Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

It is nearly two months since the people of this country went to the polls. I stand here today humbled by the trust and faith the people of Mayo have put in me. Thousands of people elected me to speak for them and yet today is my first opportunity to do so. It took two months to form a Government when it is effectively the same Government. There has been no real change of Government. It was voted today that there would be another break of two weeks. TDs, it seems, get more holidays than junior infants.

While Ireland waits, this Government delays. I was elected by farmers who work day and night to keep food on their tables but who can hardly keep their heads above water. I was elected by parents who have not seen their children in years because they were forced to emigrate for a better future. I was elected by young couples who cannot afford to rent, buy or build in the communities in which they grew up. For them, I take this job seriously. I came here to work, to challenge this Government and hold it to account and to offer positive and proactive solutions over the years ahead. What is the first thing the Government has done? It has voted for further delay. Delays, it seems, are the order of the day in housing, infrastructure and healthcare. If delays were an Olympic sport, this Government would certainly bring home gold. The people of Mayo and, indeed, the entire country deserve better than excuses and inaction. They deserve a Government that shows up and shows the urgency the Tánaiste speaks of.

I congratulate the Cabinet and my constituency colleague Deputy Calleary. I look forward to working with the Government.

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