Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call on the Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, to confirm his appointment by the President as Taoiseach and to move the motion. Taoiseach, you have ten minutes.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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: Go raibh maith agat a Cheann Comhairle. I beg leave to announce for the information of the Dáil that I have informed the President that the Dáil has nominated me to be Taoiseach and that he has appointed me accordingly.

This Government will need to be both energetic and laser-focused on delivery on housing, health and helping families, farmers, small businesses and on equality of opportunity for all and on empowering people with disabilities, on security and on exerting our influence in the world.

With that in mind,

Tairigim:

Go gcomhaontóidh Dáil Éireann leis an Taoiseach d'ainmniú na dTeachtaí seo a leanas chun a gceaptha ag an Uachtarán mar chomhaltaí den Rialtas:

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approve the nomination by the Taoiseach of the following Deputies for appointment by the President to be members of the Government:

As Tánaiste and to the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Micheál Martin.

To the Department of Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan.

To the Department of Finance, Michael McGrath.

To the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe.

To the Department of Education, Norma Foley.

To the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin.

To the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien.

To the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.

To the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.

To the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman.

To the Department of Health, Stephen Donnelly

To the Department of Justice, Helen McEntee.

To the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke.

To the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan.

I propose to nominate Rossa Fanning S.C. for appointment by the President to be the Attorney General.

I propose to nominate Deputy Hildegard Naughten as Minister of State in the Department of the Taoiseach and as Government Chief Whip. I also intend to appoint her as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion at the Department of Education. We have provided the biggest budget ever for this area. It is a priority area for me and one on which I want Deputy Naughten to work on with the Minister, Deputy Foley.

I also propose to nominate the following to continue as Ministers of State in attendance at Government meetings: Deputy Jack Chambers as Minister of State with responsibility for international road transport and logistics at the Department of Transport as well as Minister of State for postal policy at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications; Senator Pippa Hackett as Minister of State for land use and biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I also propose to nominate Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs, with special responsibility for EU affairs, and as Minister of State at the Department of Defence.

Our relationship with the European Union and our role within the EU is more important than ever at this time of geopolitical uncertainty. I look forward to working with Deputy Carroll MacNeill on these issues.

Tomorrow, I will propose further Deputies to serve as Ministers of State and Cabinet will consider their appointments tomorrow. With these appointments, I believe we have a team with the right mix of experience and new talent to build the new social contract I talked about earlier. This is one which renews our promise as a republic to create equality of opportunity, to support those who need the State the most, to protect our hard-earned economic success and to use its benefits to deliver tangible outcomes to society.

First and foremost, this Government is going to continue to elevate our level of ambition and urgency on housing. We want to make sure that young people see their future in Ireland. We are going build more homes and we are going to continue to drive home ownership. We are going to examine policies that are working, like the waiver of development levies and working with colleagues to ensure such policies can remain in place.

Ceann Comhairle, over the past eight years there has been unprecedented investment in our health service. The budget has actually doubled. Outcomes for many conditions have improved, leading to people living longer and healthier lives. As Minister for Health, I had the privilege to bring the Sláintecare implementation plan to Government. People are beginning to feel the benefits of Sláintecare with free GP care for more people, the abolition of inpatient hospital charges, the extension of the free contraception scheme and the introduction of the new consultant contract, which the Minister, Deputy Donnelly has led on.

This Government will increase capacity and will improve access in our health service. This means opening more beds and theatres and recruiting more GPs, hospital consultants, nurses and therapists. I am sure everybody in this House can agree that mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing us as a society. I will work with colleagues to introduce the mental health legislation and to continue to reform our mental health services.

Of course, an ability to do all of this is dependent on a thriving economy. In Deputies Donohoe and McGrath, I believe we have the experienced team to continue improving infrastructure and services for our people and to guard and mind our economy in these challenging international geopolitical times. Implementation of the national development plan will be an essential driver of our ongoing economic success. I look forward to working with both Ministers on the summer economic statement so that we can continue to convert our economic success to real and tangible benefits for our people.

This Government understands that it has been a horrendously difficult year for farmers owing to the weather. We will help them get through this. The MInister, Deputy McConalogue, will build on the fodder transport measures already announced today, with practical supports.

I also know that small businesses are hurting, with an awful lot coming at them at once. I want the Minster, Deputy Burke, to bring his passion and drive to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I want him to develop a number of practical measures which will ease the burden on small businesses in the near future. I have asked him to work with our local enterprise offices to ensure they are maximising their capacity, to provide grants, mentoring and training to small businesses in each county because small businesses are the backbone of the Irish economy.

We all know in this House that families continue to struggle with the cost of living. The Government has taken a number of measures to assist in relation to this. The Government will continue to help with the cost and the availability of childcare. We intend to fast track legislation to include child minders in the national childcare scheme.

I want the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys to extend hot school meals to more schools. I want her to make thousands more carers eligible to receive the carer's allowance. I want her to report back before the budget on means tested payments for family carers. I have also asked her to prioritise the auto enrolment legislation, along with her work on options to address the impact of minimum wage increases on employers' PRSI contributions.

I believe we can and must continue to break down any barriers that exist to access to education. In my previous role I worked tirelessly over the past number of years to cut the cost of accessing third level education. Nothing should stop a person from reaching their full potential in this republic.

I am tasking the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, with continuing to drive forward that work. In particular, I want him to focus on developing new pathways into further and higher education for people. I have asked the Minister to prioritise labour force planning and the strategic development of the skills we need both to deliver housing in the here and now and for our future economic success. I want him to continue to increase the number and the variety of apprenticeships. I am charging him with working with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, in delivering on my commitment to establish new veterinary schools in rural Ireland.

A Cheann Comhairle, as you have heard me say, I intend to prioritise law and order and to work to make our streets safe and to end the scourge of antisocial behaviour in our communities. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have had many great conversations on this in recent days and weeks. Under her leadership, garda recruitment is strongly recovering after the pandemic, with 746 trainees entering Templemore. She has worked to negotiate the highest ever budget for the gardaí, more than 20% higher than when this Government entered office for the first time in 2020. We have doubled the maximum sentence for assault causing harm to ten years. We have increased the sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life. We have increased the sentence for assaulting a garda or an emergency worker from seven to 12 years.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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There is nowhere to put them.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please allow the Taoiseach to speak.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In re-appointing Deputy McEntee as Minister for Justice, I am working with her and tasking her to continue her momentum of delivering stronger, safer communities by continuing to fast track legislation to give judges new powers to make sure heinous criminals serve long sentences before they can ever be considered for release.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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Released where?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We will bring in body cameras and up-to-date technology-----

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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Where are they going to serve the sentences?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Let the Taoiseach speak without interruption, please.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----to help gardaí carry out their duties.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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In the modular homes, is it?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We will expand prison capacity, Deputy McNamara, and bring forward new measures to increase the penalties for knife crime and antisocial behaviour. We will give the Criminal Assets Bureau more powers to strip criminals of their assets more quickly. We will also work with our European partners to ensure a firm and fair migration system. This country is a welcoming one and knows the benefits of migration. However, Irish people want to know that the system is firm and fair and that the rules are working.

As Taoiseach, I will also convene a Dublin city centre task force to chart a path towards a safer and more vibrant Dublin because it is time to have pride again in our capital city.

Tonight, as we hold our first Cabinet meeting-----

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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Do not go out there, I would say.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Tonight as we hold our first Cabinet meeting, this Government will establish the Cabinet committee on children, education and disability. I am determined to put a focus on disability. It is about breaking down silos across Government and making change happen more quickly. We are determined to bring new coherence and faster progress on solving the issues that matter most to people with disabilities and I know that aim unites all three parties in government. I am also committed to building on the good work of the child poverty and well-being programme office established by my predecessor, Deputy Leo Varadkar. We will make more progress on that in the next budget.

The Irish State has a proud history of peacekeeping and making our mark in the world. We punch above our weight and we have a responsibility to bring our influence to bear on global issues like migration, climate, international conflicts and human rights. We have built strong relationships with our European neighbours and we will continue to work in partnership to uphold our shared values and objectives.

I am proud of the shared partnership which has been built by the three parties in coalition since 2020. This Government will be founded on that mutual respect and together we will work day and night to fulfil the ambitious agenda we have set out in our programme for Government. Now, let us get to work.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Déanaim comhghairdeas arís leis an Taoiseach nua, Simon Harris. Táim ag obair le Simon sa Rialtas seo le ceithre bliana anuas, agus mórchuid oibre le déanamh fós ag an gcomhrialtas as seo go ceann bliana. Táim ag súil le leanúint de bheith ag obair le Simon agus le hEamon. Leanfaimid orainn le hobair an Rialtais seo ar mhaithe le muintir na hÉireann, agus an rud is tábhachtaí ná clár an Rialtais a chomhlíonadh. An dualgas atá orainn ná é a chomhlíonadh agus a chur i bhfeidhm.

