George Lawlor

Hand-wringing is complicity. We, as a nation, have always prided ourselves on standing on the side of justice, humanity and, indeed, international law but today, as the world watches the ongoing devastation in Gaza and the mounting civilian death toll of 73,000 to 75,000 - we do not fully know - men, women and children, our Government hesitates. This hesitation is absolutely unacceptable. It is ti…

The children's hospital.

There are four children's disability network teams, CDNTs, in County Wexford and none of them have a full team. Some are missing psychologists, some are missing occupational therapists and some do not have nurses or social workers available and it is not possible to cross cover. In other words, someone on the CDNT team in Wexford cannot provide the service to somebody who has a requirement in New …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is substantial and wide-ranging legislation touching on everything from environmental grants to consultancy supports, from technology acquisition thresholds to the establishment of new joint venture property vehicles. There are even amendments to the Science and Technology Act, freedom of information, FOI, provisions and the governance of the Hea…

Hear, hear.

With the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's blessing, I welcome the boys and girls from Castlebridge National School in Wexford. It is a historic place in Wexford. In fact, the Castlebridge team was the first Wexford team to win an all-Ireland hurling championship. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle, being a Kilkenny man, will no doubt look at that fact with envy. The measures that were taken over the years in relat…

Last year, the N25 around the area of Glenmore in County Kilkenny was the recipient of a much welcome static speed camera. However, because of inadequate and poorly placed signage, this camera is penalising even the safest of drivers. Literally thousands of drivers have been caught by this static speed camera because there is no adequate signage. People driving at 100 km/h have to drop to 80 km/h …

I wish to raise the issue of the appeals' process in the allocation of special needs assistants, SNAs, in the context of the treatment meted out to St. Aidan's primary school in Enniscorthy in Wexford. St. Aidan's is one of the largest DEIS band 1 vertical primary schools in Ireland. It is exceptional in scale for a primary school, with 861 pupils. It has seven special classes, 36 mainstream class…

The advice was in the letter.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Obviously it is not her core area so I understand the difficulty she finds herself in. I am holding the letter from a principal officer which was sent to say that there would be no change. Within the letter the school is advised to seek the rationale. I appreciate that the Minister of State said herself that this issue does not apply just to St. Aida…

We in the Labour Party are pleased to support this motion. I am pleased to move the amendment in my name and those of my Labour Party colleagues. This debate goes to the heart of what kind of economy we want-----

Okay. I am still learning.

This debate goes to the heart of what kind of economy and society we want, and what value we place on the people whose work keeps this country running every single day. We are living through a cost-of-living crisis that has not eased and shows no sign of easing in any way, any time soon, for ordinary households. Inflation may fluctuate on paper but its impact is felt in every weekly shopping bill,…

I will speak about the impact of the Ministers' proposals on moderate general learning disability schools. The future of children relies on schools like Our Lady of Fatima School in Wexford town. The Government's proposal to remove its MGLD designation threatens to dismantle the very support system that these children depend on. I am delighted to see Darryl, chair of the parents association, and h…

The Tánaiste will be aware that since Brexit, Rosslare Europort has seen an increase in freight of some 350%, which is obviously very welcome. However, Rosslare Harbour village is inundated with trucks parking right across the village. This is despite the existence of the old customs post. When I say old, it was fully refurbished, resurfaced and lined out and has capacity for approximately 50 truc…

We know that the explanatory note for this Bill says that its purpose is to allow Government to designate specific infrastructure projects or programmes that it considers to be critical. The Bill does not reference specific projects or programmes. It provides Government with the power to designate projects or programmes as critical infrastructure. Section 3 provides the Government the statutory po…

Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I want to raise with the Tánaiste the urgent and rapidly evolving situation with coastal erosion in Rosslare Strand. County Wexford is suffering more than many counties with coastal erosion as we move along. I am glad to see that the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is also in the Chamber. Perhaps he could also give a response to this. We have a crisis in Rosslare Strand at the moment, particularl…

This family-run hotel has been in existence for 131 years. Mr. Bill Kelly has said that the hotel will come under serious pressure if we endure another bad winter. It has to be said that €7.5 million was made available in 2018 for coastal protection works on the strand, but that is still at the planning stage. The strand and this particular area of the strand will not sustain another winter of sto…

This motion addresses a crisis that has been allowed to deepen within An Garda Síochána, an institution that is fundamental to the safety and well-being of communities across this country. The facts outlined in this motion are stark. Garda numbers have fallen, morale has deteriorated, and confidence, both within the organisation and among the public, has been eroded. This motion seeks not only to …

-----stated in a media interview that "a culture of fear" had been created within An Garda Síochána and that an environment had been created where "gardaí are working with one arm tied behind their back". This was from a brilliant now retired cop in his fifties. That is what the Harris era defined, with, it must be said, the acquiescence and forelock-tugging of a number of former Ministers for Jus…

The Labour Party supports this emergency legislation. We support the rebate because the haulage industry needs relief and it needs it fast. We must act with urgency and a sense of responsibility to the workers and businesses that keep this country functioning. This emergency legislation is not technical and nor is it distant from the daily lives of people. It deals with a crisis that has struck at…

I want to talk about Simona Demyter, a young 20-year-old Wexford woman who in 2019 was diagnosed with an extremely rare illness. Since that time, she has relied on a wheelchair but has outgrown it, the current one being too small. Last October, an occupational therapist called, did all the assessments and told her she would have a new wheelchair in a few weeks, but she never received it. In Januar…

A few days ago, the Minister, Deputy Browne, referring to the eviction of 36 families, said there had been misinformation which, he said, is insinuating that this move by the landlord is a reaction to the new rental rules. He was backed by the Taoiseach, who fobbed off Deputy Ivana Bacik on Leaders' Questions and Questions on Policy or Legislation. He said that claims by the Opposition were insinu…

We warned.