The next business is the nomination of Taoiseach pursuant to Article 13.1.1° of the Constitution. I now invite Members to make nominations for Taoiseach. I remind Members that it is customary to second nominations for Taoiseach but it is not mandatory. I first call Deputy Albert Dolan to make a nomination. The Deputy has five minutes.
Taoiseach a Ainmniú (Atógáil) - Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed)
Tairgim:
Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann an Teachta Micheál Martin chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán mar Thaoiseach.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann nominate Deputy Micheál Martin for appointment by the President to be Taoiseach.
As I was saying yesterday-----
A Deputy
We could not hear you.
-----it is an honour to finally propose to the Dáil that we nominate Deputy Micheál Martin for appointment as Taoiseach by Uachtarán na hÉireann.
By every reasonable measure, Deputy Martin has shown that he is qualified to lead our Government with distinction, that he will be a Taoiseach of substance focused every day on the hard work of serving the Irish people and that no matter how tough challenges are in the coming years, he will meet and overcome those challenges.
These are often cynical times. Many will relentlessly portray politics and political leaders as self-interested or incapable. There is rarely any space available on our public airways or elsewhere to acknowledge progress achieved by our political leaders. A premium is placed on being angry and eloquent in our debates.
When we look at the record Deputy Micheál Martin has amassed over the years we see a lasting and positive impact. We see policies that have helped people in all communities. We see the substance of a leader who has made a real difference. He was a reforming and dynamic Minister for education who put in place policies which have reduced early school leaving, increased literacy and dramatically expanded access to further and higher education. As Minister for health, he pushed forward new national strategies which transformed treatment in critical areas and he implemented a public health revolution which has saved tens of thousands of lives and inspired 74 other countries to follow Ireland's lead. As Minister for enterprise, he created new areas of activity which made Ireland an international leader in key areas and underpinned hundreds of thousands of jobs. As Minister for Foreign Affairs on two occasions, he represented Ireland with distinction, promoting the core values of peace, co-operation and humanitarian aid.
Of course, as Taoiseach, we saw his great strength as he led us through a terrible pandemic and recession which threatened many lives and livelihoods. In those dark days filled with great uncertainty and fear he never faltered. He spent countless hours working to find ways of helping people and responding to once-in-a-century problems. He spoke clearly and directly with the Irish people at all times, sharing with them the information available to him and offering hope that we would come through to better days.
During the recent election, people of all political allegiances and none came up to him as he canvassed to shake his hand and say that, however they intended to vote during that great time of turbulence, they appreciated he was Taoiseach. During that election, Deputy Micheál Martin and Fianna Fáil campaigned on the basis of a positive campaign and a positive message of leading our country forward, and the Irish people responded. They gave him the largest and clearest mandate of any party or leader.
Since then, he has worked to build a coalition government based on respect and a detailed programme. It brings together different priorities of a shared commitment to action over the next five years. Each of us who had the privilege of canvassing with Deputy Martin during the election saw at first hand the direct connection he had with the people - his ability to find ways of addressing their concerns and his sincere determination that we both celebrate success and never lose focus on the urgent challenges of today.
Is mór an onóir dom seasamh anseo inniu mar ionadaí do mhuintir na Gaillimhe. Tá mé fíorbhuíoch dóibh as an muinín atá curtha ionam agus as an deis a bheith ag obair ar a son anseo i nDáil Éireann. Tuigim an fhreagracht mhór atá orm agus tá mé réidh le tabhairt fúithi le díograis agus le dúthracht. Ag an am céanna, tá mé muiníneach go bhfuil ceannaire den scoth againn i dTeachta Micheál Martin. Tá a chumas, taithí agus tiomantas do mhuintir na hÉireann léirithe go soiléir aige thar na blianta. Tá se cróga, ciallmhar agus dírithe ar na réitigh atá de dhíth orainn mar náisiún. Tá fís láidir aige don tír seo agus níl aon dabht orm ach go mbeidh sé ina Thaoiseach a dhéanfaidh an-difríocht, a chuirfidh ár leas chun cinn agus a sheasfaidh le dúthracht do gach saoránach.
We never know what challenges will arise but what I do know is that with Micheál Martin as Taoiseach, we will have a leader who is ready to face them head on. His dedication, experience and unwavering commitment to progress will be invaluable as we navigate the road ahead. I am excited and optimistic for the future under his leadership. I believe we will continue to work tirelessly to create a better Ireland for all.
I call Deputy Ardagh who has five minutes.
Is mór an onóir dom agus tá an-áthas orm an Teachta Micheál Martin a ainmniú mar Thaoiseach inniu. Tá an t-ádh linn mar thír go bhfuil ceannaire socair, stuama agus trócaireach againn. Tá na tréithe seo riachtanach i ról an Taoisigh.
Deputy Micheál Martin has served the Irish people with honour and commitment during his distinguished career. He has overcome many challenges and shown himself to be one of the most important, influential and successful democratic representatives of these times. He has shown an unwavering belief in the value of working constructively, respecting others and seeking to solve problems, not to exploit them. He has shown a command of diverse public issues and the ability to respond to new concerns. He has shown that he has broad and deep support among the Irish people. Over the years, he has paid many visits to my constituency of Dublin South-Central. Away from the cameras he spent many hours talking at ease with communities about the issues facing them. He has always taken the time not just to listen but, importantly, to engage, understand and seek ways to help.
People see the sincerity and the commitment. As colleagues will confirm, Deputy Martin is the same wherever he goes and whomever he is meeting. This, above all, is what lies at the core of his connection with the Irish people and played a key role in Fianna Fáil's success in November's election. He has, above all, demonstrated that he will lead the new Government with determination and will strengthen our country's position in Europe and the world.
Having secured the most votes and the most seats in our free democratic election, he did not sit back and expect to be handed the Taoiseach's office. No, he showed respect for the mandates of other democratic representatives and led our party in detailed negotiations. He succeeded in securing a majority for a new Government based on an ambitious programme for moving our country forward. Surely the first qualification to serve as Taoiseach is to show the ability to work with people and build co-operation across political lines.