As I stated earlier during the debate on the nomination of the Taoiseach, based on the continued implementation of the programme for Government, ratified overwhelmingly by our members, the Fianna Fáil Party will be voting to support the Taoiseach's proposal to nominate members of the Government.

In addition to my previous comments relating to the resignation of Deputy Leo Varadkar, I acknowledge the decision of Deputy Simon Coveney to leave Government after 13 years of service. As a constituency colleague of mine representing another party, both Deputy Coveney and I have invested great energy and effort in battling each other over the years. I believe it has always been a fair rivalry, one which has also included a lot of co-operation on issues of importance to the people of Cork and the great city of Cork, whom we have had the great privilege of representing in Dáil Éireann. During the past 13 years Deputy Coveney has held ministerial responsibility with honour and distinction and I thank him for this service. I know that he has benefited from the wonderful support of his wife, Ruth, his three daughters and a close group of supporters who have stood with him all of the way. Today, I cannot but remember the late Hugh Coveney, with whom I also worked well as a constituency colleague. I have no doubt he is looking down with great pride at the service and achievements of his son Simon.

I also congratulate Deputies O'Donovan and Peter Burke on their nominations today. It is a wonderful day for them, their families and their supporters. I hope they enjoy the day and remember it, particularly at times when the ministerial workload means there is less time for old pursuits.

This Government was formed at time at an especially challenging moment in our country's history. In the heat and aggression of the Opposition's statements in recent weeks, the blinkered nature of their approach has become evident as they refuse to acknowledge anything positive. Their condemnation is so overwhelming and, frankly, so cartoonishly over the top that it is impossible to take it seriously. It reinforces the fact that the basic division in this House is between those who want to take issues seriously and those who just want to exploit them. We are in government not to keep things as they are but to help our country to progress, to address the needs of both today and the years ahead, and to be both honest and ambitious in serving our growing and diverse society. The Opposition tries to ignore the reality that this Government was formed at a very grave moment in the midst of a global pandemic. The largest public health crisis since independence was threatening us and the world as a whole. The fastest moving recession ever occurred. It left half a million people out of work and thousands of businesses were in danger. By every objective, independent measure, this Government implemented policies which saved thousands of lives and livelihoods. We implemented a world-leading vaccine programme and secured one of the fastest economic recoveries in Europe. Frankly, we did this in the face of a profoundly cynical Opposition which repeatedly called for measures which would have caused immense damage. Thankfully, we refused to listen to the demands of Sinn Féin and others for a zero Covid policy or for the unnecessary retention of emergency interventions. The daily attempts to talk down our vaccine programme and attack every action told us more about their approach to politics than anything I have seen before or since.

In area after area, we have been working in good faith to implement a credible programme of change. We do not claim and never have claimed to have solved every issue but there is sustained progress. There are huge issues which still have to be overcome, particularly due to the impact of two pandemic years, but ours is a record we can defend against any party in this House. As there is not the time available now to go into every element of the Government's work, I will address a number of special priorities.

My priorities as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence reflect the fact these areas are more critical than ever to our country and our values. The grave humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the desperate, overwhelming need to return some hope to this region will continue to be an urgent priority. I am realistic about the limits of what Ireland can reasonably be expected to achieve by itself, which is why I have invested so much effort in building effective co-operation with other countries. I have visited Gaza and the wider Middle East region over many years as Minister for Foreign Affairs, including twice this autumn. Since 7 October, I have visited Israel, the West Bank and key countries in the region. In Europe I have engaged in ongoing and intensive discussions with other countries, and Ireland's position has been widely acknowledged and appreciated. I have said very directly and in person to the Israeli Government that the shocking crimes of Hamas and the need to secure the release of the hostages cannot justify the scale or the terrible humanitarian catastrophe of the war it is waging. I am in no doubt that war crimes have been committed and I utterly condemn the ongoing bombardment of the Gazan people. I have ensured we have worked on behalf of the victims of this terrible war - the hostages and the people of Gaza. Thanks to our excellent diplomatic officials and the clear support of the Government as a whole, we secured the safe passage of many Irish citizens. We have defended the vital work of UNRWA and increased humanitarian aid, and I have indicated our decision to intervene in the ICJ case initiated by South Africa. I will continue this work and will miss no opportunity to promote Ireland's position.

There are some here who believe that angry speeches and unilateral action is the answer to everything, but our approach of building international alliances through the hard work of direct diplomacy will achieve far more for the Palestinian people. For the past six months I have maintained ongoing discussions with ministerial colleagues in other countries about how a joint formal recognition of Palestinian statehood could be a catalyst to help the people of Gaza and the West Bank and in furthering an Arab-led peace initiative. We have agreed that the undermining of the Oslo Accords and, therefore, the agreement to create two states has reached a point where the accords' approach of recognition after a final agreement is not credible or tenable any longer. I have discussed this with those in the region who are working on peace initiatives, and co-ordination with other countries continues intensively. We have discussed this between the Government parties and it is my intention to bring to Government a formal proposal on recognition when these wider international discussions are complete, but be in no doubt, recognition of a Palestinian state will happen.

With others, Ireland faces a very direct threat to the European Union from populist forces within and dictatorship on our borders. Ensuring Ireland stands with European democracies is a core priority for me and the Government. Our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, its right to be a democracy and its right to a European future are fundamental to our agenda. This is, of course, made more difficult by the fact we have four MEPs who attack Europe at every opportunity and present Ireland as one of the most eurosceptical member states. Our commitment to the European Union must be clear and unequivocal.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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You support von der Leyen.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Membership of the EU, opposed by the main party opposite, has transformed this country and we should elect MEPs who work to advance the Union, as opposed to those who continually seek to undermine it.

The fact the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly are functioning again is a great relief to anyone who wants to see progress in Northern Ireland. Following yesterday's North-South Ministerial Council, there is a full agenda before us and I am determined to push forward the work of the Shared Island initiative. For the first time in our history, our Government is making major long-term investment and deepening North-South understanding and economic and social development. As we have seen during the past week, evidence-based research and investment is needed more than ever and must be encouraged, not undermined.

Being Minister for Defence is a particular honour. At our toughest moments, Óglaigh na nÉireann stood against those who would have destroyed our democracy. Internationally, they have brought great honour to our country. At last year's consultative forum, the attempt to stop even a mild debate about the role of our Defence Forces and the security challenges facing our country was based on deliberate misrepresentations and an approach to our safety and security which amounts to people burying their heads in the sand. The report which emerged from the forum represents a very positive and constructive contribution. We have put in place a major investment programme to modernise our Defence Forces and will continue to implement a range of improvements to pay and supports for personnel.

The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, has pursued an approach with his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, which is both ambitious and sustainable. Overall fiscal policy has delivered improvements in vital social supports while also making sure that the funding will be there to maintain these services. The Future Ireland fund, which is a major legislative item before the House in the coming weeks, represents a visionary effort to protect Ireland from inevitable economic cycles. Crucially, it ensures that once-off revenues will not be wasted and that we will have the investment necessary for transport, education, health and environmental infrastructure well into the future. While others talk about a just transition, we are actually providing a mechanism to deliver one. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has ensured a major increase in housing output in every aspect of housing provision. He has delivered a step change in the provision of new homes, which will continue to increase this year and permanently. In the face of loud opposition here, he has provided help to new buyers and begun a new era in social and affordable housing.

The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, will continue to deliver our programme of investment and reform in Irish schools. It should be noted that by the time of the next election there will be over 8,000 more teachers and 6,000 more special needs assistants working in our schools than was the case five years ago. We can go on in terms of the historic introduction of free school books.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Your time is up, just like the Government's.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I know the Opposition is not minded to hear a further articulation of the many achievements of this Government. We have a very comprehensive programme of work to do over the next 12 months and we are determined collectively to achieve it.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, please.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Make the most of it because that will be the end of ye.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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One of the key issues, the most important issue we all need to consider here, is how we protect the natural world, which is under threat.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Protect the people too.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Yes, and the two go together. We just heard yesterday, that last month was the warmest month in recorded history. That was previously the case with February, January and December. We have never seen anything like the past ten months in a row----

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Will the carbon tax change it?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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-----in recorded history in the context of the scale of climate change.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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It changed every----

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The programme, if I can explain----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Just a minute now. Can the Rural Independents behave themselves, please, and be quiet? Minister, will you direct your remarks through the Chair and do not provoke the Deputies?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Apologies.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can you please allow the Minister to speak?

