Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I second the name of Simon Harris to lead the thirty-fourth Government of Ireland.

Every Member of this House is elected by their communities for a five-year mandate. It is this great assembly's constitutional duty to elect a Taoiseach. On 15 December 1994, the late John Bruton put it best before he was nominated as Taoiseach, when he described the office as a high office and a humbling one. He also stated that it derives all its authority from this Dáil, the duly elected assembly of the people. This statement is most pertinent. We should never take a constitutional democracy for granted, nor should any politician in this House ever distort it.

Simon Harris first entered politics through advocacy to support his brother, Adam, and their family, to get the vital services they needed to improve their lives. In 2009, he was elected to Wicklow County Council at the age of 22, with more than 32% of the vote, which was a record at that time. At the age of 24 in 2011, he was elected to Dáil Éireann. Simon quickly displayed the attributes needed to be a Minister, namely, the ability to listen, compassion, an agile mind, the ability to speak without hesitation, and a firm belief in his abilities. In the period since 2016, we have seen our country meet its most significant challenges.

In the space of six years came a global pandemic, Brexit, the first war in mainland Europe in a generation and a sharp cost-of-living crisis. Each of these is a once-in-a-generation event, yet they all came to our shores in the space of six years. Simon Harris was part of the team, along with the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, that managed those matters for Ireland at a very difficult time. During the Covid pandemic, he provided a calm voice that transcended generations and gave people hope in our darkest hour.

In the Department of further and higher education, Simon Harris broke down the barriers to education brick by brick. He worked to ensure that we have more technological universities by bringing forward the higher education legislation. He worked to ensure that families are better supported in attaining education. He worked to ensure that apprenticeships have parity of esteem in the CAO process, recognising that a strong and growing economy needs skills to underpin it. Simon Harris knows that education is the most powerful catalyst to accelerate change. He has displayed that clearly in the context of his portfolio. I have seen Simon working on the ground on his many visits to my constituency. He works with and, critically, listens to people. He never judges them; he listens and works to make their lives better.

Like Simon, as a husband and dad of two young children, I know that life's greatest blessing is the love you get from your family. Today, it is a huge honour to have Simon's wife Caoimhe, his children Cillian and Saoirse - I can hear Cillian's sweet voice just over my shoulder from time to time - and his parents Mary and Bart. They know what Simon is capable of, as do we in Fine Gael. It is now time to get on with the work of leading the 34th Government with a renewed energy and compassion, bringing it right back to the core of politics.

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