During Micheál Martin's time as Taoiseach, from June 2020, he served our country well at an historically difficult moment. He took office right at the height of the worst pandemic in modern times, with our hospitals full of patients with a virus we did not know how to prevent or treat and with hundreds of thousands of people unemployed. He was head of a very uncertain Government which many commentators predicted would find it almost impossible to function. Due in large part to his leadership, it was a focused and effective period of government. Members of that Government have confirmed that he operated a policy of working with all the Ministers on promoting action and policies irrespective of who would claim the credit. I have heard many stories from Ministers, senior and junior, that his door was always open to them and that he would help them overcome obstacles wherever they appeared.
Perhaps the greatest demonstration of Deputy Martin's approach to holding high office was seen as he worked tirelessly to secure a share of new vaccines, which were the key to restoring social and economic life. In Europe and globally he lobbied other leaders and businesses for Ireland. Every day, he pushed within his Government to develop an unprecedented programme that could rapidly distribute the vaccines. Once he succeeded in this, he then took his place in the queue along with his fellow citizens.
It is with full certainty that he has the character, the ability and the determination we need that I have the honour to second the motion.
I now invite members of Sinn Féin. I call Deputy Mairéad Farrell first.
Is onóir mhór dom é seasamh os bhur gcomhair inniu agus an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald a ainmniú mar Thaoiseach. Inniu, táimid ag teacht le chéile chun Rialtas na Dála seo a thoghadh. Teastaíonn Taoiseach a thuigeann na deacrachtaí atá againn sa tír seo ach chomh maith leis sin a fheiceann na deiseanna gur féidir linn a chothú chun saol agus tír i bhfad Éireann níos fearr a chruthú. Is é sin an cineál ceannaire a bheadh i gceist leis an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald mar Thaoiseach.
It is an incredible honour to nominate Deputy Mary Lou McDonald as Taoiseach today - a woman who has shown real leadership, as leader of the Opposition and as uachtarán Shinn Féin, building our party across all 32 counties and building our team right here in the Dáil.
Central to Mary Lou is her compassion and understanding of the real needs of people. She has a vision for Ireland, a vision not confined to this room but a vision that encompasses all of Ireland and all of its people - not an abstract people but the people who come into our clinics every single day, including the nearly 9,000 people who have been on hospital trolleys in this year alone, the mother who has been turned down for carer's allowance because she is €2 over the limit and the couple in their 30s who want to save for a mortgage but whose extortionate rent means that they cannot save for a deposit. These are the people we stand for. These are the people we represent.
Mary Lou and we, as her team, are here to deliver on the politics that we believe in. We are not just here for Mercs and perks. We are here as a team that will deliver for people across Ireland, and a team led by Mary Lou.
This stands in absolutely stark contrast with what we have seen unfold here over the past number of days. Today, we see that we are only back from the holidays and the Government parties decided that we should go back on mid-term break.
I will not be on a break.
Actually, it is my speaking time. Of course, the Government parties must be absolutely exhausted from having to relive their Leaving Certificate maths exam where they seem to have struggled with Question No. 1: how many junior Ministers does it take to form a government?
Hear, hear.
The answer that they settled on was 23, which is in contrast to that in previous years' exam papers, which was lower. Anyone who would have paid attention to the way they campaigned during the general election would have been forgiven for thinking that their focus today would have been on the people and the people that we represent, but, no, they are not having their focus on people across this State but on the needs of the people in this Chamber.
We have often heard from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the past five years - I have heard it so many times - that they cannot solve something overnight. There are some things that they seem to be able to solve overnight and these issues that could be solved overnight relate to Government pay, positions and allowances.
Day one of a government tells us what the government will be like. Today, we hear it loud and clear. Your focus is on you. Not only did you want to control the Government, you wanted to control the Opposition by putting your own people over here on the Opposition benches. What a remarkable feat that would have been, acquiring the ability to be in two places at once - supporting the Government's positions but trying to hold decisions to account from the Opposition benches.
Once again, the people of Ireland are left to one side. Prior to this election, the Government said it would commit to abolishing the carer's means test. After the election, it said it would commit to it, in an undefined way, by some undisclosed date, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future. Translating that from political-speak to ordinary plain language, that means, "God knows when this will happen or if it will happen."
That is not true.
The Government is making thousands of carers who are on reduced payments wait until July to get their allowance increases. Let them have them now.
It is the same when it comes to the occupied territories Bill. It has been a long-term commitment from Fianna Fáil. It was in the previous programme for Government. The legislation was done.
It was not.
It was supported by all parties in the previous Dáil and by the overwhelming majority of the electorate. What did Government parties do? They sat on their hands, talked around in circles and tied themselves in knots. Then, when the election campaign was on, it was their priority. Now that the election is over, they are telling us that they need different legislation. There were a lot of people outside this place yesterday who knew exactly what they were trying to do.
However, it is important for people not to lose hope. The Government would not have been trying to orchestrate the charade that it was trying to do yesterday if it were not worried. This will not be a Government for the people but, my God, we are on the people's side.
Is mór an onóir agus an phribhléid dom tacaíocht a thabhairt d'ainmniúchán an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald d’oifig an Taoisigh. Bheadh sí i gceannas ar Rialtas do na ghnáthdhaoine, do ghnáthoibrithe agus teaghlaigh ar fud an Stáit seo, agus is í an ceannaire a bhfuil an fhís agus an diongbháilteacht aici le todhchaí níos fearr a sholáthar d’Éireann.
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald would make an excellent Taoiseach. I say that because she is Irish republican to the core. She is guided by principles of fairness, of equality and of economic justice. She is an individual with passion and determination, and the ability to deliver for workers, for families and ordinary people, and to deliver a fairer and better, and a united, Ireland.
There is no doubt there are uncertain times ahead. What is certain is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have left us in a vulnerable position - a country rich on paper that feels poor in far too many ways.
The programme for Government is just more of the same. We will have five more years of carbon tax increase courtesy of the Healy-Raes. Well done, lads.
Ye voted for the carbon tax.
We will have vulture funds going around snapping up homes for first-time buyers.
Negotiations, as we know, were only about who got what jobs and what salaries. Delivering for ordinary people took a back seat.
Please, Deputies.
So, what are we going to have and what are the priorities of this Government? There will be the most junior Ministers in the history of the State, the most super juniors in the history of the State, and they will be the best paid in the history of the State. Indeed, one of the first Bills that this Government is committed to bringing forward is to increase the allowances for these junior Ministers but it did not stop there. You tried to pull a political stroke of huge magnitude - that sham where you tried to create the impression that Independent TDs who negotiated the programme for Government, who signed up for it in good days and in bad days, got to sit in the Opposition benches and use Opposition time.