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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He put on me first.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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Go back to your caves

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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You are going to get your chance to speak. Let the Minister speak now.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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A Cheann Comhairle, this is deadly serious.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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It is serious.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As well as those monthly increases, global ocean temperatures have jumped completely beyond what the scientists expected. The average temperature increase is more than 1.5°C. The best scientists tell us that when you go over 1.5°C, you risk crossing tipping points into runaway climate change that cannot be stopped, and that imperils us all. We know this at home because it has been raining for the past ten months in a way that it has never done before.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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It rained before. Do not be telling lies.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The uncertainty that we can have drought followed by flood is what is of such concern. That is why it is key to this Government's approach that we put that at the very centre of everything we do. Deputy Bacik is concerned that some of the comments of the new Taoiseach about people speaking down to farmers might possibly have been referring to someone from the Government side. That is impossible, because we are never going to do that. We have to listen and ask for help rather than telling people what to do.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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You have your earphones on.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The truth is that in the detailed surveys we have carried out, 85% of the Irish people have indicated that they understand this climate risk and want it addressed. Less than 5% are what we would describe as sceptics. The truth is there is no difference between rural and urban, young and old or rich and poor, because it is an existential threat to all of us.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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There is if you are trying to walk from Valentia Island to Kenmare.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The role we have for farmers is by the €1.3 billion agri-forestry programme and other programmes which we have agreed already in government.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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It is killed completely.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We have been going around the country. I have visited every single county and every single council. I listened to what people think we can do. Government supports that. In two weeks' time, I expect to bring a memo to Government which sets out how we develop our just transition and that came from the farming organisations as well as the unions, employers, environmental NGOs and social justice organisations. In the next month, we will bring to Government a new proposal to create a new bioeconomy around biomethane which will bring huge revenues into the farming community. In the next month, we will introduce new renewable supports that will help the farming community, business and others tap into the solar revolution that is taking place in a way that is already accelerated but we are about to boost even further. These are the real things we can do in government.

It is not just about the farming community, although those in that community are central and are affected most at the moment, as we all know. It is important that we care for all our people. This Government has done that in the form of the energy credits we provide to help people deal with the most difficult price increases. This Government is going to continue with the tradition we have had. All four budgets to date have been socially progressive and demonstrable, and were approved and shown as such by the ESRI. The people in the lowest three deciles get the most benefit, those at the top, the least. That has been a fundamental principle of every single budget we have had. Deputy Cairns said she is looking for €6 billion for climate. We have agreed to put aside €14 billion for an infrastructure, climate and nature fund. Good economic management is also caring for your people

We have done more. We have halved the cost of public transport for those under 26. The numbers are shooting up.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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That is if you can get one.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We have rural bus services taking off incredibly, particularly in Kerry.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The battery buses, they had to go back to Dublin.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We have agreed only two weeks ago that the new measures we need to deliver in terms of active travel have to be decided-----

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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A Cheann Comhairle, if you would stop the clock.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is a wonderful cacophony of sound.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We have agreed a first principle in the other change in transport. Everything has to change because of the scale of the challenge. The principle is that it comes from the bottom up. The local authorities will have to decide, and they are starting. Dublin City Council is to change the city this summer. Dún Laoghaire is doing the same. I will be encouraging every single councillor in the local elections to declare where they stand on this question of our day. Similarly, it was not just the energy credits and transport fares. We halved childcare costs in a way that was fundamentally supportive of young people trying to raise families. We expanded the likes of free contraception and for the next 11 months - the Minister for Finance reminded me it is not ten - we will continue to deliver on Sláintecare, which is happening. We can deliver it in these next 11 months.

Another caring act that was hugely important was the introduction of basic income for artists and the funding we are about to expend again further in the coming weeks for sports grants. As the former Taoiseach said, a great deal of money went into arts venues. We are starting to do that now with the night-time economy, which is important.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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They will all be out until six o'clock in the morning.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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It is not just an economy we need, it is a society. That comes with spending on the arts and sport, as well as on education and health.

I want to welcome the three new Ministers named today. To Deputy Peter Burke in enterprise, if you talk to your predecessor, Deputy Coveney, and to your Secretary General, they will say it is clear, certain and true that the future economy has to be green. The foreign direct investment that raises so many of the taxes and other benefits for this country is also equally going green. Those responsible for that investment will want a Government that is heading in that direction, and we are.

Next week, I will ask my Department to talk to the Opposition Deputies from Waterford, Cork and Wexford. We will set out a Government-led designated maritime area plan where we tap into offshore wind that can provide us with sustainable aviation fuels, fertilisers and power a digital industry that is zero carbon. That is where the enterprise sector economy is going.

I wish the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, the very best of luck. His is a critical Ministry, one that has been superbly led in the past four years. He will need to talk to the Secretary General, and what he will confirm is that things in universities have to be green. That is centre stage in that Department's strategy and philosophy. If we keep going with that, we will have the young people on our side and we will serve their interests.

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, the very best of luck in her new roles in the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence. I back what the Tánaiste has said. One of the reasons we are strong and that our voice is listened to in the world is because we have been absolutely united as a Government on some of the key issues of our time. We have stood up, as we have today, for the recognition of Palestine. We provided critical information for the International Criminal Court when a case had to be taken. We were the first to increase funding for UNWRA when others were withdrawing it.

The way we have such strength and are listened to on an international stage is by talking to our Green colleagues in other European governments and the rest of the world. People know our approach is based on certain values and a true and real intent to be multilateral out there in the world and to stand up for the rights of other nations. That is what we are going to do for the next 11 months in government. We will then go back to the people.

The European Union has said we need to have a 90% reduction in emissions in 16 years' time. I would love to know the plans of the other parties for a 90% reduction in emissions. That is what we need to do to protect our people. It would be good for the economy and provide jobs for young people in the future. I can share my view on that tomorrow, but we need every party to agree to that because things will not work if we divide on climate. If that happens, our world burns.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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You are missing all your targets.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Today, the name on the Taoiseach's office door changed for the third time in four years, but nothing has really changed for workers and families. How could it? This Government was formed to block the change that people voted for in the most recent general election. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party clubbed together to ensure that the hopeful votes of so many for something new and different were denied. People wanted a Government of change, a Government that puts them first and is on their side. The Government parties joined together to preserve the status quo and deliver more of the same, precisely, as the Tánaiste said, to keep things as they are.

Over the past four years, the Government has delivered more of the same in spades. Deputy Simon Harris, the man who Fine Gael now attempts to cast as new, has been there every step of the way. His fingerprints are all over the crises and problems that people face every day. We need look no further than housing in that regard. We remain in the grip of an unprecedented housing crisis, a social emergency that touches every corner of life in Ireland. Last week, the Teachers' Union of Ireland met in Killarney. It polled its members and found over half of new teachers are considering leaving Ireland. I was in Birr, County Offaly, last Thursday and met a woman who told me about her two adult children, one a nurse and the other a teacher. One is in Australia and the other is in Dubai. Young people have been forced out by the lack of affordable housing and prevented from building a good life and future here at home. That story is not unique; it is a heartbreaking story I hear told again and again.

Fine Gael's 13 years in power have seen Ireland become no country for young people. Another generation looks to the airports and chance of a better life abroad. The housing crisis sees a haemorrhage of our young people, an exodus of skill and talent and another brain drain. This crisis now threatens our ability to put teachers in classrooms and nurses in hospitals, and it is of the Government's making.

Workers and families are forced to pay rip-off rents and home ownership is a pipe dream for so many. Some 4,000 children are growing up in emergency accommodation. That it has all happened on the Government's watch. Affordable, secure housing is out of reach for a generation because this Government is out of touch. It now says it will fix housing for once and for all. It wants people to believe that it will do in 11 months what Fine Gael failed to do in 13 years. People did not come down in the last shower. They know this is just more spin and promises from a Government that is big on announcements, but falls very short on delivery.

In the century long history of this State, there have been 15 taoisigh. We have had three in the past four years alone in order just to keep this charade on the road, even though the wheels have fallen off the wagon with Fine Gale TDs resigning left, right and centre. I have to hand it to the Government. The sound bites and slogans have gone into overdrive in a brazen effort to paint this as something new. It is not. The Government has been in office for four years. Deputy Simon Harris has been a senior Minister for eight years. Fine Gael has been in power for 13 years. This Government is like the last guest at a party who has worn out their welcome but will still not go home. The Government has been in power too long. It is time to go. We need a new Government, with fresh ideas, the right priorities and a determination to get things done. We need a Government that puts fairness at the centre of its political vision and policy decisions, fairness for workers and families and our young people. I want our young people to have the chance to build their future here in Ireland. I want our young people who live away to have the chance to come home. I believe we have an absolute duty and responsibility to create that pathway home.

