Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his re-election.

It is a privilege to stand here on the first day of the Thirty-third Dáil as a representative of the people of Galway East and to endorse the nomination of Deputy Micheál Martin for Taoiseach. A constituent said to me during the election that people do not only want things to change, they want them to improve. People want improvement in the number of new houses being built, the waiting lists in our health service and the number of staff working in that sector. They also want improvement in the prices paid to our farmers, the actions being taken to tackle climate change, the cost of childcare and to ease the pressure on parents and working families.

Deputy Micheál Martin, as Taoiseach, can secure a better quality of living for people across the country and a standard of public service that befits the Ireland of the 21st century. He has been to the forefront of change in this country and, as we heard from Deputy Norma Foley, Deputy Martin brought about great change when he was in various ministerial positions. He has ensured, while negotiating recent budgets, that people across the country get their fair shares. He is a man who has not been afraid to put the country first and work in the national interest. When everybody else stood back in 2016, Deputy Martin stood up to the plate and provided much needed stability at a time when chaos unfolded in Westminster. He is a man of great courage and will lead this country into what seems likely to be a decade of major change.

There is an old adage that life does not get better by chance but by change. I truly believe that Deputy Micheál Martin can be that change and that is why I nominate and endorse him for Taoiseach. He is the person best placed to lead the next Government as Taoiseach.

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