Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste gave a full and frank account of his actions and motivations last week in this House and took considerable time answering Deputies' questions. Today is two hours of statements and counter statements, a rehash of last week's events when we are in the midst of the most serious health crisis to face our nation and staring down the barrel of a no-deal Brexit. We will spend valuable Dáil time today making speeches about a document the detail of which was in the public domain when the then Taoiseach passed it on. Medical journalists were writing detailed articles on the deal before this document was shared. This was not some State secret being passed to the enemy as some on the Opposition benches would spin it.

I remind the House that we are expecting a large budget deficit of €22 billion in 2020. Government debt is high in historical and international terms and is a risk to the public finances and the economy. There are hundreds of thousands of people unemployed and businesses worried if they will ever reopen yet we are here at considerable cost to the taxpayer debating a motion for no good reason other than political opportunism. I am not for one minute saying that any member of Government, or this House for that matter, should be unaccountable; they most certainly should be accountable.

The Tánaiste made himself available and accountable last week for detailed questioning by Deputies. He answered completely and honestly. He has admitted he should have done things differently and he apologised for it. Everyone in politics makes mistakes. It is human nature. Some mistakes are more serious than others. The Tánaiste's error is certainly not one that warrants resignation. It was a mistake of process rather than substance.

I very much appreciate that the Opposition will make hay while the sun shines and attempt to make out that every error is some national crisis. That is politics, but it is bad politics. We have steadied the ship during the Covid-19 pandemic and I am particularly conscious of the leading role Leo Varadkar took in that. He has my full confidence.

See this speech in context