We cannot forget, can we, Micheál, who was behind this grubby deal of Government in the first instance? It was Deputy Michael Lowry, the star of the Moriarty tribunal, which found that Michael Lowry received over €1 million in direct payments and loan supports from Denis O'Brien, whom he was instrumental, as Minister, in delivering a State licensing contract to. Deputy Lowry, in the Tánaiste's words, "not only influenced, but delivered, the result", "engaged in a "cynical and venal abuse of office" and "he was involved in attempting to influence an arrangement that was "profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking". Those are the Tánaiste's words. The Tánaiste called him a rogue politician; now he welcomes him back into the bosom of government. Deputy Lowry is a Government-supporting TD and the Tánaiste has pursued facilitating him with speaking time.
I wonder if Deputy Lowry will use that speaking time to come clean to set the record straight about his involvement in the Doncaster deal, which was the purchase of Doncaster football club funded by Denis O'Brien, a deal that the Deputy swore that the had no part in and was not to benefit from, which was completely and utterly false. Let me put some new information on the record of the House. Deputy Lowry had 57 meetings in relation to the Doncaster deal, including here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, with the organisers of the project and representatives of sport. He also had meetings in the boardroom of Doncaster football club itself. Will Deputy Lowry also explain why, in September and October of 2001, his accountant and his adviser paid the person putting the Doncaster deal together two bank drafts of Stg£32,500 and Stg£25,000 for his fee? When he is doing that, maybe he will explain why these payments came from an account in Gibraltar and where they originated from. These payments were never disclosed to the tribunal. Will Deputy Lowry use the Government's time to explain to this House and the public why he, on 15 March 2001, met with other key individuals in relation to this deal in Dublin?
The outcome of the meeting was the creation of a false narrative and fake new documents. These fake documents were given to the tribunal. Maybe he could explain why he, it is claimed, with two others who were central to these deals met on a rural farm in August 2002 to burn the original documents pertaining to these deals. He did so to make sure that the truth would never see the light of day. The information I am now telling the Tánaiste comes directly from one of the men present. Michael Lowry has been found by the tribunal. When Micheál Martin called on the Taoiseach at the time, Enda Kenny, to reopen the investigation into Michael Lowry it was because of some information that came from the same individual who has given me this information. How does he square the circle? Back then he wanted Michael Lowry investigated and now he wants him in the bosom of government. Now he allows Deputy Lowry to play the part of king maker. Now he hands him substantial influence over this Government. Maybe the next time Deputy Martin sits down with Michael Lowry to discuss his grubby government deal-----
Deputy Doherty, I now call on-----
-----he will ask him did he burn the documents, where did the Gibraltar payments come from-----
Deputy, in accordance with the-----
-----and why did he meet and create a meeting that ended up creating false documents, and why did he lie to the tribunal.
The Deputy's time is up. I will allow a brief contribution by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald.
I thank Teachta Farrell and Teachta Doherty for this nomination. Government, of course, is not about one individual but the person elected as Taoiseach, their politics, their priorities and their values undoubtedly shape the future of the country. The Taoiseach and, by extension, the Government, must lead from the front and by example, demonstrate in word and deed that the public interest comes first, demonstrate courage and humility, honour their word, act with strong spirit and in good faith, mean what you say, and keep promises. These, I believe, are the cornerstones of leadership.
What happened here yesterday was the result of arrogant manoeuvring from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Michael Lowry TDs. I am not happy with what transpired and the fact that the Dáil was repeatedly suspended, but I am resolute in the stance that we as the Opposition took. We stood to defend a very simple but very important principle that no TD can be in government and in opposition at the same time. We pushed back against a brazen attempt to stymie, to silence and to sabotage the Opposition. We collectively represent hundreds of thousands of people-----
Fewer.
-----and any attempt to railroad us will be met head on without fear or hesitation. We will stand our ground and we will always stand up for those who depend on us to fight their corner.
The people of Ireland have worked hard and the State now has unprecedented wealth and resources: everything needed to build a fair and equal society. The State has never been richer but so many of our people - working people - are left behind. I grew up in Dublin in the 1980s and things were tough but never in my worst nightmares did I think that the soul of our city would carry the weight of so many sleeping bags in doorways, cardboard boxes for shelter, tents lining our canals, and homeless hubs as refuge for so many families. The housing and homeless crisis crystallises the unfair society that all of you have created. Working people go to soup kitchens, families struggle for the basics, children wait in agony for life-changing operations, and trolleys line overcrowded hospitals. Why is it that in a country that is so wealthy nothing seems to work? The answer is "Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael". You have no excuses left. The resources are there yet your programme for Government is simply a charter for more of the same and a blueprint for further crises. You have no clear plans to deliver on childcare or to change the lives of low and middle-income workers, there is no clear timeline to address the issues for carers, and there is only a passing interest in the future of our country and the reunification of our island. All you have is a selection of promises, promises that have all been made before and promises that have all been broken before.
This is an incredible country. We have the best of people in communities but our communities and people have been let down for generations by bad government for whom the achievement and maintenance of power has been the first priority. The Government normalised the division between the haves and have-nots. You have delivered for the insiders but short-changed working people again and again. Our motivation remains that one day in the not too distant future we will have a government for working people, a government that ensures that people have a home, that they can see a doctor when they are sick, that childcare is affordable and that they have living costs that do not break the bank, and a government to restore the hope in our young people that they can have their opportunity for a good and decent future here in their own country. Leanaimid ag obair chun tacaíocht a mhealladh ar son rogha eile, seachas Rialtas faoi cheannas Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael chun go mbainfimid lá amach faoi dheireadh le Rialtas ar son an chosmuintir oibre, ar son teaghlaigh agus ar son an phobail.
Today will not be our day but our day will come.
Keep saying it.
Our work and our ambition for building a better, fair, equal and united Ireland has never been more important. We stick to that task with real belief, with renewed hope and refreshed determination. It is in that spirit that I accept this nomination.
Fine Gael will be supporting the nomination of Deputy Micheál Martin as Taoiseach. I will begin with some words of sincere congratulations to Deputy Martin as he returns to the office of Taoiseach. I know it is really special day for you Micheál, and for Mary, Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian, for your siblings, your wider family and for your team, and all the people behind you who worked so hard to ensure you were elected to this House, just like all of us in this House can relate to. I know it is especially significant for you, your family and your team given the circumstances on the previous occasion of your election as Taoiseach when the Covid restrictions kept you from experiencing this great honour here together in this Chamber as you do today.
