Ruairí Ó Murchú
Louth · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It was hardly a shock to me and many others that he decided that the simplicity that was asked for by Sinn Féin last week, such that we would consider preparations for Irish unity, was not acceptable. Most people would see this as a possibility, even those who do not necessarily like the idea.”
“I welcome that. I have spoken previously to the Minister about the necessity of providing Mr. Delaney's report on the incident to Natasha and the wider family.”
“We will all be very interested to see what the new circular is. The Minister of State said it will be announced in September. A needs-based system is what we need. I would like to think the young boy I talked about would be able to avail of this. I will use him as an example. The correct assessments were carried out.”
“We just need to make sure that the circular is fit for purpose and that the young primary school child to whom I refer will be given the supports he requires. I will just finish reading from the communication to which I referred earlier.”
“We need to ensure that the engagement with Lebanon is ongoing. Are we happy with the interaction with the UN? There had been some issues relating to the coroner's court. Everyone needs to do everything that can be done to ensure truth and justice for the family of Private Seán Rooney.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for all the flexibility she allows in this Chamber, and hopefully that will continue as we speak. I welcome an awful lot of what Deputy Devlin said.”
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“I ask the Minister for an update on the work of his Department to counter money laundering in the State. I am sure that, no more than me, he has been contacted by many people, particularly parents, where kids have been stupid, got messages on the Internet and fallen stupidly into being a money mule, or even other scenarios where they have fallen in with their friends and been used and abused to a degree. In some cases, it is small numbers but still significant, but in others, huge sums have been put through people's accounts.”
“The Minister of State will expect that I will finish by saying that we need to see proper movement on the EU-Israel Association Agreement. We need to do work on what we can do. As difficult as it is to push the Europeans, we need to see movement. I welcome the Tánaiste's foray into the issue of Irish unity, following the route map of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond. I also welcome what I have heard from the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. We have to have a conversation with our European neighbours on the importance and necessity of doing our own preparations but then their facilitating us in delivering Irish unity, which could really change things positively, North and South and across Europe.”
“The EU can facilitate us and we can work alongside each other on delivering on the big idea of dealing with the issue of the changes we need to make on where we get our supplies of fuel and power. We keep talking about wind power but we know there are huge possibilities. We could be talking about strategic autonomy for Ireland and strategic autonomy for Europe across the board but this is where we need to go. I agree with everything that has been said as regards overseas development aid and the fact USAID has cut to bits many necessary projects. People might care from a point of view of the issues they are worried about, whether this is the impact across the world of how people are being treated, the lack of fairness and equality, even in relation to trade, and also the impact it has on immigration to this country.”
“We all accept there has been a huge hit to the body politic and people's trust in politics, and to people's very financial being across Europe and the western world. When Europe talks about issues of security, and I am not even getting into the arguments about rearming the EU, we all know the Irish people are absolutely committed to an independent foreign policy, non-alignment and military neutrality. That goes without saying. If we are going to talk about security, we also have to talk about the security of our people and the fact there has to be a rebuilding of trust and relationships. This is about addressing the financial crisis that people are in. I accept we have our own issues here, where health meets housing meets the cost of living and the cost of fuel.”
“I am delighted to get this opportunity to contribute to the debate. We know there are huge opportunities in relation to the European Presidency. We know we are in a very volatile world with an awful lot of circumstances changing by the minute and hour. It is fair to say that for all of the positives of the European Union, there are failings. There has been much talk about the failures of Europe, and we can go back to the financial crash and the fact we were not necessarily shown the solidarity we should have been shown. This is accepting the improvements during Covid and the huge solidarity shown to us during the Brexit disaster, the Brexit negotiations and all that was required in that regard.”
“Tá an vótáil curtha siar go dtí an chéad am vótála seachtainiúil eile. In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until this week's division time. Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí go léir.”
“Given the ongoing challenges facing mental health services and emergency care, I am deeply concerned that a lack of childcare provision could force experienced healthcare professionals out of the workforce. I am eager to continue serving patients in County Louth and contributing to mental health services, but I need support in finding a viable childcare solution. I have spoken to the Louth childcare committee and I think it is straightforward. I am sure the Minister may be aware there are currently no childcare places allowed for children full-time or part-time, especially within the age range from zero to three years. That says it all.”
