George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I thank my family, the people of Wexford, my friends and supporters and the Labour Party for affording me this opportunity to stand in this historic Chamber.

I congratulate and wish well the Taoiseach and his Cabinet. If I could single out one of the Jameses, James Browne, my fellow-county man, on his elevation to Cabinet; he is the first Fianna Fáil senior Cabinet in 60 years from Wexford.

The re-election of President Trump in America is likely to present some challenges, to the say the least, in the context of world, European and, indeed, Irish trade. From an Irish viewpoint, if even a partial amount of what President Trump is threatening to impose in terms of trade and tariffs comes to pass, our economic relationship with the USA faces an uncertain future. If his threats come to pass, we could find ourselves in serious difficulties from a trade relationship point of view. Sadly, in my home town of Wexford this week, we saw the Trumpian ways at work when some 310 workers at BNY Mellon, an IDA-supported company, learned their fate in an eight-minute meeting which indicated that the majority of them were to lose their jobs. I ask the newly-reappointed Minister for enterprise to immediately engage with the workers and management in Wexford of BNY Mellon in an effort to find a total replacement with another company. It is up to the Government and the IDA to work closely on this and immediately, with urgency, find-----

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