chance in life. Make your vision for young people be for all young people!