“For the past year, I have been continuously contacting crèches throughout County Louth in an effort to secure childcare for our child. Despite my efforts, I have repeatedly been told that waiting lists are extremely long and that no places are available. The only childcare place that I have been able to secure is in County Armagh. As a result, I am paying over €270 per week for just three days of childcare. ... The arrangement also requires a significant additional daily commute as I live in [north Louth] and work in Drogheda, meaning I am travelling in the opposite direction before then commuting back to work. Unfortunately, the situation is becoming financially and practically unsustainable. I am now faced with the possibility of having to resign my job that I love simply because I cannot access affordable childcare closer to home.”
“What we need is a fit-for-purpose public system. I commend Deputy Kerrane on her work. Unfortunately, we had promises around affordability from the Government and at this point, we have neither affordability nor accessibility. It does not work for childminders. It does not work for childcare providers. It certainly does not work for those who work within it or the parents who are contacting all of us. A constituent wrote to me. She stated: I am writing to ask for your assistance regarding an urgent childcare issue that is placing my employment at risk. I am a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mental Health ... in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. I am passionate about my work and have worked hard to achieve my current position. My partner is an electrician ... and we have both invested years of training and dedication into our careers.”
“Could we have some indication of the trajectory of what is being sought by the amendments as regards an ethical and responsible framework, ensuring that the capacity is there within the AI office, that there is a sufficient amount of independence and that we can deliver a strategy that works? We all know the necessity of a feedback loop and the constant change that will occur. While there may be engagement with the likes of the companies the Minister of State met, we must not be directed by them. That piece is vital.”
“I am going to return to the meeting with OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta and Dell. I assume there were many others there. We definitely do not want a scenario and situation where we are being directed by them. I do not think people will give out about the fact that there is a conversation but I assume it is also about making sure there is transparency in relation to that and what we are proposing around the timeline for the AI strategy. I accept that no strategy that we put in play is going to remain static right through. I am interested in seeing that. I get that, to a degree, we are all talking in generalities because even when we talk specifically to amendments I am fairly sure that we are not going to see any amendments accepted.”
“The Acting Chair, Deputy McGreehan, and I spoke before about the use of the likes of Skillnet. We know that this has to be something that is delivered across all the local enterprise offices, LEOs, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. It is about ensuring that the capacity, ambition and remit is there within the AI office and that we make sure that those within the AI office, as the previous set of amendments proposed, have the skill sets and capacity. In some respects we have had very little conversation. There has been talk about the need for the AI office to be up and running and the fact that primary legislation is needed, including to deal with issues that might not necessarily be addressed here and now, but I have heard little in relation to the AI strategy, how we develop that, and what sort of timeline we are talking about.”
“The fact is that we are talking about a huge amount of information and how it is taken from those who provide it, whether willingly and knowingly, and then how it is utilised. That is why it is absolutely vital that we have a framework that is ethical and responsible. I have not heard anyone speak against that. We hardly want it not to be ethical and to be irresponsible. We all recognise and have spoken about where there are obvious wins from the point of view of artificial intelligence for companies. As much as there are dangers within education, huge wins are obviously possible. It is about ensuring that the AI office has capacity for a framework to provide training, due diligence and instruction where necessary. It might not necessarily be through the AI office.”
“We are all aware of the huge dangers, which I will reiterate. The big one at the minute is the number of people who are worried – not from a technical point of view – about losing their job. If we are talking about an AI office, we must ensure there is significant capacity and that it engages with the State and all of its agencies from the point of view of fostering the skill sets that are required to ensure we can deliver AI solutions to improve workplaces and innovation within companies and everywhere else. A number of the amendments relate to this. We must make sure that we have an overall eye on the development of artificial intelligence and its dangers. We have seen issues with Grok, etc. We do not know where the new-found dangers will be.”
“This is about stating the protections we want to see, combined with the capacity, are contained in the AI office. I would also add my voice to what many others have said. As much as we want to see strategies and a framework put in place quickly, nobody appreciates the rushed nature of legislation and the way that a number of Bills have been dealt with recently in this House.”
