Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I offer my congratulations to every Deputy who has been elected to the House for the first time. This is a really special day for them and their families, and one they will never forget. In June 2007, I was one of 49 first-time Deputies taking their seats. On that day, there were more first-time Deputies than today - change always happens in politics. That, too, was a change election. For the first time, the Greens entered Government. Fianna Fáil entered Government again and there was a third party that no longer exists. I remember what an honour it was to be chosen to serve my constituents and my country. As I enter my fourth term as a Deputy for Dublin West, it is still a great honour.

I offer my commiseration to all those who lost their seats. I can recall the words of the late Tony Gregory on my first day in this House when he paid tribute to those who were not re-elected and gave his view that it would leave the Dáil a much duller place. I suspect that will not be the case on this occasion. The responsibility is now on all of us to ensure that we provide good government and, indeed, good opposition, because that is what the people have every right to expect.

Today, the Dáil has failed to agree on the nomination of a Taoiseach. Therefore, in accordance with the precedent set in 1989, and followed in 1992 and 2016, immediately after today's sitting has concluded I will travel to Áras an Uachtaráin to inform the President of my resignation from this office and that of the Government. In accordance with Article 28.11 of the Constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Government will continue to carry out it duties until a new Government has been appointed. I will likewise continue as Taoiseach until the election of that new Government. We do so as a continuing Government with full executive authority. We have many precedents for what happens next and I want to reassure the people that we have a Government and that it will continue to work for the citizens and in their interests. After my meeting with the President, I will fly straight to Brussels for a special European Council meeting. There we will discuss the multi-annual financial framework, in other words the EU budget, for the next seven years. We are currently at a critical stage in these negotiations. A priority for us is to protect the CAP budget. I believe it is possible to reach an agreement that will ensure the best possible outcome from Irish farmers and our rural economy.

If a new Government is not elected on 5 March, we will undertake official events associated with St. Patrick's Day and I will travel to the White House and Capitol Hill. It will be a shortened trip this year in any case because, if still in office, I will need to return for the March meeting of the European Council, which will be one of the most important in recent memory. There we will decide on the negotiating framework for the next phase of Brexit and it is imperative that we get it right for our jobs, our incomes and our economy. We need to negotiate a free trade agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom - an agreement that protects our jobs, our business, our rural and coastal communities, our farms and our economy. Everything else we want to do in the areas of health, housing, childcare, climate action and tax reform hinges on achieving a good outcome and it has to be done by the end of this year. I reassure the House and the public that, until a new Government is elected, the team that has served us well until now, including the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, will continue its work. Indeed, the Minister of State will travel with me to Brussels this evening.

The Government will also continue its work in critical areas such as health reform and housing. These are issues that cannot come to a halt until a new Government is appointed and I promise the House that we will not halt our work. Progress is being made and we are seeing some results, particularly, at long last, in the area of housing, and we will not allow our country to go backwards during the interregnum. However, as is appropriate, no major new policy decisions, financial allocations or public appointments will be made unless absolutely necessary, and then only in consultation with the major Opposition parties. This reinforces the challenge facing all of us elected to the Thirty-third Dáil to find a durable Government that will last for at least four to five years. The same is true for what needs to be done to implement the climate action plan and to provide warmer homes, cleaner air, shorter commutes and a more sustainable economy for the future, while cutting our reliance on imported fossil fuels. Perhaps the new Government may wish to implement a more ambitious climate action plan than the current one.

We have also done much when it comes to gender equality in our country but we need to do much more and it has to start here. Only 36 women were elected on 8 February, an increase of only one on the 2016 election. We saw many talented women lose their seats. That is something I deeply regret. The next Government should build on what we have done in office to improve parental leave, maternity benefit and paternity benefit and provide greater financial support for early childhood education and childcare. We need to do much more to empower women, remove structural boundaries and create opportunities across all areas of life - in the workplace, in education, in the family, on public and corporate boards, on sport, in the arts and in politics. As the House will be aware, the outgoing Oireachtas established a Citizens' Assembly on gender equality. It met recently for the first time. I would encourage whatever new Government is formed to drive forward with the recommendations they make.

Fine Gael is the party that founded the State and its institutions and that made Ireland a republic - the only one recognised internationally. In the weeks and months ahead, we will stand by the State and the Republic. If we are needed to give the country political stability and good governance, we are willing to talk to other parties about that but in the first instance the onus is on those who have made enormous promises of change to the people during this election who were entrusted with that mandate to bring a programme for Government to the Dáil for approval. If they cannot, they should say so and be upfront and honest about their failure and the empty promises they made. We are conscious that there are some in this Chamber and beyond who demanded our exit from Government for most of the past nine years and some of them are already exhorting us to go back in. The irony of that is not lost on us.

There has been a lot of talk today about mandates. I respect everyone's mandate in this House - the individual mandates we all achieved as Deputies in our constituencies and also the mandates we sought as members of a party or part of a group. I ask that people respect my party's mandate too. We did not win this election. We lost votes and we lost seats. Many of those who voted for us in the past did not vote for us on this occasion because they were disappointed in the progress or lack of progress in so many other areas, and we understand that. However, 450,000 people voted for Fine Gael in the election just gone by - not many fewer than voted for Fianna Fáil, not all that many fewer than voted for Sinn Féin and much more than voted for any other party or group of independents in this House. Those 450,000 people did not vote against change. They voted to say that they were satisfied with some of the change that had taken place in the past few years but they wanted more change in other areas, not least in health and housing. Some of them thought that we did a good job in the round and they are people who shared our vision and values and agreed with our policies and ideas. We will honour that mandate. I hope others will recognise that while we may be diminished, a mandate of 450,000 is not a small one. As for the suggestion some made today that we step aside, lie down, abstain and somehow allow others to form a Government, we will not do that and nor did those who oppose us suggest that they would do the same when they were in smaller numbers.

Finally, I thank my ministerial colleagues who are not here, who have lost their seats but who will continue to lead their Departments until successors are appointed. I know they will perform their work with good grace and competence.

As leader of Fine Gael, I deeply regret that we were not returned as the largest party on this occasion, albeit by a margin of two seats, but I respect the verdict of the people in the general election and that of the House today. After tendering my resignation to the President in accordance with the relevant article of the Constitution, I will ensure that the Government continues its work in the interests of the people and the country until we have a new Government endorsed by this House.

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