The success of our economy, the cohesion of our society and the progress of a nation depends on young people having the opportunity to pursue happiness and reach their ambitions here. First and foremost, that means them being able to put an affordable roof over their heads. We need our nurses and doctors here. The Government has to stop bragging, get real and resource and deliver the working conditions and health system that our people deserve. We need our teachers here. Give them full, fair contracts and value those who shape the future through education.

We need a modern childcare system. Professional early years educators and childcare workers must be recognised, respected and paid fairly. That is the bottom line. The Government must end the insult of childcare workers signing on for social welfare during the summer. We need more childcare infrastructure and places and further cuts to childcare fees.

Our communities must be safe. In this regard, the Government has failed comprehensively. The party of law and order my eye. No Dubliner needs the Taoiseach or Government to tell us to take pride in our city. As a matter of fact, he has a cheek to make that statement. I know well that the inner city communities I represent do not feel safe. They are scourged by antisocial behaviour, drug pushing and crime. They have been abandoned because Garda resources are spread too thin. They are angry because Fine Gael has undermined and underfunded investment in community, youth work and community development, all of the initiatives that make a difference.

Safe communities grow from the grassroots up. The Taoiseach does not get that, though, so it is time for a Government that will invest in community, in nurturing our amazing young people and in building opportunities for those too often left behind. Investing in community is the smartest investment a government will ever make. Those who commit serious crime must face real consequences and the full weight of the law.

Our citizens with disabilities must live their lives as equals, with the services, supports and opportunities they are entitled to. The Taoiseach now says he will ratify the protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He has taken his time, so he should stop the dithering and delay and get it done.

Our carers, likewise, deserve respect. They do incredible work. They save the State billions. They deserve proper respite care, financial support and access to the services those they care for need, and they need to see real delivery and real improvement on a day-to-day basis.

Survivors of institutional abuse, of the mother and baby homes, also deserve recognition. I again raise with the Taoiseach the Westbank Orphanage in Greystones. A grave injustice has been done there. The same is true for survivors from the Bethany Home in Rathgar. This has been raised again and again with Government after Government. I put it to the Taoiseach that he must resolve this injustice because that is what a decent government would do.

I also want to put it to the Taoiseach that he must put his money where his mouth is on the issue of Palestine. The Israeli slaughter and war crimes in Gaza continue as we speak. They are broadcast live. Words are not enough. Condemnation is not enough. Action is needed. Recognition of the state of Palestine has to happen now. Why the delay? Why the equivocation? It is long past time this was done. We also need to enact the occupied territories Bill. If the Taoiseach is really and truly repulsed, as he says, by the actions of Netanyahu, he will make all this and more happen.

The Taoiseach talked about hope, but hope is not generated by spin. Hope is generated by showing up for people, by following through and by delivering. Thirteen years of Fine Gael Government have damaged the hope of a generation. As it refuses to let go of power and limps on without direction, it should be very sure that change is coming. Ní Rialtas nua é seo. Is é an seanscéal céanna arís é ach creideann na daoine fós i dtodhchaí níos fearr. Creideann siad fós gur féidir le fíor athrú tarlú. For four years, the Government has had its own way. It has circled the wagons to keep out change but it is running out of road. The day is coming when it will have to face the verdict of the people. It will finally have to face a general election-----

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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So will you.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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For ordinary people, I want to say this. I know it is hard but hang on and do not give up. Hold tightly to your hopes for a better future.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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You are out of time, Mary Lou.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Hold tightly to your hopes for yourself, for your family and for Ireland and then, when a general election is called, vote for hope, vote for change and vote out this failed Government.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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I join others in congratulating Deputy Harris on his elevation to the role of Taoiseach. It was refreshing earlier to hear the voices of children in the Dáil Chamber, and I want to make a case for the appointment of Saoirse and Cillian as junior Ministers tomorrow. His family are understandably proud today, and we should all be reminded that abuse in politics travels to those who have never sought public office.

We are not here for ourselves, however, but for our communities and the people of Ireland. In that regard, we have to be mindful of the serious work of politics that we need to undertake together. The Government needs to accept and realise the Opposition is not the enemy, just as we realise we can genuinely achieve things and co-operate. The Taoiseach has in the past shown flashes of being willing to work collaboratively, and I want to raise with him primarily the issues of justice and education. I ask him in all earnestness to dispense with the tired law-and-order rhetoric and to assess honestly the issues that are affecting the Department of Justice today.

The Taoiseach says the answer to prison overcrowding is more prison spaces. It is not. It is fewer prisoners. How can it make sense that the progression unit in Mountjoy Prison is now threatened with closure? Can we get beyond the "get tough" nonsense and understand the link between poverty and imprisonment? Can we agree that four-month sentences are pointless and that incarcerating people with addiction issues, mental health issues, or both, is counterproductive. We can work together on that.

On drugs, who will the new Minister for drugs be? Will the Government use the Oireachtas committee on the findings of the citizens' assembly to chart a new course on drugs policy in Ireland? Will the Taoiseach ensure the injecting facility in Dublin is opened this year? Will he decriminalise the drug user so they are empowered through medical intervention and counselling, and not humiliated through the criminal justice system? Will he commit to legislating on this before an election? We can work together on that.

On the proposed Dublin task force, will the Taoiseach prioritise the introduction of a Dublin allowance to ensure that the capital city can recruit and retain school staff and gardaí, who are priced out of accommodation in Dublin? We had an unprecedented number of gardaí - 164 - resigning from the force last year. The trend is continuing this year. Some schools in Dublin are operating on 45% staff capacity. He must introduce a Dublin allowance akin to the London model. We can work together on that.

On hate crime, the Taoiseach must face down the yesterday men on his backbenches. This is not a culture war over gender identity, as some would distort this debate to be. This is about a Croatian man, Josip Štrok, who was beaten to death in an anti-immigrant attack last month. This is about members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are afraid they will be beaten up, or worse. This is about the 23 accommodation centres that have been destroyed by arson attacks in the past number of years. He should ask his former Ministers to tell those terrified families that this is some woke agenda. The Taoiseach must stand by his convictions. We can work together on that, even if others in the Opposition cower away.

The Taoiseach must establish the citizens' assembly on education, as promised, to drive the debate on special education, disadvantaged education, the separation of church and State in education and the ending of the leaving certificate and to promote the ethos of inclusivity across our education system. He must deliver on the programme for Government commitment, and then deliver on the assembly's findings. He must also separately deliver on the DEIS plus proposal that would benefit 100 of our most acutely disadvantaged schools. We can work together on that.

The Taoiseach has a choice. He can continue with the empty rhetoric on core Fine Gael values of law and order, low tax and employer rights over workers' rights, etc., and pretend his Government are the only ones in these Houses who are actually serious on policy delivery, or he can accept that many of us thirst for change, and for us, the difference we can make in so many lives is why we come here every day. His time is short, but the opportunity is real. He is here for the people who will either benefit, or be wounded by the choices he makes. There are those of us who are willing to work together. This is as much a challenge to the Taoiseach as an invitation. Tá sé in am duit stop a chur leis an gcaint agus tús a chur leis an obair, agus táimid sásta comhoibriú leat le polasaithe daonna a chur chun cinn.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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I begin by congratulating Deputy Harris on becoming Taoiseach. It is a huge honour and a proud day for him and his family, friends and supporters. I also acknowledge those who have been appointed and reappointed to the Cabinet and I wish them the very best in their respective portfolios. However, I also have to ask what we are really doing here today. We are reshuffling some of the personalities, but keeping all of the same old policies. This is not change. The difference is barely discernible. The Taoiseach tells us that he has new energy, but there is little else that is new about this Government. The third iteration of this Cabinet has some new faces, but no new ideas, no new plans and no new policies. In fact, we have just heard speech after speech from Government benches defending the status quo. According to that side of the House, the Government is doing an amazing job. One of the stand-out speeches from earlier today was when we heard the strongest defence of the housing Minister's performance from the leader of the Green Party. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, seems to view record house prices, record rents, more than 4,000 children growing up in emergency accommodation and a complete collapse in homeownership as a job well done. Loyalty to the Government is one thing, but this spin that everything is going to plan is quite frankly difficult to listen to.

