Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Up Tipp, Mattie. The Taoiseach talked about courage and cited it as the prime virtue of any person but his first decision reflects caution.

The appointment of the Cabinet, which is the first decision of the Taoiseach, shows caution and conservatism. Far from a team preparing to meet the challenges of our time, he now captains a team of procrastinators, excuse-makers and responsibility evaders.

The Minister, Deputy Harris, has survived the trauma of recent weeks and remains in his post, which is no doubt a great relief to him. He may know that as Cabinet members were wiping their fevered brows and perhaps even wiping away some tears of disappointment today, in the real world, 405 Irish citizens were on hospital trolleys. That is the reality of our health service. Members of the Cabinet have had many chances to remedy that, but have failed. People looking on expect them to fail once again. Let us hope that we will be proven wrong.

I welcome that the Taoiseach has prioritised a 2018 referendum on the repeal of the eighth amendment. He must make it clear that that will take place early in 2018 because Ireland is rightly and roundly internationally condemned for failing women and for acts of cruelty through commission and omission by the State. That cannot continue. If the Taoiseach’s courageous new world and commitment to equality is to mean anything, it must translate into improvements in real time and real terms for women.

Simon the elder now assumes the portfolio of foreign affairs. The partition of Ireland and the Irish peace process are not foreign affairs. They are core domestic policies. I put it to the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, that the commitment to Irish unity which they both vigorously proclaimed in the course of their leadership campaign must now find real life through the preparation of a Government White Paper on Irish reunification.

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