I have seen up close the trademark way in which you go about your business, as health minister when our two parties were in confidence and supply, as Minister for further and higher education in a Department that was your concept, and more recently when working together as Taoiseach and Tánaiste in, let us call it, quite an intense political period. It is fair to say that I could sense you were somewhat nurturing a mild desire to be Taoiseach again and I sincerely want to congratulate you on that achievement. I wish you well as we work together in partnership. Seriously, I know and acknowledge your wish to be in office is for all the right reasons and that you will again bring to the office of Taoiseach your dedication to public service, the benefit of your long experience in government, and your personal qualities of being simply a very good and decent person.
We have worked together and we have had intensive comprehensive engagement and negotiation to agree a programme for Government between my party, Fine Gael and your party, Fianna Fáil, and a number of Independents. It is a plan for Ireland for the next five years. I am confident it is the right prescription for our country going forward. It is an ambitious plan to drive our country forward but it is also a plan to keep our country safe and secure. The Fine Gael Party is looking forward to playing our part in the new Government in a spirit of partnership, mutual respect and shared objectives. There is much work to do and we are eager to hit the ground running. For my own part I am excited to play a leadership role as Tánaiste in the first half of the Government and I pledge to work relentlessly on delivering the programme for Government in the interests of the people. I look forward to nominating Fine Gael colleagues to join that Government later, and to working with all colleagues in government - Ministers of State, TDs, Senators and people right across this House - as we work together for the people of Ireland.
I will speak at greater length later on when the Dáil reconvenes but I would like to briefly reflect on the visions and values underpinning the new Government, which will be formed today. There is a context to the formation of every Government. For example, the last Government in 2020 was undoubtedly formed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the previous one in 2016 faced a combination of an Irish economic recovery, a looming Brexit and a very fragmented election result.
On this occasion, there is no doubt the context is one of global geopolitical change and the very real challenge that presents. In this context and at a time when incumbent governments are losing power around the world, the Irish people delivered a mandate for stability and sensible leadership. Of course, there is a great need to make progress on our own domestic challenges, particularly in the areas of housing, health and disability. There is good reason, as my own party enters an historic fourth consecutive term of government, to believe that we can deliver both that essential progress and the protection of our economy in the face of potentially harsh headwinds. We in Fine Gael have worked in successive partnership Governments with the Labour Party, Independents, the Green Party and Fianna Fáil to deliver for our country even in times of emergency. Looking towards the next five years, these are the qualities that must characterise the next Government because for the Irish people, the challenges I just mentioned, particularly in housing and disability, are nothing short of emergencies and they want to see a Government meet them with the mantra "delivery, delivery, delivery".
While it is clear that a period of some economic instability may lie ahead, our public finances are in a position to ensure we can make key progress on increasing infrastructure delivery and improving public services. In particular, we can bring a new energy to the delivery of the infrastructure – water, energy, transport and housing – needed to support the development of our country and societies.
When it comes to disability and special education, there is no point pretending that we are anywhere close to where we need to be. I have many times acknowledged that this is an area where successive Governments have not made sufficient progress but I believe we enter the new Government with the message of the people ringing in our ears that there must be a step change here. The commitments we have agreed in the programme for Government, together with the restructuring and reprioritising of relevant Departments, which will be clear later, will result in a serious focus of resources on making improvements in disability services. I can guarantee that this is an area that Deputy Martin and I will both champion from the top.
For my own part, I am looking forward with confidence, optimism and energy to delivering five budgets together-----
Hear, hear.
-----in this Government and making progress for our people in each of the next five years. There will be more of that later, but for now, I wish Micheál well. I look forward to working in partnership with him in this Government. I am excited, energised and determined about the time ahead for the country we love.
I wish Deputy Martin well as the presumptive incoming Taoiseach. Today will likely be a proud day for him, his family and his supporters, and I acknowledge that. I also wish Deputy Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach and incoming Tánaiste, well.
Increasingly, this feels like Groundhog Day, or groundhog week, not just with Deputies Martin and Harris swapping roles and not just with President Trump reinstalled in the White House, but because here in Ireland in recent weeks it has felt like we have been returning to the bad old days of stroke politics, of a-nod-and-a-wink politics, with Fianna Fáil back again in the driving seat. All we need now is the return of the Galway tent to complete the picture. This would be funny if it were not so serious.
Labour had its chance and ran away.
I am very glad that we have reached agreement today and the Chief Whip read out an agreed form of words acknowledging what was a self-evident truth, namely, that a TD could not be in government and in opposition at the same time. That was the core democratic principle that we, across the Opposition, united on yesterday. The situation in the Dáil yesterday was deeply regrettable but it should never have come to that. This was a chaos of the Government's own making. I am glad that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste reached out in the end and that we had a leaders' meeting this morning and were able to resolve things, as we had sought to do. It is important that we have done that and can move on because the Government has an important task. The success of this Government will be for the betterment of all in Irish society. Instead of going into a two-week recess, we should be convening the Dáil next week so that we can fulfil our constitutional duty to hold the Government to account from the Opposition benches. The Government should now be actively engaging in bringing about the change so badly needed by the communities that we all serve and represent.
Change is desperately needed for the families facing eviction at the end of this month and for the 4,500 children now in homelessness. That is a source of shame for all of us. Change is also needed for the parents who cannot access autism supports or additional needs places for their children, for patients languishing on waiting lists and for all the young adults, whom we all know, who are booking one-way tickets to Australia because they see no life and no prospect of an affordable home here.
Instead of working on the radical changes that are needed, Fianna Fáil, the junior coalition partner, Fine Gael, and, of course, the wobbly leg of the stool, the so-called regional group, are offering a 160-page programme for Government that essentially is promising more of the same. If you parse that document, there is no sense of any acceptance at all of a need for change. There is no indication as to how the Government will deliver on the few new commitments or aspirations set out. Indeed, many of the measures in the programme will see us going backwards. There is nothing there on how the Government is going to achieve the ramped-up delivery homes that we all know is so badly needed. Instead, we are seeing more outsourcing of housing. There is nothing to strengthen renters' rights. The Government has even ignored its own Housing Commission's recommendations. There is no sense here of a radical reset on housing policy. It is welcome that the climate targets are retained but no meaningful pathway is set out for how we achieve them. What is worse is the slashing of funds for cycling, public transport and sustainable transport in favour of building more roads.
