Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I call on the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, to make a proposal in respect of the office of Taoiseach.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Tairgim:

Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann an Teachta Simon Harris chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán mar Thaoiseach.

I move:

That Dáil Éireann nominates Deputy Simon Harris for appointment by the President to be Taoiseach.

The first time I came to the Dáil was on 9 March 2011. Like any first-time TD, I was nervous. I was finding my feet and trying to get used to this place and all the new faces around me. I saw this young lad walking around the place and I said to myself, “Ah sure, he must be on a school tour or on work experience”. So you can imagine my surprise a few moments later when I saw him standing up to nominate Enda Kenny for the position of Taoiseach. It took me a few weeks to make my maiden speech. He did it on day one. Anyone who heard him that day would have known from the start that he would go far.

I have got to know Simon Harris very well over the past 13 years. It is a great honour for me to propose him to be our next Taoiseach. Contrary to popular belief, Simon did not always want to be a politician. When he was younger, he wanted to be a vet. As we all know, however, life takes us in different directions. Only yesterday evening I was at a meeting in Monaghan along with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, Deputies Niamh Smyth and Brendan Smith and Senator Robbie Gallagher where we heard stories of difficulties being faced by the parents of children with autism. It is certainly not lost on me that I am standing here today nominating somebody to be Taoiseach who, because of their own life experience, was first inspired to get involved in politics to help people with autism and their families.

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

I served alongside Simon in three different Cabinets. I witnessed first-hand the qualities and strengths I know he will bring to the office of An Taoiseach. He is somebody who listens and works with people and is always willing to take on new ideas. He has endless amounts of energy. He is someone who cares deeply about improving services for families, delivering opportunities for our young people, and creating the kind of society we all want to live in. In our country's darkest hours during the pandemic, Simon Harris displayed real leadership. He made the difficult decisions and those decisions saved lives. In his role as Minister for further and higher education, Simon has shown that regardless of your background or where you come from, everyone deserves an equal opportunity in life. Unlike those who will shout loudest today, Simon Harris was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

I know today is a proud day for Simon's family. I acknowledge in particular his wife Caoimhe, his two beautiful children, Saoirse and Cillian and his parents Mary and Bart. From my experience, taxi drivers normally have their fingers on the pulse. If I were to give Simon one piece of advice today, it would be to make sure he listens to his father.

I acknowledge the contribution that Leo Varadkar has made to Ireland. Leo was the Taoiseach this country needed when the pandemic hit us. The work he, along with Simon Coveney, put in day and night during the Brexit negotiations to ensure there would be no return to a hard Border on our island will never be forgotten. He is handing over a country at full employment and with a budget surplus. Of course, challenges remain and work goes on. Simon Harris is the right person to help Ireland face those challenges. I am very proud to nominate him for the position of Taoiseach.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, will second the proposal.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I second the name of Simon Harris to lead the thirty-fourth Government of Ireland.

Every Member of this House is elected by their communities for a five-year mandate. It is this great assembly's constitutional duty to elect a Taoiseach. On 15 December 1994, the late John Bruton put it best before he was nominated as Taoiseach, when he described the office as a high office and a humbling one. He also stated that it derives all its authority from this Dáil, the duly elected assembly of the people. This statement is most pertinent. We should never take a constitutional democracy for granted, nor should any politician in this House ever distort it.

Simon Harris first entered politics through advocacy to support his brother, Adam, and their family, to get the vital services they needed to improve their lives. In 2009, he was elected to Wicklow County Council at the age of 22, with more than 32% of the vote, which was a record at that time. At the age of 24 in 2011, he was elected to Dáil Éireann. Simon quickly displayed the attributes needed to be a Minister, namely, the ability to listen, compassion, an agile mind, the ability to speak without hesitation, and a firm belief in his abilities. In the period since 2016, we have seen our country meet its most significant challenges.

In the space of six years came a global pandemic, Brexit, the first war in mainland Europe in a generation and a sharp cost-of-living crisis. Each of these is a once-in-a-generation event, yet they all came to our shores in the space of six years. Simon Harris was part of the team, along with the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, that managed those matters for Ireland at a very difficult time. During the Covid pandemic, he provided a calm voice that transcended generations and gave people hope in our darkest hour.

