Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I have absolute confidence in the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris. I say this not only as a colleague, but as someone who first met Simon 20 years ago, long before either of us was elected to politics. I know the kind of person he is. He is someone of compassion. He is someone with a relentless drive to deliver for people right across this country. He is someone who works tirelessly, who listens carefully and who leads with that compassion. He is a person who acts and who does not shy away from difficult issues - there are many challenges in politics - but also he is someone who has never forgotten why he got in to public life - to make his and, indeed, our communities better.

This motion of no confidence is not about solutions. It is not about making things better. It is not about compassion or accountability. It is a political stunt. Deputy Tóibín announced it more than a week before it could even be debated, not because he wanted to give families certainty but because he wanted to create a spectacle. For the Deputy's own record, if he checks his own Facebook comments, he himself has said that this upcoming election should be a referendum on Simon Harris.

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