Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá gach muinín agam agus ag an Rialtas as an Tánaiste. Is fear uasal, ceannaire láidir agus duine cothrom é. Go mór mór, is fear agus is duine é lán le trua.

In every role that Simon Harris has played, he has demonstrated a number of attributes. He is personal, and he is committed to people and to working with people collectively. Everything he does is about making our society, our world and our communities a better place. Leadership is about responsibility. It is about facing up to mistakes. It is about making those mistakes and making the policy into real-life impacts on people.

Simon Harris does that in his job every single day. He has demonstrated responsibility. We saw it during the Covid-19 pandemic. In each of his portfolios, we have seen what he has done and what he does. He is a man of fairness, huge compassion and empathy. He stands up for people every single day. I challenge Members across the Chamber. Simon Harris stands up and represents people. He is not hollow or empty. He is a man of empathy and action. He is a man I am proud to support today. I am confident in this man. Deputy O'Flynn may smirk at me, but when you come into government it is about taking responsibility and making decisions that require leadership and in Simon Harris, we have that leader.

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