In the Department of further and higher education, Simon Harris broke down the barriers to education brick by brick. He worked to ensure that we have more technological universities by bringing forward the higher education legislation. He worked to ensure that families are better supported in attaining education. He worked to ensure that apprenticeships have parity of esteem in the CAO process, recognising that a strong and growing economy needs skills to underpin it. Simon Harris knows that education is the most powerful catalyst to accelerate change. He has displayed that clearly in the context of his portfolio. I have seen Simon working on the ground on his many visits to my constituency. He works with and, critically, listens to people. He never judges them; he listens and works to make their lives better.

Like Simon, as a husband and dad of two young children, I know that life's greatest blessing is the love you get from your family. Today, it is a huge honour to have Simon's wife Caoimhe, his children Cillian and Saoirse - I can hear Cillian's sweet voice just over my shoulder from time to time - and his parents Mary and Bart. They know what Simon is capable of, as do we in Fine Gael. It is now time to get on with the work of leading the 34th Government with a renewed energy and compassion, bringing it right back to the core of politics.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom i dtosach báire mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Leo Varadkar a rinne sárobair ar son na tíre mar Thaoiseach. Ceannaire ab ea é a bhí sásta comhoibriú leis na páirtithe eile sa Rialtas seo agus d'éirigh linn dul chun cinn mór a dhéanamh le blianta beaga anuas. D'oibrigh Leo go dian dícheallach Domhnach is dálach ar son mhuintir na tíre seo agus thuig sé na dualgais a bhí air agus an tábhacht a bhí ann na dualgais sin a chomhlíonadh. Tá meas agam ar Leo agus guím gach rath agus sonas air sna blianta atá romhainn.

We have not formally set time aside, but, in the context of this speech, it is a long-established tradition in the House to mark the resignation of a Taoiseach with some short personal comments. In these days of ever-rising disputes in politics, it is a tradition worth preserving.

Deputy Varadkar has been a member of Government for the past 13 years and a Member of this House for 17. He has served his community, party and country in the highest offices of our democratic Republic. This service has been through often difficult times, which required the Government and the Oireachtas to respond to rapidly changing events. During the past four years, we have served in government together, including the tense and often isolated times during the pandemic. I very much appreciate the spirit of open and honest discussion in which we were able to operate, especially with Deputy Eamon Ryan, as we worked together to address these urgent challenges.

I enjoyed Leo's reflections as he spoke earlier. They could be the beginning of a book or some other publication on his time in office. I will not say I await that with trepidation.

I thank Deputy Varadkar for his service.

I wish him, his partner Matt and his wider family well. I have no doubt he will continue to be an active voice in our public affairs.

At the beginning of this Dáil, my party participated in lengthy discussions on the formation of a three-party coalition. Following the conclusion of these discussions, we held the largest vote ever completed by an Irish political party. This ratified both the programme for Government and our agreement to seeking a new way for government to operate. From the first moment, each party gave its commitment to respecting agreements and to implementing our programme across the full term of this Dáil. We were determined that time would not be wasted on the old political game of speculation about election dates and that instead we would focus on the substance of implementing our programme of action. No party or Deputy in this House has a mandate to claim to represent the views of all Irish people or to demand exclusive control of public policies for themselves. There are those in this House who scorn at the idea of centrist politics. To them, the purity of ideology is comforting and they show this by never having any doubt about the certainty of their own views or the fact that they alone represent the Irish people, regardless of whether the Irish people agree with that proposition. However, a distinguishing feature of centrist democracy is the ability to respect differences, find points of agreement and co-operate, and this is what we have done. This Government was formed in the middle of the greatest public health crisis in modern times, with over half a million people out of work. It overcame tremendous pressure during its first two years and by any objective standard saved lives and livelihoods in every community in this country. We have worked together on a programme of investment in a wide range of public services to assist people during a worldwide inflation crisis and to respond to what is, by any measure, a moment of great threat to the future of democracy in Europe. We are three separate parties but seek to work together respecting both our differences and an agreed approach to the most urgent issues facing our country.

