Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In due course, the people will have their opportunity to adjudicate as to whether the Government parties have fulfilled that mandate. If the projections regarding the potential growth of the economy, the continued drop in the live register, the continued rise in employment and investment in SMEs for exports and the strong line of investment into the country are fulfilled, these are all signs that the country is heading in the right direction.

From our point of view, I have admitted that we did not get everything right but we hope over the next 20 months to work exceptionally hard in the interest of our country and its people because it is for the sake of the future and the future for those young people coming behind us that this Government applies its priorities. At the end of that time, everybody with a democratic mandate and the wheels of democracy that turn will have an opportunity to be judged. For our part, the Tánaiste and I commit to heading a Government that will work exceptionally hard in the interest of our people and our country and, hopefully from our perspective of dealing with that mandate, we will improve the position in 20 months' time so that people look back and say that the sacrifices were very hard but they were worth it in that the country is on the road back to prosperity.

This is a day of enjoyment and excitement for new Ministers and those who may have changed responsibilities. It is also a day of disappointment for those who moved out and moved on, and for people who cannot be chosen because of constitutional restrictions on numbers. The party opposite used to have 20 or 21 Ministers of State in order to keep the temperature down. This is always a difficulty but people understand that choices have to be made in putting these positions together. Government is about choices not about personalities or jobs for people. We are moving the country forward so that our people have opportunities.

I am willing to accept the challenge on behalf of Government that we will work exceptionally hard over the next 20 months. We will continue to implement our mandate and the document to be produced, which I do not think Members have yet read, will be endorsed shortly by the Government and will set out the economic statement and strategy, following from the Government having developed a strategy to exit the bailout programme and filling in the signposts for the years ahead on low paid and middle income workers and the opportunities that present for the Government to continue to make decisions that benefit our country and our people. I know the signs are out there. I feel the signs of that confidence but I want to see the people being able to appreciate that what they have done is paying dividends for their lives, their incomes, their careers, their homes, their families and their opportunities. Therefore, I commend to the House the motion on the nominations for appointments to Cabinet by the President.

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