John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to assert confidence in this Government and in our Taoiseach. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Ministers have outlined how the economy has been repaired, how our credibility has been restored and our economy has moved from being a basket case in Europe to being the fastest growing economy in Europe. Legacy issues have been dealt with and we have learned from mistakes.

As a representative from Mayo I have witnessed first-hand how the Government led by this Taoiseach has delivered infrastructural projects such as roads and in the tourism sector or sports facilities and facilities in the Sacred Heart home.

Unemployment in County Mayo had declined by 18% since 2011, even if emigration accounts for some of this figure. Members of my family who emigrated in recent years have returned and are now working as a result of the growth in the economy.

I will turn briefly to Sinn Féin, the instigator of this and many other stunts in recent weeks. I listened carefully to Deputy Adams proclaim his interest in a real republic that is citizen based. Is he referring to a model where transparency is sought in everything but given in nothing, for example, in the case of the child abuse affair of recent weeks? Is it the model where people want to have everything for free and pay for nothing? Is it the model that has been rolled out in North, where members of my family live, under which every household pays a charge of between £1,500 and £2,000 per annum, which does not even include water charges? If such a charge were applied in the South, water charges would not be necessary.

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