Following his election as leader of Fine Gael, I, along with Deputy Eamon Ryan, held a lengthy discussion with Deputy Harris concerning the operation of the Government and our shared commitments to our agreed programme. I am happy to say that this was a very constructive and positive discussion. Deputy Harris confirmed his commitment to implementing our agreements and to the operation of this multi-party Government in a manner which respects each of its components and operates in a consensual and constructive manner. Fianna Fáil will be supporting the proposal to nominate Deputy Simon Harris, as leader of his party, to the President for appointment to the office of Taoiseach. It is an unfortunate reality that much of the Opposition has committed itself to a type of politics which is obsessed with fake outrage and attacking everything. The display we have seen in recent weeks about the election of a new Taoiseach has become more strained and absurd every day. Repeatedly we have heard the claim that this is somehow undemocratic and that there should be an election every time a new Taoiseach has to be elected. There are many opposite who have only very recently become reconciled to recognising and respecting Bunreacht na hÉireann-----

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----but our Constitution could not be clearer. Each Member of this Dáil carries a mandate for a full term, and the choice of all office holders can change throughout this mandate. I confess that I have been amazed by the brazenness of the largest Opposition party on this matter, given that "I will be seeking support at the Sinn Féin convention" has long been one of the emptiest and most meaningless phrases ever uttered. Of relevance today is that while it is attacking the democratic legitimacy of this vote, the party in question has a unique record of privately appointing and replacing leaders without ever holding an internal election let alone a public one.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In fact, today, no Opposition party, large or small, has a leader who went through a competitive election before assuming the role.

We will have more time during the debate on the nomination of Ministers to discuss substantive policy matters and the range of work which will be our focus during the rest of this Dáil's mandate. We have significant work to do over the next 12 months and we are determined to do it. At this critical moment when we face often dramatic challenges at home and internationally, instead of questioning the democratic legitimacy of this vote, we should be grateful for the fact we have a robust, strong and resilient parliamentary democracy which we should do everything to uphold and support and not undermine.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On a personal level, I congratulate Deputy Harris, his wife Caoimhe, his family and his supporters. Particularly for Saoirse and Cillian, this will be a day they will remember differently as time evolves. It is a very special moment for them and for Mary and Bart as well. We all know that nobody can succeed in making a real impact in our public life by themselves. Just like the tough times are shared, so too are moments such as these. I wish Simon's family the greatest enjoyment of this moment and of this day. I have no doubt in the immediate aftermath things might get a bit more challenging and rockier.

I wish Simon well. This is a special day for him. I look forward to a constructive and effective co-operation in the time ahead. Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus go n-éirí an t-ádh leat.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I start by thanking Deputy Varadkar for the work he has done, particularly in the past four years but also over his time in this Dáil. As leader of his party and as Taoiseach, he leaves the county in a position whereby the economy has never been stronger. History will judge Leo's timing in how he managed Brexit with the British Government, knowing when was the time for a deal and what that deal would be, as something to be recognised. Similarly, the critical moment early in 2020 when fear about Covid was so strong in the land, his words to reassure people showed real leadership. That record will travel with you whatever you do next. As the Tánaiste said, I am absolutely convinced that you will continue to have a role in public life. What you said this morning - it is true - about how leading a coalition of equals is very important. The ability to know that it is not just about numbers and that it is about the ideas, being open to persuasion and being able to compromise and work collectively is hugely important.

Another person I have seen over the 20 years or more I have been here is Simon Coveney. He was here before me, but we started out together on the joint committee on climate energy, reflecting on technology and examining how we could improve the lives of our people by thinking long term. Similarly, I remember that very difficult period during the financial crash when things could not have got harder. I remember keeping in touch with Simon at that time. There was connection between the Opposition and the Government. It was the public interest you were thinking of, not just your party's interest.

Deputies Howlin and McDonald will recall this. During the Brexit period, how often did we go into Iveagh House? It was almost monthly. Simon was there, on an absolutely open and transparent basis. It was not just us; trade unions, NGOs, academics and the business community were represented. Simon was an open book and operated a partnership model. We do social partnership in this country in order to share what is happening and listen to what the best thinking might be. That partnership approach works and delivers for our country. The Government is committed to it for the remaining ten months of its mandate under the Constitution.

