George Lawlor: Demands Action to End Child Homelessness
George Lawlor spoke in the chamber on 24 September 2025, condemning rising child homelessness and child poverty and urging colleagues to support a motion to end child homelessness. He criticised the government's opposition and argued that a VAT cut for the hospitality sector would not address the needs of children or low-paid workers.
George Lawlor described the motion as a moral reckoning and a call to conscience - not just a policy proposal. He urged members to stop managing the crisis and to start ending child homelessness and poverty, and asked the House to back the motion out of human decency.
He warned that children are going to bed hungry, cold and homeless in 2025, saying thousands of children are homeless and that 5,000 children are homeless specifically. He cited ESRI research that one in five children - over 225,000 - live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for.
He criticised government spending of over 630 million a year to reduce VAT on food and catering hospitality, arguing the reduction will benefit high-turnover businesses such as McDonald's, KFC and Burger King, will not be passed on to customers and will not improve pay or underlying sector problems.
He called for building homes - not just units but communities - ensuring no child goes to school hungry, increasing social supports so families are not forced to choose between rent and food, and investing in wraparound services including mental health, education and healthcare.
He argued that poverty is about exclusion and shame and that charity alone is not enough. He appealed for courage to legislate and fund boldly, saying the nation has the resources and knowledge but needs the will, and urged every member to support the motion for the sake of children’s dignity and futures.
Main demand
George Lawlor described the motion as a moral reckoning and a call to conscience - not just a policy proposal. He urged members to stop managing the crisis and to start ending child homelessness and poverty, and asked the House to back the motion out of human decency.
Extent of the problem
He warned that children are going to bed hungry, cold and homeless in 2025, saying thousands of children are homeless and that 5,000 children are homeless specifically. He cited ESRI research that one in five children - over 225,000 - live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for.
Criticism of the VAT reduction
He criticised government spending of over 630 million a year to reduce VAT on food and catering hospitality, arguing the reduction will benefit high-turnover businesses such as McDonald's, KFC and Burger King, will not be passed on to customers and will not improve pay or underlying sector problems.
Proposed actions
He called for building homes - not just units but communities - ensuring no child goes to school hungry, increasing social supports so families are not forced to choose between rent and food, and investing in wraparound services including mental health, education and healthcare.
Moral appeal to lawmakers
He argued that poverty is about exclusion and shame and that charity alone is not enough. He appealed for courage to legislate and fund boldly, saying the nation has the resources and knowledge but needs the will, and urged every member to support the motion for the sake of children’s dignity and futures.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan warns auto-enrolment will hit low-paid workers
Martin Daly
Martin Daly warns vaping is a gateway for Irish youth
Joe O'Reilly
Joe O'Reilly demands action on Virginia bypass, wastewater and housing
Michael Fitzmaurice
Michael Fitzmaurice questions Renewer, nutrient rules and river myths
Gerard P. Craughwell
Gerard P. Craughwell Challenges Government on RSV Vaccine for Over-65s
Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan introduces bill to expand trespass law to farmland
Transcript
Minister, it gives me no great pleasure this morning to stand in this historic chamber not just as a public representative but as a citizen of this nation deeply troubled by the reality that in our republic, our modern democratic republic, children are going to bed hungry, cold and whatever the place to call home. Let's all let that sink in in 2025. Thousands of children are homeless. 5,000 children are homeless. Thousands more live in poverty so deep it robs them of their dignity, their potential, their hope. These are not distant problems. They're happening in our constituencies, in our schools, in our hospitals and on our streets. They are happening on our watch. They're happening on this government's watch and the government before them. And what are we doing about it? Because if we're not here to protect the most vulnerable, if we're not here to fight for the child sleeping in the car, the child missing meals, the children who think they don't matter, then what is the purpose of this chamber? This motion, which sadly you're opposing, is not just a policy proposal. It's a moral reckoning. It's a call to conscience. It's a demand that we stop managing this crisis and start ending it. We have to stop treating homelessness as a housing issue alone. This is a childhood issue. It's a trauma issue. It's a justice issue. A child who grows up without a stable home is more likely to suffer from anxiety, fall behind in school or face lifelong disadvantage. This is not just a personal tragedy. It is a national failure. And it is a failure that is happening on our and your watch. Poverty is not just about income. It's about exclusion. It's about shame. It's about children who cannot afford to go on school trips, who wear shoes with holes or soles falling off. Who pretend they're not hungry because they know their parents are doing their best. It is about the silent suffering that too often goes unseen. And when we see it, we have to act. As this motion states, the ESRI research shows that one in five children, over 225,000, live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for. So how can this government justify spending over 630 million a year to reduce fat on food and catering hospitality while the number of children living in consistent poverty and homelessness continues to increase? This reduction in VAT will benefit those businesses with the highest of turnovers such as McDonald's, KFC or Burger King and will certainly not be passed on to customers and certainly will not be reflected in better paying conditions for workers. And it will not address the underlying issues facing the hospitality sector as the motion says. Supporting this motion means building homes, not just units but communities. It means ensuring that no child goes to school hungry. It means increasing social support so the families are not forced to choose between rent and food. It means investing in wraparound services, mental health, education, healthcare, all investments that lift children out of crisis and into possibility. It means listening also. Listening to the parents who feel forgotten. Listening to the teachers who see on a day-to-day basis the effects of poverty. Listening to the children themselves who are wise beyond their years because their life has made them grow up too fast. It also means that we need courage. The courage that we won't all allow the famous market forces to solve this because we all know that that will never happen. We see it daily. The courage to say that charity is not enough alone. The courage to legislate with courage and boldly to fund generously and to act decisively. Because this is not just about economics. It's about values. What kind of Ireland do we want to be? One that turns away from suffering or one that meets it head on with compassion and resolve? We have the resources. God knows we have more resources than we ever had. We have the knowledge. What we need is the will. We need problem solvers and not problem finders. Let us be the generation of parliamentarians that ended child homelessness. Let us be the generation that refused to accept that child poverty is inevitable. Let us be the generation that looked into the eyes of every child and said you matter, you are seen, you are loved and you will not be left behind. I urge every member of this House to support this motion. Not out of political obligation but out of human decency. And I would ask the government to reflect on their opposition to this motion. Because every child deserves a warm bed, a full belly and a future filled with possibility. Thank you. Thank you.