Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

Nominating him for Taoiseach, she had this to say:

It is that sense of simply wanting to help, of breaking down barriers, and making life better for people that drives Simon Harris. I know, under his leadership, we will see a major focus on improving supports for people with disabilities.

So she said. I would imagine that at that time, the parents of children waiting in agony for spinal surgery listened in disbelief to that. I imagine that the parents of children left waiting and waiting for an assessment of need were also left shaking their heads in disbelief. Let us remember that it has taken 15-year-old Cara Darmody to force any movement from the Government on this issue. I remind the House, as she consistently does, that the Government is still breaking the law by leaving children on waiting lists and not abiding by the six-month statutory timeframe, as is its duty.

See this speech in context