I hear others saying we have to have an election now. I fundamentally disagree because there is work to be done that we can deliver. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has turned things around in housing and the numbers there do not lie. There has been a dramatic increase and that can continue and will continue.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Order, please.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Similarly, I would argue with regard to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, that any honest assessment of the outcomes for delivery to improve the health qualities of our people would again show a record of improvement that we need to continue with a laser focus because that is what is important for our people. Similarly, as the Taoiseach said, we, as a people, are starting to turn and show real leadership on climate. We are good at this. The emissions last year from power generation fell by - what was it? - 17%, and we are only warming up.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There are immediate tasks in warming up the Irish people in delivering a solar revolution, delivering retrofitting and delivering public transport. The Deputies can laugh at that but it actually improves and transforms the quality of people's lives, which it is our job to deliver.

We have immediate projects. Rather than having an election, I believe we should spend our time delivering a future broadcasting funding mechanism to deal with one of the biggest challenges of our time, which is the misinformation and disinformation that is widespread across the land and across the world. We have to deliver that before the summer recess, as we have all agreed. We have to deliver what the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has set in train, that is, a way of managing international protection and the people coming into our country in a way that works for all of our people. There is immediate work to be done on that and it cannot wait for an election and whatever period of time that takes. I would prefer for us to deliver that now. I would prefer to deliver and go to Government, as I intend in the coming weeks, on a strategy and an approach towards a just transition and towards a sustainable future which really picks up on that partnership model. I would prefer to bring that legislation to the House rather than going to an immediate election.

We have work to do, each party here. Show me a party which is prepared for an election, which has a manifesto already written, which has the answer to the key questions of our time in terms of how we go to 90% emissions reduction by 2040 and how we deliver further advances in housing and health. We should spend time thinking about that but, first, we have two elections we need to give due attention and respect to rather than calling for an immediate general election.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

They will get a hammering anyway.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is a question, Michael. That would be up to the people. The people have a choice there. This is a big, historic, important European election where, on the one hand, we have people putting themselves forward saying “Europe is full”, “Climate action can wait”, “I would not touch those vaccines” or “We do not need to restore nature”. I do not agree with that vision of the future. It is important that the decision of the Irish people and people across Europe is the focus of our attention in the next ten weeks.

Just as important, and probably even more important, is giving attention to the local elections. In our country, we talk about Bunreacht na hÉireann and our constitutional system. The cornerstone of our democracy is in every constituency, every council and every strategic meeting of the councillors.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

They abolished the borough councils.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We all know about those incredibly difficult decisions. Anyone here who has been a councillor knows it is one of the hardest places to be because sometimes you have to take a hard vote. The public gallery is behind you and you have to raise your hand for something that you believe is right but is not what everyone wants to see. Our constitutional imperative should be focusing on those local and European elections now.

It will be strange. Out of respect to our Constitution, I would refer to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste by those titles. I will have to turn to Leo and the Taoiseach now, Simon, beside - where is Simon gone?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I think he is very well-placed. Just as background, as a teenager, he established the AAA autism group in Wicklow.

Believe it or not, this is not that unusual. Right across the country, there are civic actions like that where people are co-ordinating and organising to improve the quality of the lives of their people. In autism alone, we have Snowflakes Autism Support in Swords, which recognises that every individual is special or different but occasionally can suffer a meltdown. It organises activities for families of children with autism. Open Spectrum in south Dublin does the exact same, as does the Rainbow Club in Cork. This is happening all over the country. We have this tradition of civic engagement and part of that is recognising that the State does not do enough. That is where the instinct comes from to go into politics, which all of us have in different forms. This House is made up of ordinary Irish people who have been given the mandate to try to decide how we allocate resources. That is what we are deciding here today, to elect a Taoiseach to represent all of us and through us, all the people.

I believe the strength that Simon Harris, like the Taoiseach, showed during the Covid period will stand to him in the hard decisions that have to be made in government. The real test is whether you can do the hard things. I also think that the last four years working in the Cabinet have given him a sense that the future has to be green. We have turned around the apprenticeship scheme, recognising that the future for young people in Ireland is through a green just transition. That is the greatest opportunity for us. It starts from our young people and is coming from them. What he learned in the Cabinet in that role gives me confidence that we can continue on this path.

