Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of us must thank the Irish people for their patience and forbearance in what has been a very difficult period since the general election, as all of us in the House in all parties grapple to come to terms with the new political reality. We have been presented by the Irish people with a very diverse political position and I acknowledge the efforts by many in this House to try to ensure the outcome can produce a Government and bring us to this point today.

Today I truly hope we will see the creation of a partnership Government.

This will be a Government that sets out a vision of a strong economy, but a strong economy that will help to deliver a fair society, with each - the strong economy and the fair society - dependent on the other to succeed. The success or failure of any new partnership Government will be measured not just in terms of percentage points of economic growth, bond yields or bond yield changes but rather by the quality of people's lives and the opportunities for a fair society for all our citizens. A fair community leans on a strong economy and, as we set about trying to put together a new Government, we are determined to build that competitive and adaptable economy right across the country, centred on the aim of decent work for everyone. This is at the heart of the development of the core ambition for a new Government. We now need to use our economic success to make the lives of all our people a little bit easier. The Government, though, will not achieve this ambition working alone. This is a partnership Government and it will not just be for those in government or for those in the Oireachtas to achieve it; we will also need to create the scope to empower communities and citizens so that we can all truly work together to achieve these aims. Ireland has changed and our citizens, rightly, have higher expectations. Politics must now respond to those expectations openly and quickly. It must offer people more choice and diversity and help them to be better able to manage threats in their lives. Our aim in 2016 must be to build a nation that values all our citizens. The deep economic recession and crisis this country faced has meant there have been many lost years and, indeed, many damaged lives from those difficult years. Those gaps cannot be instantly bridged; there will be bumpy periods ahead. There are potential shocks to our small, open economy. We must be prepared for these and, as we handle these difficulties, we must ensure that we put in place a Government that is able to respond to that. I truly hope Deputy Rock, on his fourth attempt, will manage that today. I joked with him that when I nominated the Taoiseach in 2011 it only took one go, but I am sure he will have persuaded us today.

As we form a new Government and as we develop a new programme for Government, the mandate for that Government must be based on three overarching elements: we must create a country that is a great place to rear our children; we must help all our people to fulfil their potential through the early years and through our education system; and we must ensure that work gives decent reward. We must create a great place to work and do business in this country, helping all our people find homes for their families and the supports that give their children a good start in life, in safe and sustainable communities. We must ensure that we create a great country in which to grow old, giving all our people confidence that they can get care when they need it and the chance to remain independent and secure in advancing years. We must be determined that this approach will take root in all our communities, both urban and rural.

One of the weaknesses exposed in the Irish governance system is that it is all too often focused on the short term and does not easily accommodate long-term thinking. There will be an onus on the Government and on all of us in this House to work to build action plans and to get the input of all Members - nobody has a monopoly on wisdom - to develop long-term action plans to address the challenges we face. There are policy challenges where long-term planning and thinking - and a degree of political consensus, I would argue - are vital to executing a timely plan. Such challenges include climate change and long-term funding models for pensions, higher education and health. We need to ask this Dáil to work with the next Government to develop longer-term thinking in those important areas.

A new partnership Government will be, it is fair to say, unlike any other established in this country since the foundation of the State. This will be a Government that comprises great diversity, but the diversity in the Thirty-second Dáil need not result in division. Diversity is not the same as division, because I believe those of us in government and, indeed, those of us in this House, are united in our common cause to make life better for every person in every part of this country. We will argue over the modality of how best to do it, but much more will unite us than will divide us. This is the shared ambition that will burn strongly through the newly published programme for Government.

It is worth acknowledging the process we went through in order to reach a point at which we could endeavour to put a Government in place. There are have been formal processes of meetings and agreements since 24 March. There have been many hours and, indeed, days and weeks of formal discussions, informal conversations and sharing of priorities and perspectives. I truly hope those discussions will result in a Government that can address the challenges that this country continues to face.

The period of waiting must end for the Irish people. We thank the Irish people for their patience. However, the challenges ahead are building up. The opportunities for this country are great and many, and a new Government working with a new Dáil in a new manner can ensure that we collectively work in the interests of all our people.

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