There is no slashing of funds.
There is no slashing.
That is not in the programme at all.
As Trump might say, "Roads, baby, roads." That is what we are going to see from this Government.
The Deputy is making that up.
Members of the Government have buried their heads in the sand when it comes to the impact of data centres and left the door wide open for polluting LNG. It seems the private sector will continue to be relied on to deliver essential public services like childcare while workers' rights are only getting derisory treatment. The Government has abandoned initiatives such as drug policy reform and the citizens' assembly on the future of education. There is nothing to reassure us about how we will face the threat of Trump's dangerous tariff plans. There is only lukewarm prospects, at best, in the programme for achieving the necessary passage of the vital occupied territories Bill that we have all united on. In short, the programme for Government is not up to the task. There is no sense of urgency about tackling the crises that face us in housing, climate and disability services. We are seeing no vision and a regressive set of policies.
It is not only the policies that are regressive, but also the practise of politics. We do not even know what constituency deals were done with, or sidebar commitments made to, the "Lowry lads". Those deals do not appear in the text of this programme. Let us be clear, in that many people were deeply uncomfortable, given his history, about the involvement of Deputy Lowry in the negotiation of the programme for Government. Many people are very concerned, remembering when Deputy Martin described Deputy Lowry as a "rogue politician" and called on him to resign his seat. People despair that the highest standard to which Deputy Martin can aim is an assurance that a leading negotiator of the programme for Government will "not be in government to do any corruption", as if that were something to boast about.
That is okay then.
To compound the discomfort that so many of us feel, the Lowry leg of the stool was, until today, intent upon pulling off an old-style political trick by setting up in government, having secured Ministries and commitments, and also in opposition, making a mockery of our democratic process. Bertie may not be back but grubby deals are, and this looks like such a deal. I am glad that we have now secured a commitment from the Chief Whip and the Government leaders that we will see this matter resolved with the agreement of both the Government and the Opposition. That is important and welcome.
We in the Labour Party stand for a different kind of politics than those in government in our policies and practise of politics. We have a proud track record of high ethical standards for our public representatives of transparency and integrity in our political practice and work. We have a strong political vision for change. Our vision is for the creation of an active State that can and will deliver for communities on housing, climate, care and work. That is the programme we stood for in the election and it is the programme we will be working to achieve over the course of this Dáil, even from opposition, along with others on the left with whom we share a common vision. We want to see this Government building affordable homes, protecting our climate, defending the rights of children, ending child poverty, ensuring timely access to healthcare, guaranteeing decency at work and using the machinery of the State to drive down household bills. We want to see a Government that will support integration and stand firm against the politics of hate and the politics of the far right.
Hear, hear.
As we always have, we in the Labour Party will work constructively from opposition with those who share our vision to achieve the change that we believe in over the course of this Government. We will hold the Government to account, fiercely and fairly, with integrity and transparency, as we have always done. I look forward to the challenge ahead.
I wish Micheál Martin well today. It is a very proud day for him and his family, especially now that his family are able to join him today having not been in the convention centre during the pandemic.
While we wish the incoming Taoiseach and Government well in their terms of office, the Social Democrats will not be supporting any of the nominations today. As a country, we face huge challenges, most acutely in housing, healthcare, the cost of living, childcare, disability services and climate change. We cannot face these challenges and increase investment in public services on the scale that is necessary while at the same time eroding the tax base. This view is a fundamental difference between the Social Democrats and the three largest parties in this Dáil.
The rationale for the deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Michael Lowry marks a new low in Irish politics. Last Sunday, Micheál Martin defended negotiating a programme for Government with Michael Lowry even though the Moriarty tribunal found his actions to be profoundly corrupt. Attempting to justify this, the Tánaiste said Deputy Lowry would "not be in government to do any corruption." This is an astonishing remark to make about a negotiating partner and it makes a complete mockery of any claims that this new Government will champion ethical standards in public life.
The programme for Government is devoid of new ideas or radical measures. The transformation that we need is nowhere to be seen. This is particularly stark for housing. During the election campaign, I met family after family who were personally affected by the housing crisis. We all did. Every day, I met adults in their 20s, 30s, 40s and older still living at home in their childhood bedrooms. I met parents with tears in their eyes as they spoke about their adult children forced to emigrate to find somewhere affordable to live. I met a mother who broke down in tears when speaking about her son who worked so hard to get a decent education and a decent job, and yet is back living at home in his 40s. The level of anxiety and despair this is causing is unprecedented.
More than 15,000 people are now living in homeless emergency accommodation and 4,658 children are growing up without a home. Where is the urgency in the programme for Government to tackle this? During the election campaign, we were told by the Government that 40,000 homes would be built last year. When the Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, was asked what his source for this information was, he said it was the housing Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The CSO today confirmed that only 30,000 homes were built last year.
Disabled people are forced to fight tooth and nail for what most of us are able to take for granted, including the chance to go to a local school, have jobs, live independently and access public services. Disabled people and their families must battle from the day they are born. It is shameful that their biggest battle is often with the State to try to get basic services like an assessment of need, essential therapies or a school place. Previous Governments have repeatedly said that disability services were a priority. If that were true, it would be reflected in the make-up of the Cabinet. There should be a stand-alone, senior Minister for disability, someone with real political power who can focus solely on disability with the resources needed to ensure that disabled people can participate fully in society as equals.
On climate, we have no real idea of how this Government intends to meet its targets and avoid up to €20 billion in EU fines by 2030. We need to invest now in renewable energy, public transport and a fair transition, rather than wasting billions in fines in five years' time. We need to see a retrofitting revolution with grant reforms that make it accessible for those on low and middle incomes. Climate action is often presented as a negative. However, investment will result in a clean environment, cheaper energy and smaller bills. For years, the previous Government used one-off payment to address the cost-of-living crisis. It never worked because it did not address the underlying issue. The best way to bring costs down is to invest in quality public services and climate action. Investment in healthcare, education, childcare, public transport and clean energy would drive costs down and pay dividends in the future.
