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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Disability employment programmes

Summary

Senator Conway-Walsh praises the WALK PEER programme as a model for employment and education for young people with disabilities; Senator Feighan then offers brief Bastille Day and football greetings.

I refer to the WALK PEER programme in Ardee, County Louth. The group made an excellent presentation in the AV room, hosted by our party leader, Deputy Gerry Adams, earlier today. I have worked with similar programmes. Young people can access employment and further education through such programmes and they are crucially important. It is an excellent model of delivery of employment for people with disabilities, particularly young people. It is a model that needs not only to be supported and financed but to be replicated in other areas. It gives young people an opportunity to access career paths, something they deserve, regardless of their abilities. We need funding for the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. I ask the Minister responsible to come before the House to discuss employment opportunities and how he will resource the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. There is no point in having a strategy unless the resources are provided to implement it.

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Frankie Feighan Senator Frank Feighan Fine Gael

Today, 14 July, is Bastille Day and I am sure colleagues will join me in wishing all our friends in France and French ex-pats around the world all the best. They have gone through a very difficult time in the past few years. It is time to highlight that Euro 2016 was a major success, perhaps not for the French football team in the final but for a lot of the participating nations, especially our near neighbours Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Republic of Ireland. The marching season has taken place in the past few days. Things are a lot better than they were and welcome, as I said three or four weeks ago, the fact that supporters of the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland football teams mingled and worked together. It is not a panacea, but it certainly helped. I congratulate all those from the various parties who helped to ensure it was one of the most peaceful marching seasons in recent years and I hope things move forward. I know that the situation is difficult.

It is interesting that Boris Johnson has been appointed as Foreign Secretary in the United Kingdom, something that brings challenges and difficulties. I again ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to the House and outline his views on how we can best connect and work together to face all of the challenges that have arisen since Brexit.

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