It is the Cabinet, and not just the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, that makes the decisions. Working in the Cabinet in a collectively responsible way is what is important. There will be new people coming into the Cabinet, Lord only knows who yet. I am confident we can retain what the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have said about collective Cabinet responsibility and partnership continuing to deliver for the people for the remaining ten months of this Government.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

This is indeed a great country. This great country of our faces real challenges and incredible opportunities. The decisions we take now directly affect our people today and for the future. I believe passionately that our prospects can be so very bright. When all is said and done, politics is about choices. Good politics is about making the right choices. Today, for the third time in four years, the Government presents its choice for Taoiseach. For the third time, the Cabinet deckchairs are being rearranged. For the third time in four years, the members of the Government are patting each other on the back and telling the people what a great job they are doing.

The narrative we hear today from the Government is a fairytale so outrageous that Hans Christian Andersen would be proud of it. For people to believe the spin from the Government benches, they would have to suspend all connection with reality and lose any memory of people's lived experiences. On the things that really matter to workers and families, the Government has comprehensively failed and no amount of bragging or bluster will disguise this fact.

We have a housing crisis, a crumbling health service and a cost-of-living crisis that pushes households to the brink. That is the reality. You will forgive us, gentlemen, if people do not buy the fiction you are spinning today, a story that dresses up failure as progress. Micheál Martin said this Government would be the one to fix housing, but it got worse. Then Leo Varadkar came along saying he would sort out housing, and it got worse again. Now we hear Simon Harris say he will fix housing once and for all.

Frankly, the people brace themselves.

So, here we go again. The Government passes the parcel with the keys to the Taoiseach's office one more time but let us be very clear about what is happening today. This is not about what is good for Ireland or good for the people; it is about what is good for the Government. It is the century-old cosy club circling the wagons once again to cling to power at all costs. The people of Ireland deserve so much better because this is a country full of talent, ideas and optimism. The people of Ireland have achieved incredible things, often against the odds. They deserve an Ireland where opportunity and prosperity are open to everyone, where everybody gets a fair go and nobody is left behind. They deserve a Government that matches this ambition.

The Government says that it wants Simon Harris to be Taoiseach but if it really believes that this Government has the support of the people then it should go before the people and get that mandate. The people must decide who leads and the Government should call a general election. That is the reality. Third time around and with the benefit of hard experience, we can state very clearly what another Fine Gael Taoiseach and the continuation of this Government means. It means the housing emergency and the scandal of homelessness will continue, as will the crisis in our hospitals, the trolley counts, and the waiting lists. It means that households will remain under huge pressure just to get by. It means more of the same. That is what Deputy Harris offers and represents - more of the same. He sat at Cabinet for eight years, presiding over the very policies that have seen a collapse in home ownership, sky-rocketing rents and our health service brought to its knees. Much has been said from the Government benches about Deputy Harris but it is interesting to note what has not been said and what has been conveniently forgotten. Not so long ago, Simon Harris was the Minister for Health. On his watch, hospital overcrowding spun out of control, the trolley crisis escalated and treatment waiting lists hit 1 million patients for the very first time. On his watch, the scandalous cost of the national children's hospital grew and grew and today, the most expensive hospital in the world has yet to open its doors and has yet to treat a single child. Perhaps those who remember Deputy Harris's term as health Minister best are the families of children with scoliosis who were promised that they would not wait longer than four months for life-changing surgery, a promise that was disgracefully broken again and again. Fianna Fáil refused to vote confidence in Simon Harris as Minister for Health in 2020. It caused an election, as I am sure everyone recalls. Today, Fianna Fáil members dutifully line up to vote him in as Taoiseach, joined at the hip by a group of Independent Deputies. Out there in the real world, the experience is that if you fail and fail again, you get your P45. However, in the world of this Government, of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party, it seems you can fail your way right to the very top.

