Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On my own behalf and on behalf of people in Dublin West, I express my congratulations and good wishes to Leo and his family, to his parents, Miriam and Ashok, and to his partner, Matt. This is a very proud day for the family and it is a great achievement and honour for Leo. Dublin West, the area which the new Taoiseach and I have the honour to represent, is one of the most diverse parts of Ireland. Some 30% of the population in that region is either foreign born or has parents who were born abroad. In its diversity, Dublin West represents a microcosm of the successes and challenges facing modern Ireland. Global and Irish business leaders such as IBM and PayPal, along with major Irish employers such as Dunnes Stores and Keelings, employ tens of thousands of workers in the Dublin West area.

There is a huge population of young people, children and young families and, also, a growing older population. The constituency of Dublin West reflects many of the social challenges that we in this Chamber all face alongside the economic growth the country is currently experiencing.

Time waits for no Taoiseach or Tánaiste. I know that and Deputy Enda Kenny knows it. The new Taoiseach will have to hit the ground running. I know that Deputy Varadkar is well capable of this, having met him jogging many a time along the banks of the Royal Canal. He will have to get on his bike and get going. That is the least we expect. There are decisions he will have to make almost immediately if he is to invigorate a tired and becalmed Administration.

On the social side, the Taoiseach-elect, if he has not already done so, must decide a target date today for the referendum on repeal of the eighth amendment. I would suggest a target of next April or May, prior to the Pope's visit to Ireland. We do not want any more horror stories of the type of heard yesterday regarding a young girl detained on mental health grounds when she required a termination and a woman making the lonely journey to Britain because her much longed-for baby was diagnosed with fatal foetal abnormalities.

I urge the Taoiseach-elect to opt for a clear programme of tax justice. He must end the scandal of extraordinarily profitable companies paying little or no corporation tax. In this regard, the Labour Party has advocated a minimum effective corporation tax structure so that corporations contribute their fair share-----

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