It is important to be clear about how we got here. Decades of failed policy have caused this crisis. Pointing this out is not political point-scoring; it is simply pointing out the blindingly obvious, which is that successive Government plans have not worked and are not working. This Government and previous governments have had endless opportunities to get housing right. People have waited long enough. Last year alone, 21,000 people left for Australia. Others are leaving for Canada, Dubai and elsewhere. Many do not want to go, but they feel they are being forced out because a lack of affordable housing means their lives here are on hold. The housing disaster did not happen by accident or by some sort of fluke. Political choices made by successive governments have resulted in the aspirations and dreams of an entire generation being diminished or completely destroyed. I do not believe that the people who got us into this mess are the people who can get us out of it. The Taoiseach does not have to take my word for it; the record of successive Fine Gael governments for the past 13 years says it all. The wrong political choices got us into this crisis, but the right ones can get us out. That is why we need a change in government.

Small independent businesses are really suffering. In rural areas, in particular, it is one of the biggest issues I am dealing with at the moment. Small businesses like cafes and restaurants are the lifeblood of small towns and villages across the country. They provide employment and social outlets. They help to deal with rural isolation and they keep our towns and villages alive. However, many have closed and are at risk of closure because the costs of running a business have increased so much. I honestly could not believe my eyes yesterday when I read in The Irish Times that the Taoiseach's answer to this is to dismantle workers' rights. Opposing the increase in statutory sick leave would be an insult to workers and to those businesses. Statutory sick pay schemes are well established across Europe and the absence of one for so long in Ireland has left generations of workers vulnerable. The Taoiseach's position pits workers against small business owners. It is not the solution. We need targeted supports for small hospitality businesses under severe pressure that would provide instant and tangible relief. At the weekend he said that Fine Gael will introduce a package to support small businesses. That would be welcome. When can we expect to see it and the detail of it? Businesses are at risk of closing their doors and simply cannot wait any longer.

I want to address Fine Gael's self-described status as the party of law and order. Fine Gael has now held the justice portfolio without interruption since 2011. Some 13 years later, Garda numbers are down again below 14,000 this year and nowhere near the 15,000 figure this Government committed to. Prisons are dangerously overcrowded at 110% capacity, posing a serious threat to prisoners and to prison officers. Our capital city is in alarming decline with antisocial behaviour, dereliction, littering and vandalism now the norm. I am sure the Taoiseach can understand, given all that, why Fine Gael referring to itself as the party of law and order just feels like spin. For two years, my colleague Deputy Gannon has been pleading with Fine Gael Ministers to convene a multi-agency task force on safety in the city of Dublin, but nothing was done until last weekend when the new Taoiseach announced that he was adopting Deputy Gannon's suggestion. I hope that for Dublin it will be more than a throwaway line in a conference speech. It must be followed by action, and the task force must be more than a talking shop. I ask him who will be sitting on the task force, what resources it will have, what specific issues will be tackled and what the timelines for delivery are.

Dublin is an amazing city but it needs some help. We hope the Taoiseach will provide it and we will work with him if he follows through on his promise.

For the remaining few months of this Government, the Taoiseach will be Ireland's voice on a world stage and there is nowhere where our voice is more important than on Gaza. Gaza has been turned into a hell on earth. More than 33,000 men, women and children have been killed and famine is looming closer by the minute. Not content with targeting hospitals and innocent civilians, Israeli forces continue to target brave aid workers doing everything they can to help the Palestinian people. The callous murder of seven aid workers last week meant a withdrawal of World Central Kitchen from Gaza where it had been feeding 500,000 people a day, further limiting aid at a time when starving children are eating grass and weeds for nourishment. The level of malnutrition is so high now that Gaza urgently needs to be flooded with medical aid workers to prevent famine and the starvation of thousands, but Israel will not allow it.

The Taoiseach's words to date on Gaza have been strong. I am asking the Taoiseach to match them with action, to do everything in his power to hold Israel accountable for its acts of genocide, and to do everything in his power to hold our allies accountable for their complicity in this slaughter because the silence from some has been deafening. It was notable last week that it took the murder of seven western aid workers for some western countries to notice. Nothing less than punitive economic and diplomatic sanctions along with an immediate end to the supply of weapons to Israel, by countries such as the United States and Germany, is required.

We have to be strong in pushing for action internationally and for taking whatever actions we can at home. I welcome what the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, said about recognising the state of Palestine. We would like to know when, timelines and all such things. It is a really welcome development.

I was also really concerned to see that, at the Fine Gael Ard-Fheis at the weekend, the Taoiseach voted down a motion to enact the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. In a sovereign state there are only a few things available to us within our own power to do unilaterally - recognise the state of Palestine, introduce the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023. We could also remove the diplomatic status of the ambassador. At times like this, we need to stand up and be counted. I am calling on the Taoiseach to do all of those things.

Outside of the political bubble, what difference will this repackaged Cabinet make to the lives of people in this country? Will there be any change in approach on the key issues we face as a country? That is the critical question. The truth is we have a new Taoiseach today, not because of the interests the country demanded but because Fine Gael's election interests required one. That is merely the reality. The former Taoiseach was clear that he felt the party's local and European candidates would fare better under a new leader, and here we are today. I genuinely wish this was the catalyst for the change we need, but after listening to the Cabinet, to the new Taoiseach and to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for the past hour, I do not hold out too much hope. I say to people out there who feel disillusioned at the lack of real change in the Chamber today that I hope they will not have to wait much longer. Time is running out for this Government. Real change is on the horizon. My biggest call to the Taoiseach in his short time in this role is to do what he can with all of the issues I have raised.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Ag bogadh ar aghaidh go dtí People Before Profit-Solidarity, glaoim ar an Teachta Bríd Smith.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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As the youngest Taoiseach at the age of 37, good on the Taoiseach that he can afford his own home. That is good for the Taoiseach and for anybody who can, but what about the tens of thousands of people of the Taoiseach's age group who cannot and who are, like the Taoiseach acknowledges, forced into the boxroom of their parents? Now the Taoiseach says he will move heaven and earth to get them out of there and into their own home, but he has never once, in all the decade plus that he has been in the Fine Gael Party in government, voted or spoken up against a single policy that has led us to the biggest housing catastrophe in the history of the State. Never once has the Taoiseach spoken against the policies that have put 4,000 children into homeless accommodation, migrants into tents on the streets and hundreds of thousands on waiting lists. We have never heard the Taoiseach say that. Why should we believe the Taoiseach that he will move heaven and earth now when his policies have been inconsistent with what has gone on in terms of the housing crisis?

I challenge Deputies Micheál Martin and Varadkar on their repeated warnings about geopolitical uncertainty coming our way and why they keep using the expression that Ireland has its head buried in the sand. We know why they keep using it. It is because they want to get rid of our neutrality. Deputy Micheál Martin wants to put a Bill before the Dáil instead of a referendum before the people to get rid of Irish neutrality because this Government and all of its moving parts are right behind all of the warmongering of the European Union which it repeatedly calls out because it wants to ratchet up what is happening in terms of the conflict with Russia and it wants to see us move into arrangements with an EU army and with NATO. We want to say "No", that they will not drag us into war or into ditching our neutrality. To that end, I challenge the Taoiseach to call a referendum on neutrality rather than putting a Bill before this House to say to the people who will be in Shannon Airport on Sunday, protesting against the increased movement of US troops going through this country out to the Middle East, and to say to the people in Palestine and elsewhere that Ireland will stand firm on its commitment to anti-colonial legacy and policies and that we will not be dragged into an EU army or into PESCO or NATO to engage in wars. Ultimately, such wars, should they happen, will not see the sons and daughters of rich people die in them. It will be the working class, the poor and those at the bottom of society whose children will die in those wars across Europe.

I challenge the Taoiseach, given his fine words on Palestine at his party's Ard-Fheis, to make a commitment that he will expel the Israeli ambassador. Words are all very fine. I use them all the time. I make speeches all the time, but at the end of the day, it is deeds that matter. The Taoiseach can perform the deed.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Is Deputy Paul Murphy taking five minutes?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Yes. On Saturday, together with residents and housing activists, I was outside a house in Swiftbrook in Tallaght. It would make a fine home for a family but, instead, it has been vacant for ten years. It is owned by Pepper Finance, a vulture fund that is notorious for hiking up interest rates on mortgage holders. That has been sitting empty for ten years. It is one of more than 50,000 homes in the State that have been vacant for six years or more, and one of more than 1,500 vacant homes in Dublin 24. Someone asked me a simple question, which is why there are so many vacant homes when there are more than 4,000 children sleeping in emergency accommodation. The answer I gave is also simple. The reason is because this Government represents those who own multiple properties, not those who own none. That is the central truth of politics which is attempted to be covered up all the time, that we have a Government that is not striving to house everybody, to address the health crisis and to address the climate crisis. We have a Government that represents those who profit and benefit from the housing crisis, those who profit from the health crisis and those responsible for the climate and biodiversity crisis, not on that represents those who are affected by all of those crises. For all of the talk of new energy, there will be no change with Deputy Harris on that fundamental.

