Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I stand in support of this motion of confidence in our Ceann Comhairle. It is hugely regrettable that we are faced with this situation in the House this evening - a motion that has come about because of the prolonged attempts by Opposition to obstruct this Dáil and the Government from getting on with their business. Every single Member of this House was democratically elected back in November. This Government, albeit with the attempt by the Opposition to obstruct us, was democratically elected and we have had a fair election of our Ceann Comhairle, who now needs to be let get on with her business. Never has it been the case, in 106 years, that the Ceann Comhairle has had the support of every single Member of this House, so to suggest otherwise is a complete falsehood. We need to make sure that we respect the democratic mandate of this House and the people who elected us.

The scenes in this House, as everybody has alluded to, from the very beginning but in particular last week, have been unedifying for anybody I spoke to. Unfortunately, we all got balled in with the same accusations. There was roaring, shouting and bawling, which are the only words that can accurately describe what was happening on the Opposition benches. It was grandstanding and obstructing business, which did nothing to make sure we focused on the issues of the day and the issues that people had elected us on.

Deputies keep saying this Dáil is doing nothing. That is not the case. This Dáil is delivering for our people. In the past number of weeks alone, working with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the NCSE, the Government has already clarified and sanctioned 369 new additional special educational needs classes. Work is under way to make sure those classes are in place and that our young people and children and their parents are supported in the way they should be. I would say to all of our parents in particular, with World Autism Day tomorrow, that this is a Government and a Dáil that will not grandstand, walk out of the Chamber or obstruct, but one that will do every single thing possible to deliver for the people who have elected us to do such.

We have heard from many colleagues about all the challenges we are facing, from the impact of tariffs from the US to the potential loss of jobs. It is important that we protect our economy, support companies to expand and ensure that the 1 million children who will come out of school in the years ahead have access to high-quality jobs. That is why we need this Government to get on with the business we were elected to do. Regardless of what political games the Opposition plays in the Chamber, that is exactly what our focus is, that is what our priority should be, and that is what we need to do after this evening.

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