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

This debate is not about whether the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is an appropriate person to serve in Cabinet. This motion is an attempt to damage him, not because of the error he made, which should not have happened and for which he repeatedly apologised, but to sow division among the Government parties. Our citizens demand and deserve that their parliamentarians work on issues that matter to them. This motion is a distraction from that important work. It is very clear that in our first week back here in Dáil Éireann, Sinn Féin is prioritising making personal attacks rather than focusing on the important issues that matter to people.

As colleagues have stated here this evening, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is a politician of vast experience, ability and integrity. He has been deservedly praised for his careful handling of Brexit and his relationships with the EU and its institutions. He has helped to ensure that Ireland's interests and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement were at the heart of the Brexit negotiations. His tireless work in Northern Ireland in restoring the institutions there have been also widely praised. If Sinn Féin Members were honest, they would admit that he acted at all times with integrity and honesty.

I have seen at first hand his dedication to public service. In late December last year, including on Christmas Eve, instead of spending time with his family, he worked with me and colleagues across Government to ensure Irish citizens were not stranded abroad at Christmas due to the necessary restrictions that were brought in as a result of Covid-19. At all time, the interests of the Irish people were at the forefront of his response. However, Sinn Féin's view is that the Minister made a mistake and should be punished by hounding him out of office. It is such hypocrisy. Some Sinn Féin Members of this House have made very public mistakes, by making offensive and divisive statements in public and on social media, but, after apologising, they remained in their positions. Is it Sinn Féin's contention that only its Members can apologise and move on but Members of other parties must be pilloried before this House? There has been much written about Sinn Féin appointing its own members to various boards. Is that not cronyism?

Sinn Féin Members know that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, should not resign. They do not want him to do so. That is because they know there is no one within their own ranks who has the ability to deliver for Ireland on the world stage. What they want is to cause friction within Government and within the coalition parties. There is no greater good being served by this motion, which is a classic example of "Do what I say but not what I do". This underlines the cynicism at the heart of today's motion. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, entered politics to make a positive difference in people's lives. He still has that focus. Politics should be about implementing policies that make the lives of citizens better, not about personality. It should be about the good we can do, not the damage we can inflict when the occasion arises. I urge the House to support the Government motion.

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