Ireland’s special rapporteur on child protection has said far stronger child-protection safeguards are needed in schools on new rules over the use of restraint against pupils, while it's reported that more than 20,000 students who had exemptions from studying Irish at second level - on the grounds of having a learning disability - were studying other languages such as French, German and Spanish last year.

In the Irish Times, Martin Wall writes an analysis of the year ahead, in disability and other health services, as he says the new Government wants to focus on disability issues but the HSE has warned of "challenges in the coming year."

In the same paper, Wall reports that some organisations providing services for people with disabilities have warned they may have to delay making payments to the Revenue Commissioners or pension companies due to financial difficulties. 

Also in the Irish Times, Paul Colgan writes Could US employers in Ireland lead the charge on ending remote working for Irish workers? while remote working (now an established topic for daily media coverage) is the focus of Stephen Bourke's piece, which reports that people ‘are being pushed back to the office against their will’.

Elsewhere, it looks like the Government will drop the Occupied Territories Bill, while the outgoing health minister ponders his future.

Finally, as the Orange Menace prepares to gracelessly take office in the US, his annoying sidekick continues to make mischief.

Zen 

Zen today tips the hat to that doyen of Americana beloved of Europeans. Film director David Lynch departed our company last week. Described by Mel Brooks as "Jimmy Stewart from Mars", the uncompromising filmmaker gifted every aspiring weirdo a North Star to follow. Thank you Mr Lynch.

Have a great week. 

Niall Shanahan