George Lawlor

I thank all the stakeholders in this review. I will speak to the proposed changes to the special school system. Circular 39/2025 in part refers to the designation of special schools under the plan. The Department and the NCSE have said they intend to commence work on reviewing the designation of existing special schools to ensure that all special schools respond to the needs of children in their l…

In recent years, the landscape of Ireland has begun to shift, with concerns about terrorist offences increasingly emerging in areas that were once considered safe and isolated. While Ireland has historically been associated with a relatively low level of terrorist activity, particularly since the Troubles ended, given the changing global landscape and the rise of various extremist ideologies, we h…

2. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline the targeted actions being taken by his Department to improve the employment rate of people with disabilities, considering that Ireland consistently lags behind the EU average in this area, our constrained labour supply, our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabili…

Will the Minister of State outline the targeted actions his Department is taking to improve the employment rate of people with disabilities in Ireland given that Ireland consistently lags behind the EU average in this area? Will he also comment on Ireland's constrained labour supply, our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the absence of a Government …

I thank the Minister of State. While I welcome his comments, we really need serious action in this area. As he will know, we are a laggard in terms of our performance. The figures speak for themselves. The right of persons with disabilities to work on an equal basis with others is enshrined in international, EU and national policies including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabil…

There are wonderful organisations right across the country working with people with disabilities but the State has really let them down. As I was saying, two in five people with disabilities are at risk of poverty, one in five lives in consistent poverty and one in two lives in deprivation. The additional costs of living for people with disabilities are well documented in the 2021 Indecon cost of …

The Labour Party will not be opposing this Bill but we feel we need to look more closely at the whole area of copyright in this country. With our myriad of talent, this is an issue that affects not only the music industry, but the broader landscape of creative arts and cultural expression in Irish society. The matter of equitable remuneration for performers and owners of copyrighted sound recordin…

We can all recite the litany of the dead. We watch nightly the systematic destruction of an entire people. By design, the current Government of Israel is ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip, making life impossible to endure there. There can be no doubt that the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu is well advanced in implementing a plan to remove the Palestinian people from their historic homeland thr…

The current housing crisis in this country can only be described as a catastrophic failure of leadership and policy, leaving countless families in despair and homelessness while developers and landlords profit from the misery. The Government's inaction and ineffective measures have turned the dream of so many of getting a social house or owning a home into a cruel joke. In my county of Wexford, as…

The ongoing genocide in Palestine perpetrated by an Israeli Government hell-bent on wiping out an entire people is something about which we as part of an international community should be hanging our heads in shame. The entire international community is standing idly by and muttering fine words while thousands of babies, children, women and men are wiped out by evil. The entire international commu…

I welcome the Bill and I will outline just two concerns I have. There is a range of laws that can come into play when an employer closes down. European Union law governs some of these laws. The legislation in this area is usually concerned with ensuring minimum rights, underwritten by the Exchequer, while allowing the parties to agree more substantial or enhanced terms. Of course, there can be no …

CBS Secondary School in New Ross currently has an enrolment of 413 students. It is a coeducational DEIS school and remains the only secondary school in County Wexford without a sports hall. This is a significant disparity which leaves the students and teachers at the school at a significant disadvantage. It is my understanding that the Department of education has already approved, in principle, th…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. However it is quite disappointing to discover that in this day and age, considering issues of mental health, well-being and the importance of physical activity, a PE hall does not appear to be on the agenda for this school. This is the only secondary school in County Wexford that does not have a PE hall or a gymnasium. The school is expected to opera…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the provisions relating to the constitution of joint labour committees, so as to provide for cases where organisations of employers or of workers fail or refuse to engage in consultation with the Labour Court prior to the appointment of representative (employers) members or representative (workers) members, as the case may…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I listened with interest last week as the Taoiseach scolded local authorities for their inaction or delays in returning void houses back into use. However, as someone who served on Wexford County Council for 20 years, one of the things that caused some of the greatest headaches were large-scale derelict buildings that created dangerous places for young people and children, in particular, to ventur…

Is there anything we can do to resolve these issues?

It is too slow.

The appalling waiting lists for children in Ireland awaiting an assessment of need that we have heard listed out today are nothing short of a national disgrace. It is an indictment of the values of society that we allow vulnerable children to languish in limbo, with their futures hanging in the balance, while bureaucratic inefficiencies and systematic failures continue to plague our health and edu…

Ba cheart dom a rá ar dtús go bhfuil mé ag ullmhú mo Bhille féin maidir le haitheanas na gceardchumann, rud atá ina ábhar imní do Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre le fada an lá. Is fíor a rá go bhfuil leibhéal ardtábhachta ag baint leis an mBille seo sa Teach seo agus go deimhin sa tír seo. I have been preparing my own Bill on trade union recognition, which is a long-standing Labour Party concern. However, …

I raise an issue affecting 11,000 customers in the Wexford area who are served by the Kilmallock Bridge water treatment plant. Based in Ballymurn, the plant supplies Castlebridge, Curracloe, Ballymurn, Crossabeg, Glenbrien, Screen and Oilgate. Last October, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I attended the unveiling of two new treated water storage reservoirs and associated works. At that time, the …

It is indeed.

As the Minister knows, higher education holds immense significance for the future of this island. The power of higher education as an economic enabler, particularly in our regions, is a vital component to our economies locally and nationally. As we navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global economy, it is essential that we recognise the pivotal role higher education plays in driving in…

2. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will reverse his decision to delay the implementation of the living wage until 2029; if he will commit to ensuring that low-paid workers are recognised for the invaluable role they play in the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21411/25]

People feel the lack of school places means that places are being just thrown at them. These are not my words; these are the words of the manager of the Collective Sensory Group, Shona King, who works closely with families and children in this area. Children need appropriate places but that is certainly not always the case. Often, we see children in autism classes when, in fact, this is a wholly …