We cannot allow threats, implied or otherwise, from other countries to influence our foreign policy or stop us from standing up for human rights and international law and against genocide. The ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages are very welcome. However, there must be accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity. In addition, the incoming Government cannot be allowed to renege on commitments to enact the occupied territories Bill. There was cross-party consensus during the election that we needed to enact this crucial legislation. Now the Government is talking about progressing new, weaker legislation. It is totally unjust for Palestinian families to be evicted from their homes and farms to make way for illegal Israeli settlements. We need to enact strong legislation that shows Ireland stands firmly for the application of international law and the principles of justice and peace.
The Social Democrats, with an increased mandate and enlarged parliamentary party, will play an important role in this new Dáil. Our role will be constructive, robustly holding the Government to account while also proposing solutions. We will work and co-operate with other Opposition parties, particularly those on the left. However, when parties that claim to be on the left put forward policies to erode the tax base and undermine funding for public services, we will not be silent about it.
The Government has not even been formed yet and it is already mired in controversy. The early days have been chaotic, dominated by stroke politics, jobs for the boys, a lack of ambition and vague commitments. It is not too late to change course.
I move now to the Independents and Parties Technical Group. Four members will share time. I ask that they respect the time limit.
This programme for Government continues the failed policies of the previous Government. It lacks ambition. It is deliberately vague and has no costings and no timelines. That means a continuation of the housing and homelessness crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, hospital overcrowding, huge health waiting lists, a broken disability service and the health recruitment embargo, known as "pay and numbers".
The housing and homelessness crisis is the most fundamental issue facing this country. This programme continues the failed policies of its predecessor. There is no new urgency, no emergency measures, no reset of housing policy as recommended by the Housing Commission, and the commitment to hold a right to housing referendum has been reneged on. The section on disability services is weak, vague and non-specific. There is no proposal to eliminate the huge waiting lists for therapy services. In fact, the programme foresees those backlogs continuing. It also continues the situation where the law is being broken by the Government by depriving children with additional needs of their legal entitlement to an assessment within six months of referral. On these issues and many more, this Government is not fit for purpose.
Today we nominate a Taoiseach in a week that Donald Trump was inaugurated, surrounded by his broligarchy, his billionaires and his sexual predators. He announced that the US intends to continue to destroy the planet for profit, pick on minorities and move in a more competitive and genocidal direction. Beside him, the world's richest man did two fascist salutes for good measure. What was being announced was the end of a liberal era for capitalism and politics. That will resonate in this Dáil as well. Already, the Government has announced that it will drop the occupied territories Bill-----
Not true.
-----partly in an attempt to prostrate itself in front of Trump and the corporations and to ignore the ongoing suffering of the people of Palestine. What was a very right-wing Government will become more right-wing, including with the motley crew of those who espouse some of the ideas of misogyny, racism and climate denial as well. They are becoming more right-wing and more clearly pro-capitalist. We need a left that is more left, more anti-capitalist and puts up a challenge and an alternative.
Socialists in this Dáil will demand the resources we need for the housing crisis, disability, autism and care and will organise outside of the Dáil as well. We need a movement to challenge the direction that capitalism is taking now.
We will not support the nomination of any Fianna Fáil or, for that matter, Fine Gael Taoiseach. There are many reasons for that but we saw one of them this week when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were implicated in an attempt by so-called Independents, the Healy-Raes and the Regional Independent Group to insult the intelligence of the people of this country and to undermine our democracy by trying to claim they were in opposition when they are a party to the programme for Government and are committed to supporting that Government. Thankfully, a united Opposition and public outrage has forced them to backtrack on this absurd proposal.
It is utterly outrageous that, when we are facing almost three months without a functioning Dáil, there is going to be yet another two weeks off. As somebody asked me on the street as I was coming in here today, do those making the proposal think that children living in emergency accommodation are going to get two weeks' respite from the hardship and suffering they are enduring? Do they think that section 39 workers, nurses and the health workers who are run off their feet in our hospitals are going to get two weeks' respite from the stress they are under? Do they think people who are in pain while on waiting lists for hospital procedures are going to get two weeks' respite from the suffering they are enduring? It is an insult for this government to start off with another two-week break when we should be meeting to discuss the crisis of housing and homelessness that is blighting the lives of tens of thousands of people in this country and the absolutely disastrous situation in our health service that has led those section 39 workers and health workers to ballot for industrial action en masse. We oppose this nomination.
Yesterday, stroke politics met robust opposition and the outrageous attempt by the Government to effectively steal time from the Opposition was blocked.
You are the only ones who speak.
That is not the only stroke by this Government, however. We have the three extra junior Ministers, an extra super junior Minister and approximately €30,000 extra in expenses for each of them. It has become clear that the discussions on the programme for government were really more focused on how many snouts could be fit at the public trough. These strokes are engineered for and organised by the so-called kingmaker of the Government, Deputy Michael Lowry, a politician brought into a position of considerable power by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. a politician who is profoundly corrupt. When Lowry was a Fine Gael Minister for communications, he received £447,000 from Denis O'Brien. In return, Lowry made sure that O'Brien won the competition for a mobile phone licence. When O'Brien later sold it, he made €300 million. Does this matter? Absolutely because, while Lowry is the kingmaker, O'Brien is the puppet master. This Government will run the country in the interests of the Denis O'Briens, the Michael O'Learys and the other billionaires and multimillionaires. People ask why the housing crisis and health crisis are getting worse. It is because the Government represents those who profit from these crises, not those who suffer from them.
Independent Ireland congratulates Deputy Micheál Martin and his family on his election as Taoiseach today. Independent Ireland has very serious concerns for our country and looking at the new programme for Government, which is more or less cut and pasted from the last one, leads us to believe that little will change for the next five years for the many people struggling on a daily basisi in our country. While some of Independent Ireland's policies are being adopted, such as the appointment of a Minister for fisheries and the marine, a full rejection of the Mercosur deal and a decrease in the VAT rate to 9%, which has now been promised in the programme for Government, the detail is still very vague. For the many hospitality businesses that have closed their doors, it is too little too late. The omissions from the programme for Government are alarming. These include a freeze on carbon tax increases. This has now been forgotten by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents who signed up to this agreement. This is a hammer blow to the ordinary men and women who have to go about their daily business. It is a blow to the haulier who is supplying goods throughout the country and who, with every increase, will have to up the price of hauling goods to our shops. It is also a hammer blow to every farmer in this country who has to use agricultural vehicles to put food on our tables. Shame on anyone who signed up to a deal that hits the most vulnerable in this country.