“We are discussing with stakeholders and big tech, some of whom have the ear of the American President and not necessarily in a positive way. I heard the timeline they are looking for will be much faster than what had been planned by the State. I ask that the Government does do everything it can to ensure that it has the best framework for delivering, notwithstanding there will be multiple changes because we can come up with any plan we like but it will change because this is a vastly evolving technology, which will encompass almost every facet of life. That means it is really important that we ensure we play our part in relation to regulation and seeing those dangers. We have seen the dangers related to social media companies in the recent past.”
“It is not taking away from the huge realities of how this can have a positive impact on healthcare in everything from diagnostics to organisation. It is vital that we have a system, a framework and an AI office that can drive this on and is able to deal with all of this. It is going to be difficult to deal with the whole issue of regulation and the fact that we want to see maximum utilisation in relation to artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, we have all seen Donald Trump's attempts to curtail technologies within the American sphere that he might not want to necessarily share out without a huge price to be paid, which we may not be willing to pay. We are in the early days. We are talking about a technology that is going to move on. It is making sure we also have capacity in that.”
“We have seen in the public domain that the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Lawless, had a roundtable meeting with Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft and a number of others. I think everyone welcomes the fact that conversations are ongoing with stakeholders, but we would also like to think that there will be an element of independence and that we will make determinations on what is best for Ireland, for the Irish people and more widely beyond that. Nearly every time we speak about artificial intelligence, we talk about the dangers of job displacement, which we have seen recently. Covalen is an example. We have also seen it in the case of PayPal. As much as the Minister of State will get official denials in this regard, I think it is fairly straightforward. That is not taking away from the huge room for innovation that exists.”
“Artificial intelligence has made particular strides and jumps. It is in a place where we never anticipated being, if we are talking about two years ago. What we see across the board in the amendments is that they are about ensuring we have an AI office which has the capacity to be able to deliver whatever delivery looks like. A number of people, including Deputy Conway-Walsh, have said we need a huge level of skill sets. Obviously that includes technical skills, but skills are needed beyond that because artificial intelligence will cross every boundary we can possibly think of. The question around an element of independence is obviously vital, given the history we have with regulation in this State if we think back to the financial crisis, which Deputy Murphy and others have spoken about. I also highlight the other aspect of the issue.”
“We know we will have to see a hell of a lot more from the Government, but also from Coimisiún na Meán, the European Commission and the Data Protection Commissioner, if we are going to see those companies brought to book properly. That needs to happen because we know of the huge dangers there are for children. It was pointed out to me that, in dealing with this legislation, we have to make sure there is regulation of AI and protection and that we put in specific protections for children. The social media issue is about regulation. As others have said, as much as we want to see AI literacy, we also need to see digital literacy. We also need to see that people show a capacity and ability to critically analyse circumstances and situations. We need to ensure we teach-----”
“People will talk about Covalen and the loss of upwards of 720 jobs there. I have said it for a long time in relation to some of the jobs I have seen being lost in the likes of PayPal. I get the point that can be an issue of machine learning meeting AI. We have to have a strategy to ensure we do not miss out on the benefits of AI but we also have to deal with the displacement of jobs and other risks. I attended a Children's Rights Alliance event earlier. A major part of the discussion related to where AI meets recommender algorithms in social media. We can all work on the basis that social media and big tech companies are about keeping you online. They will show you whatever they need to show you to keep you online. It is about you staying online and them making money. It is as simple as that.”
“I get that in some level it will almost work against itself, in the sense that the first part of its work will be regulation, which will be required given all the issues we have seen with the tech sector lately and the fact we are not even entirely sure where AI is at now, never mind where it will be in two weeks' or two years' time. It is very easy to talk about ensuring we promote AI literacy and have the proper regulatory sandboxes - controlled and contained situations where we can actually try to test AI. Obviously there will be a huge amount of international co-operation. We know who the big players are, namely, America and China. We know there is a certain element of open source and we are not entirely sure who wins out here. We know the huge dangers there are. The very simplistic dangers are the ones we know only too well.”
“I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026. It has been said by many previous speakers that AI is just a reality we are dealing with. Even though some people worry about it, we are a long way removed from Skynet coming live, if anyone remembers the glorious days of "Terminator". We all know the issues with the tech sector. When we talk about AI, we know about the part that crosses over into the issues we are having with social media. We know there is a requirement for regulation. It is obviously vital we have oifig intleachta shaorga na hÉireann, the AI office of Ireland. We need a body to co-ordinate this.”
