Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an Teachta. Níl aon amhras orm ach go bhfuil muintir na tíre ag cur béime ar ghnáthchúrsaí an tsaoil. Níl muintir na tíre ag lorg olltoghcháin ag an bpointe seo. Tá siad ag lorg dul chun cinn ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta agus sláinte. Ní labhróimid faoin ngéarchéim aeráide agus a lán nithe eile.

The people of this country do not want a general election. I have been very committed since the last general election to a full, five-year term of government. That has always been my position. I believe that when a Dáil is elected, as the result of a general election, it should go full term. I recall the 1980s, when I was a young student, that there were three elections in 18 months. I recall a general election in 1987, which I contested, although I did not get elected, in 1989, two years later, and in 1992, three years after that. It led to short-term thinking, short-term political decisions and short-term legislation. It did not work. That is why I actually believe in the five-year term. This is a coalition of parties, not personalities. Ours was the most comprehensive programme for Government ever negotiated and it is the programme for Government, the policy, the substance that matters. Sinn Féin does not have that. It does not have a single policy anybody could credibly critique because it does not have one. It has no substance behind any of its initiatives.

A record 2.7 million people are at work in this economy. A total of 90,000 jobs have been added over the past year and 550,000 since this Government took office. Unemployment is at 4.2%. Inflation is down already by nearly two thirds. The proposal for the future Ireland fund, which is very significant legislation, was passed through Cabinet yesterday. We have work to do. We have to get that future fund Bill passed in this House, along with the infrastructure and climate fund Bill, which is part of it. We have to also get the planning Bill completed in this House. This is the bread-and-butter stuff that matters to people out there in the economy and in society. They do not want politicians endlessly speculating about elections. The Deputy has been calling for a general election since this Oireachtas started. He wants an election every year. I am more focused on the bread-and-butter issues that matter to people.

The Deputy talked about housing. A total of 32,000 new homes were built last year. The momentum has changed in respect of house building and it is our objective to keep that momentum going. Today, figures will be published by the Department of housing that will show there were more than 3,600 new commencements in February alone. That is 85% above the same time last year, when approximately 2,000 were commenced. That is progress. We need to do more than that and we will, but what we have seen in the past two years is very significant progress on house building. The Deputy will not acknowledge it because he is in opposition and cannot acknowledge any progress from the Government on anything. That is very significant, and we have other measures to take in the next month or two to keep the momentum going on housing. People in the construction industry need certainty, continuity and stability on fundamental issues of policy related to housing, and we are going to provide that.

The Deputy mentioned health. A total of 60% of the population are entitled to free GP care. Inpatient hospital charges have been abolished. There is free contraception for women, there are lower costs of medicines and annual spending is up 51%, or €8 billion, since the Government took office. There are 8,000 more nurses and midwives and 4,000 more health and social care professionals and the cost of childcare is half what it was. There are free schoolbooks for every student in primary and special schools and for students in the junior cycle. There are reduced costs of school transport, thousands more special education teachers and SNAs, and 1,300 new special classes and seven new special schools. That is a record that is significant and represents real progress, and my task and obligation, with the parties with which we signed up to the programme for Government, is to continue that to the end of term.

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