Dáil debates

Thursday, 14 April 2016

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed)

 

4:45 pm

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today represented a great opportunity for the Deputies in this Chamber. The choice was a clear one between the old and tired policies of the past, the ones we have laboured through for the past five years during which Fine Gael, under this Taoiseach, oversaw the greatest housing crisis the country has ever seen. Since this election, however, Fine Gael has revealed itself to be addicted to power. The Taoiseach's Government lost half the number of seats it had and yet he still holds that sense of entitlement to power. He moved the goalposts at the end of last week and put forward a so-called partnership proposition that he knew full well would not be agreed by the Deputies in Fianna Fáil. He did that so that the median option for the Independents would be a minority Fine Gael government but it was all about absolute power. He would not agree to support what Deputy Ross referred to as parity of esteem, equity and the whole principle of what Dáil reform is and should be about. It is about parity of esteem between two big parties and that we can work together in a minority capacity, and whoever has the bigger minority bloc should be respected. Fine Gael has failed to respect that today and over the past number of days, and that needs to be recorded.

We in Fianna Fáil want to play a positive and responsible role but Fine Gael again has shown its addiction to power and it is failing to respect what could be a bigger bloc of a minority Fianna Fáil government. That is wrong and it undermines the spirit of Dáil reform to which Deputies Rock and Coveney referred. In doing so, Fine Gael has sent a very loud and clear message to everyone that it is not ready to embrace the change needed for this House to properly function. It is a real shame.

During the debate on housing that will take place later we will hear figures and statistics that are difficult to comprehend. We will hear that there are more people homeless today than ever before and that there has been a 400% increase in homeless families during the past four years. Yesterday, we were told that one family is becoming homeless every day. There are 130,000 families on the housing list. That is 130,000 families who have fallen victim to the inept policies pursued by this acting Government. Tragically, those figures no longer come as a shock. Any one who walks outside the gates of Leinster House today can see all too clearly the scourge of homelessness on our city streets, and also around the country. In my constituency of Dublin West, more children have become homeless than in any other county. The situation in Tyrrelstown, where families fear they will become the next statistic, suggests that people living in Dublin West will continue to be threatened by the problems of the housing sector until proper steps are taken to address the many problems.

Similarly, in the area of health care, there has been a remarkable deterioration in services during the past five year to the point now where hospitals routinely have to shut down accident and emergency departments as they struggle to cope with overcrowding. A hospital corridor that is not packed with trolleys and sick people sitting in chairs now looks out of place. The outgoing Government has allowed for the normalisation of a two-tier health service. On a policy and ministerial level, the health service enveloped in a virus of spin and spoof. We have a health care system in which operations and surgeries are routinely cancelled and doctors, nurses and health care professionals are worked to the point of exhaustion.

Today, we face sticking with that way of doing things, with another stalemate. We could have chosen a new course, one that would have set this country back on the right path and delivered a fairer and more equal society under the stewardship and leadership of Deputy Micheál Martin.

The outcome of the last election shows us that it is time for a new way of doing politics. There has been a fragmentation of the old system and a convergence towards other European electoral systems and norms. Some Deputies seem to be in denial about that or have failed to recognise the desire for change in how we operate. What is required now is increased debate on important issues. I recognise the work of the Ceann Comhairle and the subcommittee on Dáil reform in changing how we do our business, and I hope that progresses over the next number of weeks. Deputy Micheál Martin is the only man with the courage, vision, dedication and ability to lead the sweeping changes that are required in this House. He was the man who put reform on the agenda the week after the election, and he is committed to delivering the changes needed to make this House function in the interests of the country.

On the health sector, I was surprised to see the Independent Alliance Members abstain again today. There has been mention of Waterford University Hospital in recent days. We have a clear commitment to deliver 24-hour cardiac care, and I know Deputy Butler has worked on that over the past few months, so it appears the abstention again from the Independents is fudging what is possible progress for Deputy Halligan and the south east.

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