“That would be the best means of dealing with the issue that we constantly talk about as regards reconciliation and whatever else. I would like to think that we would see movement on that.”
“We have seen recently the Tánaiste's foray into united Ireland politics. I would like to think that would lead to a change in relation to Government policy. We all welcome that infrastructural deficits will be dealt with as a result of the shared island unit. We all want to see the likes of the Narrow Water Bridge and we also want to see whatever relationships can be built, but let us be clear, the one thing that we do need to see is movement towards constitutional change. This means preparation. It is sensible to do preparation. Sinn Féin wants to see a Green Paper and a citizens' assembly. It does not have to be citizens' assembly, it just needs to be any kind of forum to have those discussions on what this could look like.”
“I will again bring up the issue of water infrastructure in County Louth, particularly in Hackballscross and Sheelagh. With regard to the reservoir in Dunbin, there have been telemetric monitoring failures and an issue with pumps being unable to contact these monitoring systems. For a number of weeks, families have not had water for days. Farms have gone without water and schools have been closed early. It is not good enough. We need to solve this issue. Locally, Irish Water has told me that it has some of the issues resolved but I need a meeting with Uisce Éireann at a corporate level. I request that the Taoiseach's office help facilitate this because I am having an issue with it. It is absolutely necessary. We should also look at an alternative water supply in the short term.”
“Members of the Fórsa trade union working at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus will commence industrial action, including work to rule, tomorrow, 25 June, on the basis of issues with staffing and safety and capacity concerns. We have all heard about them. Reports of assaults are in the public domain. I have spoken to a number of people who work in Oberstown. What is the Government's response going to be? We need this place of detention to be safe for those who work in it and, obviously, for the children who are detained there. I will quickly deal with legal fees and associated claims for State claims payments for the last three years. In 2023, the figure was €854,645; in 2024, it was €826,541; and last year, it was €861,807. Obviously, there is a particular issue here. It needs to be dealt with and we need a Government response.”
“The matters raised by Deputies Donna McGettigan, Eamon Scanlon, Mark Wall, Louis O'Hara, Mairéad Farrell and Claire Kerrane have been selected for discussion”
“Deputy Rory Hearne - To discuss community safety and policing issues in Ballymun and Finglas in the context of the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman - To discuss health and safety concerns in a school in Chapelizod, Dublin 20. Deputies David Cullinane and Conor D McGuinness - To discuss the severe childcare services deficit in County Waterford. Deputies Louis O'Hara, Mairéad Farrell and Claire Kerrane - To discuss the underfunding of Galway County Council. Deputies Darren O'Rourke and Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the need for redress for survivor's of historical abuse at a school. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss the planned industrial action at Oberstown.”
“Deputy Shane Moynihan - To discuss delays in reimbursement under the cross-border healthcare directive. Deputy Mark Wall - To discuss the ongoing illegal encampments in the Curragh, County Kildare. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss data collection and sentencing guidelines relating to unprovoked one-punch fatal assaults. Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the potential loss of 87 jobs and the uncertainty facing 600 students at Carlow College. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the reimbursement of a drug (details supplied) and the implementation of the drug reimbursement system as committed to in the programme for Government, Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss delivery of a new building for a school in County Kerry. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss actions to reduce the risk to children who require MRI scans under anaesthetic.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Pat Buckley - To discuss the lack of school transport for children with intellectual disabilities at a school in Cork, Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the loss of staff at a school in Priorswood in the context of its new DEIS plus status. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the development of Bunclody Community College, County Wexford. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the pricing of train tickets between Athenry and Galway. Deputy Eamon Scanlon - To discuss exceptional staffing pressures at a school in County Sligo. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the failure to recruit a consultant ophthalmologist in south Tipperary.”
“I am worried that, even if we were to recruit all the occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and psychologists for which there are unfilled positions in the CDNTs, in primary care and in the in-reach teams, which is probably not possible to do without a huge increase in workforce planning, we would still not be able to deliver on the need that is out there. We have to look at this in a far more comprehensive way that relates to how we deal with disabilities across the board. At the UN conference, we discussed the idea of mainstreaming, making reasonable accommodations and allowing full participation for those with disabilities. We need to stop this failure.”