The talk of going back to basics for Fine Gael means rhetorical commitment to law and order, which, if put into action, means abandoning the rhetorical commitment to a public health approach to drugs. It means tax cuts for businesses - cuts to the lowest rates of employers' PRSI in all of the European Union. The Taoiseach will cut it. It means extending relief for developers on development levies, giving them another break. For workers, it means the promised sick days are threatened to be taken away from them.

On climate action, Deputy Eamon Ryan gives it away when he says that they are only warming up. There is a tragic truth to that about the whole world.

We are heading for absolute disaster. Our eyes are wide open. They are in government with a man who made a speech at his party's Ard-Fheis promising that he would fight for the right of big dairy farmers to pollute our rivers. It is a Government that is committed to expanding data centres with no problem about the water, the electricity or the direct burning of gas. Unfortunately, with the help of some so-called Independents, the Government gets a stay of execution. The Government avoids a general election but it cannot avoid the local and European elections in eight and a half weeks' times. This will be people's opportunity to serve an eviction notice on those in government and to kick them out of the councils and the European Parliament, and, hopefully, to kick out the European Commission President they support, Ursula von der Leyen, who is a supporter of genocide, but also to serve notice that fundamental change needs to come.

I want to send a warning to people, because there is a lesson to be learned from what happened here today. This Government only got such a substantial margin of victory for Simon Harris because of the support of a load of so-called Independents. Most of these Independents started their political careers in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and then fell out with them. Their highest political ambition is to be a Minister in a Fianna Fáil- or Fine Gael-led Government. That is the truth. The Independents who will stand in local elections across the country are much the same. The key question for every single candidate and party is whether they will commit not to prop up Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Will they commit to give a fundamental alternative after the next election?

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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I want to correct the record of the Dáil. Earlier, I mistakenly said that the shortest-serving Taoiseach in the history of the State was John Bruton at 924 days. It was actually the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, at 904 days. Maybe it just seemed longer.

A couple of weeks ago, Deputy Michael Ring made the comment that Fine Gael has been too left for too long. If he decides to join his 11 Fine Gael colleagues and exit politics at the next election, he might make a good alternative career in stand-up comedy. A more right-wing stance on immigration, law and order and climate might have consequences the Deputy has not considered. Isaac Newton once said, for every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Society is not becoming more right wing; it is becoming more polarised. A shift to the right in Government policy could trigger a surge on the left, perhaps in the form of activism from young people in particular.

To the best of my knowledge, there was no such thing as an Oireachtas friends of South Africa group in the 1980s, but an Oireachtas Friends of Israel group was apparently revived in February 2022, the same month that an Amnesty International report concluded that Israel is an apartheid state. Should the Deputy who revived that group be the new Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs? Ireland and Spain have requested an urgent review of the EU-Israel trade agreement in the light of the assault on Gaza, one which could potentially cost Israeli big business interests tens of billions of euro. Is the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, of the Oireachtas Friends of Israel group in a position to vigorously pursue that review? That is one question.

I will conclude on this question for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Peter Burke. A raft of stories have been appearing in the press linking a package of supports for small business with hints that planned improvements to workers' pay and conditions might be put on the long finger, that the introduction of the living wage would be put back a year, that sick leave entitlements would not increase next year, etc. I urge the Minister not to go down that road because if he does there will be opposition, and quite possibly a storm of opposition. It is the lowest paid workers in the country who need the living wage. It is the lowest paid who go into work when they are sick because they cannot afford to take a sick day. I would like to hear the Minister rule that out as an option.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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For Deputy Barry's information, there are 48 parliamentary friendship groups and not one of them was established as a result of any one individual Member. It is unfair to target any Member as being responsible for the establishment of a particular friendship group.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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She played a key role.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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I wish to share time with Deputy Naughten.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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I congratulate the Taoiseach on his elevation. I also congratulate his new Front Bench members and wish them all the best in their new roles. We have heard many times over the past two weeks of the soul-searching and renewal in which the Taoiseach's party is currently engaging. I wish his new ministerial line-up every good fortune. I say that sincerely, as one hopes their success in bringing new direction and management to their respective portfolios can only benefit our national population.

I remind the Taoiseach of some of the touchstones that he has mentioned and that have been to the core of his party's values. First is the idea that his party is the party of enterprise, one that runs a tight ship and that offers thrifty governance to produce a more flexible competitive economy, one that can offer opportunity but which also recognises the value of work and the value of the worker.

I am not going to provide a dissertation on whether I believe in the past four years the Taoiseach's party has delivered on these ideals. As he reshapes his party in government, however, I encourage him to devote concentrated effort to the following points I make as an elected representative and as a taxpaying citizen of this Republic.

The first point is about value for money. The Government has spent so much money and unfortunately got such little value for it. It is unrealistic to foist another children's hospital-type project on the country and the Irish people when the cost is unknown and vast. I refer to the Dublin metro. It is good value at €4 billion, but at somewhere in the neighbourhood of €10 billion to €35 billion it is insane. I ask the Taoiseach to get control of capital spending, competitiveness and robustness in public spending. The public spending code is a complex recipe to generally allow the taxpayer to be mugged. We need to simplify it and make the spending code objectives and the delivery thresholds transparent.

I also ask the Taoiseach to look at renewing competitiveness in our economy. The Government has done little to nothing to make banking and insurance more competitive. Individual bank customers have no choice at present. The margins and profits being earned in these sectors are at almost supernormal levels. The reform of insurance and banking has not yet travelled the distance needed. Failure to regulate or allow competition into each of these sectors is a significant issue. We have some of the highest costs and I ask the Taoiseach to take a look at this.

I also ask the Taoiseach to look at the challenge of bureaucracy to the quality of citizens' lives. Individually, every bit of regulation probably has some sense but in aggregate they produce abject misery. Getting an NCT or a driving licence are painful experiences. He should try calling the RTB or comparison shop for health insurance, electricity rates or getting an SEAI grant. Surely these things should not be as difficult as they are. We need to have our wits about us to deal with those services.

The Taoiseach should look at trying to build a house in Ireland at present. We have major issues developing within the planning code and it is going to require a whole-of-government response in addition to a response from the entire Dáil.

I ask the Taoiseach to consider implementing these four changes. I have raised pay policy a number of times and asked that ISME would be allowed to have a representative on the Labour Employer Economic Forum. The recent rounds of pay awards did not fully understand the effects on small business viability. He should introduce VAT 9, even if we have to profile it for some businesses and not give it to others. It needs to be done for the smaller food and service sector. I ask the Taoiseach to consider developing a new Government agency for SMEs similar to Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland and, as I said to him earlier, provide agricultural supports for farmers who are facing an extreme fodder crisis.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I congratulate the Taoiseach on his election. It is a huge honour for him and his family. It is scary to think that over two decades ago I did a public meeting for a young man out in Greystones when I was the Fine Gael spokesperson on transport. I actually did one as well for another young man in the north inner city of Dublin, who happens to be here in the House, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. Both of them have come a very long way since then. I congratulate Deputy Harris on his appointment as Taoiseach.

I also take this opportunity to wish Deputies Varadkar and Coveney well. I worked with both of them on the Fine Gael Front Bench in opposition and in government. I thank them for the public service that they have given to this country. In particular, I believe their commitment and dedication to addressing the challenges faced by this country as a result of Brexit will be the most significant legacy they leave. I thank them most sincerely for their efforts in that regard.

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate my neighbour across the river, Peter Burke, and down the river, Patrick O’Donovan who I worked with very closely on the issue of Lough Funshinagh. It is a great personal honour for both of them. It is a great political honour to serve in government and I wish both of them well in their new roles.