We in Independent Ireland advised the Government parties to declare a housing emergency but they have failed to do so in their programme for Government. The declaration of a housing emergency would have expedited solutions to the housing crisis where more than 15,000 people, many of whom are children, are without a home. The declaration of a housing emergency should bring power over county development plans back to the people and allow planning in urban and rural communities. The Government did not take on board Independent Ireland's policies on deadlines for wastewater treatment plant completions, an issue that leaves communities all over the country without the infrastructure needed to build. Its housing targets and the housing targets of all other political parties in this Dáil will lie in tatters at the end of this year because homes cannot be built without proper infrastructure. Last week's announcement that 64,000 houses had been started in 2024 was fake news. The facts have been revealed today. There were 6.7% fewer houses built last year, only 30,330. There is no vision in this Government to resolve this issue. One of our main proposals in health was that a medical card be given to all cancer patients for the duration of their treatment. It is unfortunate that this was refused. I wish Deputy Martin well. I look forward to being constructive in opposition in the years ahead.
I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett. I am sorry; I meant Deputy Richard O'Donoghue.
I will speak again if you want.
I wish Deputy Martin and his family well on his nomination as Taoiseach. As the general secretary and deputy leader of Independent Ireland, I believe it is now time for people to lead. When Deputy Martin is appointing people to ministerial positions, I remind him of the one thing I have always said to him, which is that they should be spread out throughout the country to represent Ireland as a whole. A lot of the Ministries should be taken out of Dublin so they can reflect areas around the country where infrastructure is badly needed. A Dublin-based Cabinet has not worked. On health and infrastructure, we have seen failure. We have also seen failure in the number of houses delivered because of the lack of infrastructure. If there were any sports games on today, all the field positions would be covered. Ireland should be looked at in that way. The Ministers Deputy Martin will appoint should reflect that and come from around the country rather than the Cabinet being Dublin-based. A team effort is the answer to addressing infrastructure and representation for all counties.
On the 9% VAT rate that we and many others on the Opposition benches looked for, the Government has said that it will adopt this measure but it still has not fulfilled that. Businesses that employ people are closing as we are here today. Hospitality businesses and small SMEs are failing to remain open. The Government gave grants for new businesses, which only last for two years before stopping, but it has not looked after the existing businesses and helped to keep them going.
Let us look at the carbon tax, which was a red line issue for us, and at the transport network across this country. Again, there has been a failure. A lot of infrastructure in this area needs fuel. We do not have the infrastructure in place yet.
I said before Christmas that it looked like this Government would end up like a cold to lukewarm cup of tea with the bag still in it at a convenience store in Thurles. I had hoped that might happen a little bit later but this is far from a visionary programme for government document. It is an insipid artificial vanilla programme for paralysis that is devoid of any roadmap or tangible targets. Tá sé gan fuinneamh, gan treo, gan dóchas, gan chostálacha agus go mórmhór gan chomhbhá. It shows no compassion. This is no Seamus Heaney moment where "hope and history rhyme". It is more like good old Gilbert O'Sullivan, where nothing rhymes. In fact, Chappell Roan comes to mind painting a picture of what it will be like in five years' time:
And when you think about me all of those years ago
You're standing face to face with "I told you so"
You know I hate to say it, I told you so
It does not have to turn out that way though and if we work constructively, we might have better options.
However, we need to get moving on so many issues: housing and homelessness; our health service - most recently the huge delays in the promised delivery of hormone replacement therapy products; making our streets safer; introducing legislation to ensure real consequences for violent assaults; processing school building projects in rapidly growing areas; tackling overcrowded or non-existent trains and buses; dealing with an asylum system that is clearly not fit for purpose and, similarly, climate targets that have no roadmap. In that regard, we face billions of euro in fines on our taxpayers. Equally important is the energy crisis. We need to be self-sufficient in energy but we are going to face massive imports. I also mention the occupied territories Bill. The list is endless.
On a personal level, in the context of his long, esteemed career, his integrity and the nature of him being a man of substance, I wish Deputy Micheál Martin all the very best. On the basis of this programme and its constituent parts, I cannot vote in conscience for this Government, but I wish it all the best. Good luck, colleagues.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Harris, Simon.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
I congratulate Deputy Micheál Martin on his appointment.
I now call him to speak for ten minutes.
A Cheann Comhairle, is onóir mhór a bheith tosaithe agus ainmnithe ag Dáil Éireann chun freastal mar Thaoiseach ar an saorphoblacht seo. Is pribhléid den scoth í seo agus geallaim nach ndéanfaidh mé talamh slán de go deo. Is maith is eol dom agus cuimhneoidh mé i gcónaí go bhfuil Oifig an Taoiseach ina seasamh mar chuid de chóras daonlathach níos leithne. Córas daonlathach ina bhfuil údarás agus mandáide an phobail ag gach duine againn agus dualgas orainn go léir freastal ar ár náisiún ina n-iomláine.
I would like to thank my proposer, Deputy Albert Dolan, seconder, Deputy Catherine Ardagh, and all the Deputies who supported me, and those from from my own party Fianna Fáil, the Fine Gael Party and the Regional Independent Group, all of whom negotiated a programme for Government in an upfront and honest manner.
It is a sad development in many parliaments in the world that they have become more angry and divisive. They have become forums dominated by the inflated rhetoric of demonstrations rather than a place where different groups can argue in good faith and respectfully disagree. On the day when we carry out our most important constitutional duty as representatives of the people, we should take a moment to remember and respect those things we share. It is a profound honour to be nominated to serve as Head of Government in a free, democratic and diverse republic.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
Today I am deeply conscious of the democratic tradition our country has developed over more than a century. We should never take for granted the freedoms and opportunities secured for us by the generations who sat here before us, and by the men and women who fought and campaigned for the establishment of Dáil Éireann. Our democracy has remained strong through some of the gravest challenges of a turbulent century. We have continued to have free debate and free elections. We have never wavered in our commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The most powerful thing about the mandate each of us in this House holds is that it is based on the support of our families, our supporters, in most cases, our parties and, above all, our communities.
