Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

The vast majority of people are decent and trusting and they believe that if you say something, you will follow it through and if you promise something, you will keep your word and come through for them, especially on an issue profoundly affecting their lives. Making promises is easy. Doing the work to keep those promises is hard, and Simon Harris does not want to do the hard work.

The shattering of public trust in Simon Harris, which has mounted in recent months, is a result of the Tánaiste revealing himself to be a man who will say what needs to be said to get a positive reaction in any particular moment but does not follow through on commitments made. The collapse in trust has been fostered by the Tánaiste's own actions, his own words and a litany of broken promises. That is the record he is confronted with today.

Níl muinín ar bith agam as Simon Harris. Bhain sé a bheatha as gealltanais mhóra a thabhairt agus iad a bhriseadh. Tá dochar ollmhór déanta de bharr na gealltanais bhriste seo agus tá daoine cráite. Ní féidir leis freagracht a sheachaint a thuilleadh. People are not fools and they have long memories. They are good at remembering when those in power walk away from their promises. Away from the cameras and the mics and from the din and cut-and-thrust of this House, I wonder whether there is regret at breaking so many commitments. I remember the Tánaiste once said that he remembered the names and faces of the children with scoliosis and spina bifida that he had met. They are looking on today, and they feel so badly let down and so badly failed.

I have no confidence in the Tánaiste. The families he has let down have no confidence in him. Increasingly, the wider public, seeing more and more, have no confidence in him either. God, hurry the day when they get to remove him from power.

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