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

Déanaim comhghairdeas arís leis an Taoiseach nua, Simon Harris. Táim ag obair le Simon sa Rialtas seo le ceithre bliana anuas, agus mórchuid oibre le déanamh fós ag an gcomhrialtas as seo go ceann bliana. Táim ag súil le leanúint de bheith ag obair le Simon agus le hEamon. Leanfaimid orainn le hobair an Rialtais seo ar mhaithe le muintir na hÉireann, agus an rud is tábhachtaí ná clár an Rialtais a chomhlíonadh. An dualgas atá orainn ná é a chomhlíonadh agus a chur i bhfeidhm.

As I stated earlier during the debate on the nomination of the Taoiseach, based on the continued implementation of the programme for Government, ratified overwhelmingly by our members, the Fianna Fáil Party will be voting to support the Taoiseach's proposal to nominate members of the Government.

In addition to my previous comments relating to the resignation of Deputy Leo Varadkar, I acknowledge the decision of Deputy Simon Coveney to leave Government after 13 years of service. As a constituency colleague of mine representing another party, both Deputy Coveney and I have invested great energy and effort in battling each other over the years. I believe it has always been a fair rivalry, one which has also included a lot of co-operation on issues of importance to the people of Cork and the great city of Cork, whom we have had the great privilege of representing in Dáil Éireann. During the past 13 years Deputy Coveney has held ministerial responsibility with honour and distinction and I thank him for this service. I know that he has benefited from the wonderful support of his wife, Ruth, his three daughters and a close group of supporters who have stood with him all of the way. Today, I cannot but remember the late Hugh Coveney, with whom I also worked well as a constituency colleague. I have no doubt he is looking down with great pride at the service and achievements of his son Simon.

I also congratulate Deputies O'Donovan and Peter Burke on their nominations today. It is a wonderful day for them, their families and their supporters. I hope they enjoy the day and remember it, particularly at times when the ministerial workload means there is less time for old pursuits.

This Government was formed at time at an especially challenging moment in our country's history. In the heat and aggression of the Opposition's statements in recent weeks, the blinkered nature of their approach has become evident as they refuse to acknowledge anything positive. Their condemnation is so overwhelming and, frankly, so cartoonishly over the top that it is impossible to take it seriously. It reinforces the fact that the basic division in this House is between those who want to take issues seriously and those who just want to exploit them. We are in government not to keep things as they are but to help our country to progress, to address the needs of both today and the years ahead, and to be both honest and ambitious in serving our growing and diverse society. The Opposition tries to ignore the reality that this Government was formed at a very grave moment in the midst of a global pandemic. The largest public health crisis since independence was threatening us and the world as a whole. The fastest moving recession ever occurred. It left half a million people out of work and thousands of businesses were in danger. By every objective, independent measure, this Government implemented policies which saved thousands of lives and livelihoods. We implemented a world-leading vaccine programme and secured one of the fastest economic recoveries in Europe. Frankly, we did this in the face of a profoundly cynical Opposition which repeatedly called for measures which would have caused immense damage. Thankfully, we refused to listen to the demands of Sinn Féin and others for a zero Covid policy or for the unnecessary retention of emergency interventions. The daily attempts to talk down our vaccine programme and attack every action told us more about their approach to politics than anything I have seen before or since.

In area after area, we have been working in good faith to implement a credible programme of change. We do not claim and never have claimed to have solved every issue but there is sustained progress. There are huge issues which still have to be overcome, particularly due to the impact of two pandemic years, but ours is a record we can defend against any party in this House. As there is not the time available now to go into every element of the Government's work, I will address a number of special priorities.

My priorities as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence reflect the fact these areas are more critical than ever to our country and our values. The grave humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the desperate, overwhelming need to return some hope to this region will continue to be an urgent priority. I am realistic about the limits of what Ireland can reasonably be expected to achieve by itself, which is why I have invested so much effort in building effective co-operation with other countries. I have visited Gaza and the wider Middle East region over many years as Minister for Foreign Affairs, including twice this autumn. Since 7 October, I have visited Israel, the West Bank and key countries in the region. In Europe I have engaged in ongoing and intensive discussions with other countries, and Ireland's position has been widely acknowledged and appreciated. I have said very directly and in person to the Israeli Government that the shocking crimes of Hamas and the need to secure the release of the hostages cannot justify the scale or the terrible humanitarian catastrophe of the war it is waging. I am in no doubt that war crimes have been committed and I utterly condemn the ongoing bombardment of the Gazan people. I have ensured we have worked on behalf of the victims of this terrible war - the hostages and the people of Gaza. Thanks to our excellent diplomatic officials and the clear support of the Government as a whole, we secured the safe passage of many Irish citizens. We have defended the vital work of UNRWA and increased humanitarian aid, and I have indicated our decision to intervene in the ICJ case initiated by South Africa. I will continue this work and will miss no opportunity to promote Ireland's position.

There are some here who believe that angry speeches and unilateral action is the answer to everything, but our approach of building international alliances through the hard work of direct diplomacy will achieve far more for the Palestinian people. For the past six months I have maintained ongoing discussions with ministerial colleagues in other countries about how a joint formal recognition of Palestinian statehood could be a catalyst to help the people of Gaza and the West Bank and in furthering an Arab-led peace initiative. We have agreed that the undermining of the Oslo Accords and, therefore, the agreement to create two states has reached a point where the accords' approach of recognition after a final agreement is not credible or tenable any longer. I have discussed this with those in the region who are working on peace initiatives, and co-ordination with other countries continues intensively. We have discussed this between the Government parties and it is my intention to bring to Government a formal proposal on recognition when these wider international discussions are complete, but be in no doubt, recognition of a Palestinian state will happen.

With others, Ireland faces a very direct threat to the European Union from populist forces within and dictatorship on our borders. Ensuring Ireland stands with European democracies is a core priority for me and the Government. Our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, its right to be a democracy and its right to a European future are fundamental to our agenda. This is, of course, made more difficult by the fact we have four MEPs who attack Europe at every opportunity and present Ireland as one of the most eurosceptical member states. Our commitment to the European Union must be clear and unequivocal.

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