While I am on the topic of Lough Funshinagh, when I spoke to the Taoiseach last week I highlighted the anxiety faced by the communities around Lough Funshinagh and south Roscommon with the increased water levels they face and the increased risk of flooding. Since that conversation last week, overnight another two family homes have had pumps installed to stop those homes from flooding in another village in the vicinity of Lough Funshinagh. We are now in a critical situation on this. Several homes are only keeping the water out due to temporary measures such as sandbags and round-the-clock pumping. At a meeting with the residents last night, Deputy Fitzmaurice and I were told that when the pump failed for half an hour, the water reached the doorstep of one of those families. That is how critical this situation is at the moment. I want to commend Roscommon County Council, the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, and the team at the Office of Public Works on the efforts they have been making to defend those properties. The difficulty is that defence cannot continue for another 12 months. The water levels in Lough Funshinagh have reached an unprecedentedly high level and have surpassed the previous records of 2016 and 2021. Roscommon County Council tells me that predictions from Geological Survey Ireland have flagged this particular alarming trend. It believes that this trend will continue year on year and that it shows no signs of reversing whatever. Roscommon County Council has stated in black and white, in a note I presented to the Taoiseach, that without intervention it is anticipated that four homes will be permanently lost next winter. Emergency legislation must be brought through this House to allow for the implementation of an immediate temporary solution, involving the controlled removal of water from Lough Funshinagh into the River Shannon. It is critically important that this emergency legislation is brought through this House before the summer recess. I hope the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Tánaiste will ensure that is delivered. It is critically important that we get such action before those four homes are lost.

I want to raise one other issue with the Taoiseach, namely long Covid. I have here an email from a member of staff within the HSE whose illness benefit will cease on 1 July. Even though she has been off work for a considerable period with long Covid - her colleagues who are out longer are still on full pay - she will have to apply for disability allowance from 1 July. She went in and worked on the front line through the most difficult times we have had in this country and the most difficult challenges that we have had in our health service. It is imperative that we do not turn our backs on front-line health workers in this country who are experiencing long Covid.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Hear, hear.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I also want to raise the need to revise the model of care for long Covid in this country. An interim model of care was launched in September 2021 as an interim measure. Since then, we have had a HIQA report and HIQA has reviewed the model of care. An epidemiological survey is about to be completed by the HSE, but it will be January 2025 before we see any change to the interim model of care. That is not sufficient to deal with the challenges and needs of patients who are struggling with long Covid at the moment. I urge the Taoiseach to intervene on this.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank Deputy Naughten. Sadly, I understand he proposes to leave the House after the next election. Given his work with our new Taoiseach and with our Minister, Deputy Donohoe, there could be a very bright future in stall for him as a political mentor, but time will tell.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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His job is done.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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I acknowledge that today is a very important day for the Taoiseach and for Ministers old and new. I wish them well in their new portfolios and in the future. I also acknowledge the Taoiseach’s role as Minister for higher education and commend him on the work he did on apprenticeships. We might not agree on many issues but I want to acknowledge that the focus he put on apprenticeships and traineeships was very welcome and stood out for me at the education committee. I hope that focus continues because we have a serious gap with the lack of trades which we need to address. I will be prepared to work with any Minister in that portfolio.

The business of government is an incredibly serious profession. It calls for a dedication that is absolutely committed to the public interest and not subordination, optics, party infighting and political positioning. I hear plenty of rhetoric about the public interest, stability and commitment to the programme for Government but the cold hard facts remain. What we see here today is less about new energy and more about recycled energy. The Taoiseach has taken the resources of some people, mixed them with others and the result is a product that looks exactly the same. Based on precedent, I do not see much in this Government to show it is capable of delivering a radical and transformative change towards a vision of a national sovereignty that is connected to the people and listens to the people. There is a massive gap there. I want to see a government, as the saying goes, of the people, by the people and for the people. What I see instead is a Government that will continue to be embarrassed by the demands of the Irish people, and where the interests of an international order will always be prioritised, be that in terms of our neutrality or in terms of immigration policy. On that basis, I cannot support these nominations. To do so would be a vote for the status quo and that is what has already brought us the uncertain place in which we find ourselves today.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Taoiseach agus leis na hAirí nua. I wish them well. Like Deputy Nolan, I thank the Taoiseach for his work on SUSI, apprenticeships and other issues in his time as higher education Minister. I acknowledge that unlike what I said this morning about his abysmal time in health.

Recently, it has not only been Fine Gael that has been far too left for far too long. In my opinion all three Government parties and most of the Opposition occupy that left-wing space even though it is the private sector that generates our national income and wealth and even though 80% of employees work in the private sector. You would never guess that listening to Irish public debate. In recent decades, we have seen a growth in the influence of ministerial media advisers and the alumni of youth wings of our political parties. The Government is spending over €7 million of taxpayers' money on these advisers this year. The result is that glib soundbites have increased in importance while the delivery of bread-and-butter solutions has declined. The recent referendums illustrated the rise of soundbites and the decline of substance. An example of that decline was how the "Yes" referendum campaigns actively misrepresented the legal advice received by the Government. The Government’s main efforts over the past three years have been to distract the public from its substantial failures on housing, health, crime and immigration. These failures are visible, consistent and undeniable. Our leaders appear impotent, which might explain why so many of them, including at least 11 Fine Gael TDs, are unwilling to put their names forward for re-election. Nothing is changing because the first thing the new Taoiseach has done, before he has even taken up the reins, is to surround himself with media advisers with the single aim of distracting rather than serving the public as the cycle of failure and mistruth continues.

In Simon's world, under the Government, we have more asylum seekers and fewer gardaí to patrol our streets. Anyone who heard the Simon Harris, or Taoiseach as he is now, speech in Galway last weekend would be left wondering whether he lives in the same world as the rest of us. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but in Simon's world things can only get better. In Simon's world, crime is down, taxes are low and the buses run on time, but people do not live in Simon's world. They live in the real world. The Taoiseach will be bedevilled by the daily failures of Simon's government.

The ongoing immigration crisis is a direct consequence of Government policy failures. The Minister for the environment's unfulfilled promises to provide proper accommodation and abolish direct provision have only worsened the situation. We are witnessing young people being forced to go abroad on a daily basis. That is not right and it is not good for Simon's world or our world.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I warmly congratulate the Taoiseach, his family and the new Ministers. I wish the outgoing Taoiseach every happiness and success. I have a special word for Simon Coveney; I wish him good luck and thank him for everything. I will be the first person to invite the Taoiseach to County Kerry. I want him to come very soon as he has been a very good visitor in the past in his different roles. I invite him to meet with farmers and small businesspeople in Kerry at the earliest opportunity.

I went to the Taoiseach's new office earlier to hand deliver a letter with regard to the World Rally Championship, WRC, bid, which hinges on funding after the event consent approval. We are looking to secure a three-year contract for counties Waterford, Kerry and Limerick. I was glad to meet with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I am very appreciative of her support for this and know that she is very open to all of it. I am glad that Ministers Michael McGrath and Donohoe are here because they hold the purse strings. They are good men to mind money. I tell them that the amount of money we will have to spend will be very little because we will get €350 million back. That is a big win for Ireland. The right team is sitting in front of me. I ask them to please fund the WRC, and bring it to Kerry, Waterford and Limerick.

I want the Taoiseach to stop the attack on Airbnbs and short-term lets. I really mean this. I do not do very short-term lets myself, but I know plenty of people in Kerry who do. They are asking me to lobby. What the Government is doing does not make sense. It will not be able to stop people doing short-term lets and turn them into long-term lets. They will leave the properties empty first.

With regard to the fodder scheme, what has been announced is not enough. It is not good enough. The rates and input costs for small businesses are forcing them to close. I ask the Government to please do something about that.

On GPs and accident and emergency services, I ask the Government to please do its best to help in that regard.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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I am delighted for the Taoiseach. I wish him well in his position, as I do the other Ministers who have been elevated into positions.

Once upon a time, Fine Gael was known as the farmers' party and Fianna Fáil was known as the workers' party. That is no more. It is very shocking for people who were members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to see the way those parties have gone since they joined the Green Party in government, and that they have forgotten the people who put them there in the first place. Once upon a time, there was a leader from County Cork. Now, Independent Ireland has a leader from Cork and a general secretary from County Limerick. It is as if history is repeating itself.

As a member of the Limerick Motor Club and a rally person, I am telling the Government that €300 million in investment is being looked for. All the Government has to spend is €5 million a year for a €95 million return. It spent €20 million on two referendums that it got completely wrong, with no return. If the WRC comes to Limerick, it will support counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry. That is what it will support. All the Government's TDs and Ministers came to meetings in counties Waterford and Kerry to say they were supporting the WRC, but the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, is holding it on a knife edge at the moment and we do not know whether we will get it or not. Some €300 million will come into this country if the Government gives the investment to the WRC today. If it does not, every Government party will be held accountable for giving promises it gave in the past. All the rally people in Ireland will hold them responsible for loss of an investment into this country of €300 million.

I ask the Minister and Taoiseach for that investment. If the WRC does not get its investment by 15 April, the Government will hear about it at the doors.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Danny Healy-Rae has ten seconds.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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That is what is left to me. I, too, wish the Taoiseach well in his role for the sake of the people of the country. I wish him well for that, but I cannot forget the nasty answer he gave me a few months ago on behalf of the people of Killarney. They will not forget it either. I hope the Taoiseach will take a different line when he answers questions in future.