“We have the figures. None of them are good enough. Unfortunately, despite all the initiatives that have been taken, we have not drastically dealt with that figure. That is the frightening part. It is the one right that parents have. It is sometimes the only right they can vindicate through the courts and there is therefore huge emphasis on it. However, as we all know, it does not provide you with the therapies, which are absolutely necessary. I am going back to the idea of putting a system in place across the board.”
“It is going to be very difficult if we do not look at the whole gamut from assessments right through to therapies. We are constantly trying to change little bits rather than looking at the overall picture and putting in place a framework that delivers for the children and families out there.”
“It goes without saying that the figure of 21,782 should be shocking. Unfortunately, it is not. The figure in my own area, HSE Dublin and North East, is 6,608. As the Minister of State has said, behind each of these figures is a child and a family. None of this is good enough. We sometimes come in here and talk about CDNTs and the number of unfilled positions. I will work on the basis that the number of vacancies is still in the high 300s. Even if we had double that number, I am not sure the CDNTs would be able to deal with the need that is out there. We have had many interactions in relation to this recently. Many people have bought into the idea of putting the resources where they are needed, which is to say, in school therapies.”
“Well, we actually did make it to this question. I requested information on the number of children currently waiting on assessments of need for longer than the statutory waiting time in each regional health area in tabular form. I want to get a notion of where we are. We spoke about the new autism protocol earlier but the fact is that this figure is far too big. We need to deal with this. Parents are not getting assessments and therapies for their children.”
“The problem is that parents and children are really suffering from the fact that we have not put a proper framework in place to provide the therapies and the constant assessment, which is the best means of doing this, to provide something that works.”
“I understand that your right to an assessment of need remains, but the fact is that these are attempts to reduce the waiting list. We all know that what parents want to see is a better form or means of assessment and provision of therapies. We need to ensure we have a proper framework that works. I will ask again about an aspect of this matter that I have asked about in a further question which I imagine will not get answered tonight. At this point in time, what are the numbers for the assessment of need waiting list and, as I said, specifically the number that is above the six months that are legally required to provide that service for families? We all know the issues that exist out there.”
“-----because, obviously, it is vital that we see this. It is also a matter of knowing how these assessments will be made. Some have said they would be worried about how the assessment officer or whoever makes the clinical determination. It is about ensuring that there would be a sufficient amount of clinical backup. We all accept that if we were starting again, we would have to look at a different system as regards assessment of need and how therapies are provided. I have always had a worry about how we will try to ensure we have enough of a workforce as regards therapists, whether we are talking about the inreach teams, CDNTs or primary care. In addition, I ask the Minister of State to give the up-to-date figure for the assessment-of-need waiting list and how she sees this impacting that.”
“I ask the Minister of State to provide an update on the progress of the establishment of a new autism assessment service. We all know about the issue that exists. We are talking about more than 20,000 on the assessment of need waiting lists, many of them over the six months in which that should be provided legally. There are a huge number of parents out there who can get neither an assessment nor the therapies their child requires. We really need to solve this for the parents out there.”
“I could say the same about the specialist orthodontist 0.2 WTE post which has been vacant since March 2025 and, again, “readvertised lately.” We need to see that filled. The consultant orthodontist post has been vacant since late December 2022. This is not working at all. I also have a letter from a company saying it offers cross-Border orthodontic health care for patients. It states that the contract that was offered to it has failed miserably and it cannot even offer a private, short-term solution.”
“It is as simple as that. Regarding orthodontic care and Louth County Hospital, in one of my recent parliamentary questions, I asked for an update and the response was: At this time, the Department is under-resourced, with a vacant consultant orthodontist post. There is a 1.0 whole-time equivalent for the Louth-Meath region, and 1.2 whole-time equivalent vacant specialist orthodontist post in Dundalk clinic. The specialist orthodontist position has been vacant since January 2024. In August 2024, a recruitment campaign was halted due to the pay and numbers strategy, leaving only one valid vacancy to fill. The latest update I received on this is the post has been readvertised. It does not matter about the closing date, we need to see somebody in position.”