I could not be more thankful to all of those who have been at my side and have helped me to achieve the honour of being nominated to serve as Taoiseach. It is the nature of politics that the focus is mostly on the few of us who achieve office, but the role of those who work with and for us is central. I want to thank those who work for our party and have kept our voice and our representation so strong. They never believed the predictions and had faith that our people and our policies would prevail. I also want to thank the many friends and colleagues who have helped me over the years and who, with typical Cork modesty, advocate on a regular basis for the well-being of my home city and county. As they have grown, my children Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian have moved from being observers to being pillars for me. They are unflinching in their advice and constant in their support. I have been blessed to have a partner in Mary who has done so much more than just keeping me rooted. No position I have held, and nothing I have achieved, would have been possible without her.
I would also like to acknowledge my wider family and especially my late parents, Paddy and Lana. Yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of my late father. This week every year, I remember all he did for us and the values he lived by every day. A strong and athletic sporting man, he was also quiet and determined in the small and large steps he took every day to help others. The Córas Iompair Éireann, CIE, widow and orphans fund, which he founded, helping hundreds of families at tough times of the year, was just one example of his commitment to turning values into action. Ours was a home where service to the wider community and an understanding of shared responsibility within society was always the defining value.
Turners Cross was a wonderful place to grow up in, and I will always be grateful to Coláiste Chríost Rí, both primary and secondary, for the education and encouragement our teachers gave to me and my generation.
My respect for and belief in the essential role teachers play in building communities and society stems from the inspiring guidance I received from many of my teachers, who were ambitious for us and who set the sky as the limit. It was also there that I first learned of the power of political action, as few of us working-class kids could have hoped to complete school without the revolution which the then Minister for Education, Donogh O’Malley, and former Taoiseach Jack Lynch introduced.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
As I look at Ireland today, it is clear that there can be a degree of cynicism towards politics. Too often we dismiss the motivation of others, especially those we disagree with. I reject this. I believe in the good faith of those who seek to serve their communities in elective office, and I believe that politics remains a force for good - a force for positive change. I hope that we can have a co-operative Oireachtas in the coming years where we try to emphasise positive discussion. For my part, I intend to remain open to constructive ideas from Deputies from all parts of the House.
When nominating members of the new Government, I will address more specific policy points, but it is important to state the core principles on which I intend to lead the Government. When reflecting on the legacy of republicanism from the 1916 generation of which he was a part, Seán Lemass always stressed the idea of responding to the needs of today and shaping the future. For him, true republicanism was not about following the past, it was about a willingness to move on and create new ways forward. He summed this up with his favourite quote from Pádraig Pearse - “every generation has its task”. For us today, for this generation of political leaders, the task is to protect Ireland’s strength at a moment of real threat, while also addressing critical social needs.
By any reasonable measure, this is a challenging moment in world history. Ireland is an open democracy with an open economy. We cannot expect to stand unaffected on the sidelines. We must protect and renew an economic model which delivers high employment and resources for public services. Central to this we must strengthen our three essential relationships with Europe, with the United States and with the United Kingdom. Europe is the essential foundation upon which we rely. This week marks the anniversary of the day Jack Lynch and Patrick Hillery signalled our commitment to a European future by signing the Treaty of Accession. The Government I lead will work every day in the same spirit. We will work to help reform and strengthen the European Union. We will work with others to overcome urgent economic, environmental and political challenges which threaten our shared interests and values. We will not flinch in our support for protecting Europe’s freedom and democracy.
Our relationship of kinship with the United States is older than our State. It has endured because we have continued to renew bonds of respect and co-operation. We are not naive about the realities of change but, equally, the Ireland-America relationship is one which benefits us both and it will emerge strongly no matter what. The United Kingdom remains a close social, cultural and economic neighbour for us, and we will begin operating a new systematic approach to consultation and co-operation. Internationally, we will be an active voice for the values of peace, co-operation and development. We will follow the profoundly welcome ceasefire in Gaza with a sustained programme of humanitarian and reconstruction aid. We will do this through co-operation with the World Food Programme and UNRWA.
Protecting and renewing Ireland’s economic strength and standing in the world must, as I have said, also be accompanied by sustained action on other urgent needs. Sixty years ago this month Seán Lemass went to Stormont to meet Terence O’Neill. They agreed that we should be able to promote our constitutional objectives while also working together for shared development. It is a great tragedy that their new departure then was not allowed to achieve more. The new Government will push forward on the historic task of building a lasting reconciliation. We will implement the largest ever programme of North-South research and investment, opening critical links and building both engagement and understanding through a further strengthened shared island initiative.
Too many people are struggling to afford a home to buy or rent. Helping them will be a priority for the new Government and for the Dáil. Too many people with disabilities and their families have to fight too hard to access the services they deserve. We must begin a new era in support for them, not just increasing resources but step-changing the scale, nature and delivery of services. This is not the work of one Minister, it must be the work of every part of Government and of this Oireachtas. We must deliver both resources and reform to help all our children to get the best start in life, through smaller classes, community development programmes and targeting resources to help families experiencing poverty. We must protect nature and biodiversity and move forward in tackling the existential problem of climate change.
In all of this, the Government I will lead will reject the sterile politics of the extremes, the empty gestures of those who want to impose inflexible ideologies when addressing issues which are as complex and diverse as our people. Mine will be a Government which seeks to work in a spirit of practical republicanism - a spirit which has helped our country achieve so much in the past and which is essential if we are to meet the challenges of today; a spirit which will create equality of opportunity for all, which will work to underpin and promote the status, dignity and independence of people with disabilities; a spirit that will build more houses at an accelerated pace and that will work every day to build reconciliation between the different traditions on the island of Ireland.
I mo ról mar Thaoiseach ar an Rialtas nua seo ag tréimhse chorraitheach mhíshuaimhneach timpeall na cruinne, tá aidhm láidir agam obair leanúnach gan stad a dhéanamh gach aon lá mar Thaoiseach chun an tír seo a chur chun cinn, buntáistí agus luachanna na hÉireann a léiriú thar lear agus gan amhras beidh an Rialtas ag dul i ngleic leis na dúshláin mhóra timpeall orainn inniu. Geallaim daoibh go mbeidh mé ag freastal ar mo dhícheall ar son na tíre seo. Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus ní neart go cur le chéile.
I thank the Deputies and reiterate my congratulations to the Taoiseach. In accordance with the business proposal agreed earlier, the House now stands suspended for three hours.