I have very little time. I ask the Taoiseach and the Government to do more for farmers. This supposed help to transport bales from more than 75 km is of no use. I ask the Government to give farmers vouchers. Let us be real about it; no farmer is travelling more than 75 km. The Government needs to do something constructive to help them. Farmers need to get vouchers. I ask the Government to please ease off on them and, instead, help them to continue to produce food. The Government should not annihilate them as it has already done the fishing industry. We need food. We will always need food.

I have one special request. I ask the Government to please restore funding for mastectomy bras for those women who lost their breasts. The Government is squandering money left, right and centre. Some €2.5 billion has already been spent on migrants and asylum seekers, and billions have been spent in the name of climate action. There is €600 million in funding for a road in the Six Counties and no funding for the road from Blackwater to Sneem. The Government should be real about it. It should see after our own people.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We go to the Independent Group. Deputy Pringle is leading off and sharing with his colleagues.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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I am sharing with Deputies Harkin, McNamara and Fitzmaurice.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is up to yourself.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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I will take five minutes.

I offer personal congratulations to Simon Harris. On a personal level, it is positive for him and his family that he has been made Taoiseach but, sadly, for the country and ordinary people, it is a nothing day. It is a day of lost opportunity. There is no doubt that Simon Harris will not change the focus of this Government. That is the problem with this appointment. I also take the opportunity to wish Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney well on a personal level. Unfortunately, it is not possible to separate the personal from the political in this context. That is the problem overall.

After today's speeches, we have another excuse for doing nothing to add to the lexicon of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, supported by whatever party thinks it can make hay by supporting them. For years we have been treated to the maxim that the permanent government is at fault, or that the Government would love to be able to do something but European policy will not allow it. We can now add to the litany of do-nothing complaints, namely, that global megatrends are responsible for us not being able to sort out the housing crisis. The one big positive that will come out of this is it will show once and for all that no matter who leads Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, it will not change how this country is run. That is the problem.

The people of Ireland need a change of direction in government, where the emphasis is on looking after those who need it, and putting citizens first, not developers or businesses. To my mind, that simple change of emphasis would make a huge difference to people across the board. I do not believe Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael are capable of doing that. The one thing about this Government is that it has categorically shown once and for all there is no substantial difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. That is something that needed to happen. For too long, the people were conned into thinking there was a difference, and that if they changed the government to one or other of those parties, there would be a change in policy or direction. We can now see that changing the leader will make no difference either. For that, I thank the Taoiseach, Deputy Harris.

The nomination of members of the Government shows nothing new. I wrote this speech before I knew who they would be. We are merely rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic that is this Government. We have a man who was an utter failure as Minister for Health, who brought down the previous Government, but is now leading the country. It is onwards and upwards for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael but, sadly, it will be the ordinary citizens who will suffer.

So many issues need to be sorted out, including housing and the defective blocks crisis that will affect so many more homes, health services, homelessness, neutrality, childcare and education, which all affect the cost of living that is a major crisis for citizens.

The leader of Fianna Fáil indicated his willingness to recognise the state of Palestine but gave no commitment on a date or anything else in that regard. He just said he is willing to do it. That is a big consolation. We will see by election time whether actually happens.

One example will show how this Government benefits businesses rather than citizens. The auto-enrolment pension scheme on which the deputy leader of Fine Gael is leading will hand millions to private pension companies, while leaving workers in the lurch. The Minister has refused to look at a proposal that would lead to greater rewards for workers, guaranteeing them pensions on retirement that are 53% of earnings rather than, as proposed by the private sector, 22% of earnings, with a retirement lump sum that is 144% of the private scheme for a worker who is 25 years of age today. That will not benefit pension companies and brokers, so the Government does not want to know. That is not the fault of the permanent government, Europe or global megatrends; it is squarely the fault of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.

That is the problem with a Government that is not responsive to the citizens. The latter can be traced in every place the Government operates. We need a Government that does not look for excuses and will look after citizens and provide services for them. Everything else will look after itself.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I wish the Taoiseach well in his new role. I recognise his genuine collaboration and work on the incorporation of St. Angela's into the Atlantic Technological University. I appreciate all of that. However, this morning I laid bare the failure of this Government and those which preceded it to deliver for the north west. Unfortunately, that was only the start of it. My time is short, and I can only cover a few areas.

In its country report on Ireland for 2023, the European Commission stated that internal regional disparities remain high. An example it quoted was that the disposable income per head of population in the northern and western region was just 76% of the EU average. In 2010, it was 92% of the EU average. We are going backwards compared to European regions and other regions in Ireland. The EU's regional competitive index for 2022 found the northern and western region was the only region in Ireland below the EU 27 average in terms of competitiveness. I quote these figures to make it crystal clear to the Taoiseach that this is not just my opinion or a political charge. These are the facts and they are the outcome of Government action or, mostly, inaction.

Small businesses urgently need the Taoiseach's support. Businesses in the Border region face exceptional difficulties. I ask the Taoiseach to do what he can to support them. I also want him to listen to and work with our farmers. They are the backbone of the rural economy. I failed, despite many efforts and quoting statistics blindly, to convince the two previous taoisigh of the urgent need for policy change when it comes to systemically delivering on balanced regional development. I now ask the current Taoiseach to listen and to act.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I wish the Taoiseach well. It is not a personal thing, but I cannot support a Government that is pursing some of the policies that are being pursued. I ask the Taoiseach to hit the ground running. When he does that, the first place he might go, before he goes to Kerry, is Lough Funshinagh, County Roscommon. We are getting word this evening that the water is rising towards the nearby village. This is an emergency. In fairness to the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan - I wish him, the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, and all the other the Ministers well - he has done his best but this will take the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party coming in here with legislation. This is critical.

I am not lone in saying that. Everything Deputy Denis Naughten said is correct, as is everything Deputy Kerrane said. We are representatives in that area. There are elderly people who look out and the water is higher than where they sit when they are in their kitchen. That is a fact; it is no lie. Another house was lost. Pumps were put in place at two more houses today. This is not us coming into the Dáil and saying things just to be popular. I ask that the first thing the Taoiseach does is get those people sorted. It is a designated area. The designation is dying on his feet. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, will agree with what I am saying. It is there for anyone to see. You do not need to be a scientist.

There is a pushback in Europe against the nature restoration law. I ask the Taoiseach to look at that. The Green Party Ministers are saying that we need to bring it in, but why are the Dutch and the Poles against it? Why has it been held up? It has gone through the Parliament, but countries have discovered the consequences of it. We have flooding in Roscommon. My God, if this goes through, parts of the west of Ireland will be in real trouble. I am not being alarmist; I am saying this is because we are from the soil. We live on the soil and know the consequences of what can happen. I ask the Taoiseach to please look at that matter. I wish him and all his Ministers the best of luck.

The other thing that needs to be done in respect of the agricultural sector is for farmer bashing to stop. There is a derogation. I want to let Michael McNamara talk.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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I have already outlined why I cannot support the Taoiseach. I have given some reasons; there are many others. However, I had the pleasure of meeting his father outside and hearing his son in the Chamber. On a personal level, I wish him, his family and his Government the best of luck.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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I echo the congratulations to the Taoiseach on his new position. I also echo the comments about his kids. It was really positive and a great experience to have them in the Chamber on this particular day. I wish the newly appointed Ministers well in their Departments. I congratulate Deputy Hildegarde Naughton on her appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and acknowledge her continued role as Chief Whip, which has been significant for me in securing, for the first time ever, two minutes of non-aligned speaking time. That has been instrumental in ensuring that I can raise important issues affecting my constituents. For that, I am grateful. I also acknowledge the consistent civility she has demonstrated towards me in her role. I look forward to working with her for the benefit of my constituents.

With that in mind, I point to the serious urgency of forward planning for secondary school places in Clare. Ennis has significant issues, as does west Clare. The number of primary school special classes does not tally with the places in our secondary schools. As a parent of a child with additional needs, it is incredibly unsettling when I am told of parents who do not know where their child is going to go to secure a secondary school place. I ask that this be a priority. We know it is important and that has been said by the Taoiseach. It is important that the Taoiseach specified inclusivity and access. There is also a need for training and awareness programmes to be rolled out to all schools and to all staff members.

It is positive to hear about the commitment to the effect that the Minister for Social Protection will look at the means-tested payment for carers and ensure that more of them receive it. I want to see the full abolition of means testing, and I hope a plan will be delivered shortly to make that a reality. For far too long, our carers, who do one of the most difficult jobs and, at the same time, who save the State money, have not been recognised fully.