James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I express my strong confidence in my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, and Defence. I wish to put on the record of the House my belief that the Opposition's motion is pure political opportunism. What will be apparent in this Chamber tonight and tomorrow night, as we discuss the Minister, Deputy Shatter, is his clear track record of hard work and his determination to bring about much needed reform. What some will not appreciate to the same degree, however, is that throughout his career the Minister has shown true compassion for groups and individuals, some of whom have been crushed by circumstance. Let us remember this is the man who fought for the Magdalenes. This is the man who appreciated that the extraordinary hurt experienced by these young women over the years could not be simply ignored. He commissioned the report that highlighted the scale of the injustice done to these women. He published it and is now implementing its recommendations.

This is the man who, while on the Opposition benches, constantly raised questions about the way we treat children in care and about the poor outcomes many of those unfortunate children experienced. He spoke about children in care and his fears concerning those children who died while in care. He was unshakeable in his determination to seek answers and was clear about the scourge of our neglect of children. It is significant that this Government is the first to have established a full Cabinet position of Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

On another level, I wish to remind Deputies that while the leader of the party opposite is lauded as the man who brought in the smoking ban, it was Deputy Shatter who did much of the preparatory work on the health committee that led to the implementation of the ban and gave analysis of the need for the ban and its value. He cared deeply about the issue and about the unnecessary damage to people's health. We know the benefits that have followed.

See this speech in context