Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús báire, is mian liom chomhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Taoiseach. Is pribhléid iontach dó a bheith ina Thaoiseach ar an tír - ní hamháin den chéad uair ach don dara huair – dá chlann, atá 100% taobh thiar de, agus do na hAirí nua.

Ba mhaith liom mo thacaíocht a thabhairt don Taoiseach ach ní féidir liom mar tá easpa aitheantais ó thaobh na n-athraithe bunúsacha atá ag teastáil go géar ag eascairt as an bpaindéim Covid-19, as an bpaindéim tithíochta agus as na cogaí atá ag dul ar aghaidh go leanúnach.

I will not repeat. I recognise and congratulate my super colleagues from Galway West and Galway East, Deputies Grealish, Canney and Hildegarde Naughton. I also acknowledge the new Chief Whip who worked extremely hard in the previous Dáil and worked with everybody.

While I would love to work with the Government, and I will do so in as far as I can on those issues on which I agree with it, I am extremely concerned that it has utterly failed to recognise that we need fundamental change arising from Covid, climate change and the normalisation of war.

I am very concerned about the programme for Government. It smacks a little of artificial intelligence when we look at the wording in it. It is very vague and aspirational but it is then very specific when it comes to reforming the triple lock. It states the Government is going to "progress" the occupied territories Bill, not enact it as a matter of urgency but "progress" it, whereas it will reform the triple lock. It is extremely worrying to see what the Government "will" do as opposed to the other matters.

I am also extremely concerned that the Taoiseach has adopted and included in the programme for Government the definition of antisemitism. It is leaving us wide open to charges of being antisemitic when I unreservedly condemn the actions of Israel. What Israel is doing is genocide. It is carrying out genocide. Then we have this definition the Government has adopted without discussing it with the Dáil.

The Taoiseach did not refer to climate change. The Minister to his right is on record as saying the planet is burning. If the planet is burning, the programme for Government has got to reflect that. It does not reflect it at all.

What the Government has done is to normalise homelessness. I am ashamed to stand here today when 15,000 people are homeless in our country. I congratulate the new Minister for Health and wish her the best. I come from a city where 61 people were waiting on trolleys yesterday with no hope of a bed.

See this speech in context