“The Minister of State has accepted that dental care, especially orthodontic care in this State, particularly that provided by the public system, is not fit-for-purpose in any way, shape or form. I do not know how many times we have all been in here talking about the DTSS. The fact is a person is incredibly lucky on a medical card if he or she can find a dentist and avail of it, but we have all seen that even in those cases, a person may be offered an extraction at times instead of a filling, on the basis of how not fit-for-purpose the system is. I do not know how long we are going to continue talking about this. It would make an awful lot of sense if rather than saying great strides are being made, the Minister of State was saying great strides have been made and the Government has delivered a system that works for the people.”
“Meltdowns can be very difficult to deal with but if strategies are employed, they can be reduced and are generally avoidable. I can speak from my own experience in this regard. Along with Liskennett and equine therapy, I could not but mention Louth Disability Cycling Club. I also have to mention that Louth County Council and the HSE are coming on board to make it into something that is sustainable because that is beneficial to those people with disabilities who engage with it and their families.”
“In a lot of cases, if we could give most children that early intervention, it would probably reduce those situations and circumstances that arise. From the State's point of view, that would be easier, quicker, faster and cheaper. From a budgetary point of view, it is an absolute win-win. It is about ensuring that we can deliver this. The report also deals with the reality of the fact that we do not have enough OTs, SLTs, or psychologists and while we need to do those pieces of work, there is far more that we need to do. Deputy Toole spoke about how a lot of parents come to us and their issues are generally related to school, including reduced timetables. Some schools can be better than others depending on a number of factors. If there are staff changes and a particular SNA, teacher or SET leaves, it can change the dynamic within a school.”
“Being from Limerick, Deputy Quinlivan could not but speak about the Corpus Christi Primary School. I also have to mention it. I was really taken with the principal, Tiernan O'Neill, and his staff. In fairness, I see it as nothing but an outlier school in relation to being at the absolute centre of the Moyross community but even beyond that, through fundraising it ensured that it had the supports that were required within that school setting. These are for all children and that is the idea of mainstreaming because we are talking about counselling and psychological services, along with SLT, OT and all those requirements that are needed. We often speak about early intervention without actually delivering it.”
“It would have been even better if we had assistive technology rather than photocopies - and I am not taking away from the quality of the SLT that was provided - but from the State's point of view, it is about getting the best bang for buck. It is also about getting the best bang for buck from Turlough's point of view - who is the person who definitely needs it - as well as ensuring that I and my wife, who does all the heavy lifting in relation to most of this, would also get the best benefit out of it. Children of his age have no issue or rather probably too many issues in relation to using screens but we can all see how it would work if we were talking about assistive technology and apps that back up best practice and which would also benefit teaching staff and SNAs.”
“We could talk about those who, even if they have an assessment, cannot get the necessary therapies. For all of the improvements there have been with regard to workforce planning, we know that we need the back-up of assistive technology. When I am in these circumstances, I find it hard not to use the example that I know the best, which is our Turlough. I am sure that all the Members have heard me speak about him before. He is 17 and is autistic. He attends Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education. He attended St. Joseph's National School before that and as I have said previously, he has been facilitated no end. I often talk about speech and language therapy, SLT, and what I will say is that he, his family and the school all would have been better off had those therapies happened within a school setting and had we been involved.”
“We also spoke about the issues that this State has to get better at in respect of facilitating the connection between industry, enterprise and these young people, who will be able to provide a real benefit to the economy and to these companies. In fairness, there was talk about how many companies are worried, have an element of trepidation and are unaware of the schemes that exist such as the wage subsidy scheme or the work and access programme. What also was pointed out to us is that those schemes are not fit for purpose. We must have a more comprehensive and holistic look at how we deal with disability. When we talk about inclusive education, we all know the issues that exist. We could literally spend our entire time here talking about the issues facing those who are waiting for an assessment of need.”
“We met representatives from the Irish Wheelchair Association, Rehab and AsIAm. Conor Lynott and Áine Dunne, in particular, spoke about their cases in relation to housing but no more than the young people from the NOW Group, they spoke about getting jobs, and how we do not allow for all those transitions, be they the transitions from early childcare through to primary, post-primary and tertiary education, as well as the transition into work. There are those who are worried about losing their payments and those who are worried about losing a medical card, even if it is a number of years later. We could be talking about people who have significant health needs.”