Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his election for a second term. I thank the people of Waterford city and county who voted for me and I also congratulate all my colleagues elected in Waterford, especially our two new TDs, Deputies Shanahan and Ó Cathasaigh. They are very welcome to the Thirty-third Dáil. I am also conscious of all the colleagues we have lost. There are many new faces here today but we have also lost many colleagues. I am also conscious of the staff members who no longer have jobs as a result of that loss. It is only fair to pay tribute to all the hard-working staff who previously worked for us.

Today I stand proudly re-elected to the Thirty-third Dáil with a mandate I received in Waterford. My mandate is as important as anyone else's and must be respected the same as everybody else's. Some 160 people were elected to this Dáil a few weeks ago, and we all deserve the same respect. The main job at hand is to put in place a secure, responsible Government that can deal with all the issues, but which can also deliver on those issues within the fiscal space available to us. We all know there are many issues relating to housing and homelessness, but once again I would like to focus on the lack of home care supports and the fact that 7,800 people cannot currently avail of home care support packages in this country. That adds to the trolley numbers and the number of late discharges. We also need equality of healthcare, regardless of where one lives. We should not have any more postcode lotteries, which depend on where one lives, for healthcare or cardiac care.

I support the nomination of Deputy Micheál Martin for Taoiseach. He is a man of integrity, commitment, experience, grit and determination, with a proven track record who can and will deliver if given the opportunity. We want to deliver an Ireland for all where no one gets left behind.

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