Since Simon Harris became Fine Gael leader, he has been telling people, "We've got your back". This is said without a hint of irony and, it seems, with no idea of just how hollow it rings for the young adults forced to live in the boxroom of their parents' house into their 30s, for the mother and father at their wits' end battling for disability services or mental health care for their child, for the elderly men and women who have worked hard all of their lives only to suffer the indignity of lying on a hospital trolley for days, or for the stressed out couple watching every euro and deciding which bill to leave unpaid this month. Fine Gael has now been in power for 13 years and for all of those years, it has shown us time and again whose backs it has got. Fine Gael has the backs of the vulture funds-----

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

You have got Jonathan Dowdall's back.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Fine Gael has the backs of the rack-renting corporate landlords, the financial speculators and those at the top. That is the Fine Gael way and today it proposes more of the same. Today is proof positive that we need change like never before. We need a new direction. We need a new Government that will put workers, families and communities first, a new Government with the determination to roll up its sleeves and get the work done to improve the lives of ordinary people. That is why we need a general election.

A better future is possible, a future where people can have a secure, affordable home, can see a doctor quickly when they are sick and can access proper hospital care if they need it; a future where life is affordable, where a job provides a decent living and where people can retire at 65 with a pension; a future where our young people get the chance they deserve at home, are not forced to emigrate for opportunity, and can build a good and prosperous life here with their family and friends. That is what change looks like and that is the change that people want. That is the change we need. Our future can be defined by equality, prosperity, and opportunity by building a strong, modern, vibrant, all-Ireland economy, by achieving energy independence and security, and the reunification of our country. None of this is beyond us. All of this is possible and can be achieved but it will not be achieved with Simon Harris as Taoiseach. It will not be achieved by this directionless Government staggering on for another year with no objective other than to stay in power.

Tá Simon Harris mar an gcéanna leis an té a chuaigh roimhe. An rud deireanach atá ag teastáil ó dhaoine ná Taoiseach eile ó Fhine Gael. Tá géarghá le holltoghchán anois. Tá Rialtas nua ag teastáil uainn. Tá athrú ag teastáil uainn. Another Fine Gael Taoiseach is the last thing that people need. We need a change of leadership and Government. The people must have their say. They should decide who forms the next Government. The trip that will be made this afternoon to Áras an Uachtaráin should not be to seek appointment as Taoiseach; it should be to ask President Higgins to dissolve this Dáil and call a general election.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

At least the Deputy has the decency to say that.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy McDonald did not say a single nice word.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Go back to bed.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

You will build houses.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It was one million.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Hear, hear.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I want to start today by again wishing Deputy Leo Varadkar the very best in the future. A record of public service in this House that extends for nearly two decades, including 13 years in Cabinet and two terms as Taoiseach, has to be commended. It requires hard work, dedication and many personal sacrifices. Those sacrifices were not just borne by the outgoing Taoiseach but by his partner and his family, and I think it is important to acknowledge that and their contribution, too.

Today the Dáil will elect Deputy Simon Harris as the third Taoiseach of this Government. It is a job more demanding than most of us can imagine. On a personal note, I would like to wish him well as Taoiseach and in his new role as leader of Fine Gael. However, we are facing serious challenges as a country. To address them, we need new ideas. For that, we need a new Government. Today the Social Democrats will not be supporting his nomination. We need to see a radical change in approach to the crises facing us in housing, healthcare, disability services, childcare and climate action. The change we need cannot be delivered by a Taoiseach from the same party with the same programme for Government and the same policies. The issues we face and will continue to face will worsen until we elect a Government with a fundamentally new approach.

A Cheann Comhairle, I start by welcoming the incoming Taoiseach's commitment to set up a new Cabinet committee on disability. A focus on disability is so desperately needed. Successive Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party Governments have left disability services threadbare, underfunded and understaffed.

Disabled people and their families have to fight every step of the way for access to basic services. This is ruining people's lives. We have heard enough platitudes and vague commitments. We need a Government that will provide the services that people are entitled to, such as assessments of need, essential therapies and personal assistance hours. The list goes on and on. We need a Government that recognises the cost of disability by providing a cost-of-disability payment. We need a Government that will replace the personal transport schemes that Fine Gael abolished over a decade ago and promised to replace at the time. We need a Government that will provide pay parity for section 39 workers if we are to have any hope of staffing our children's disability network teams. We need a firm commitment to naming the date for the long overdue ratification of the optional protocol.

People's lives are being destroyed due to completely inadequate or non-existent services. These are services that the Government does not seem to believe it has an obligation to provide. With that fundamentally damaging ideology at the heart of disability policy, I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that will improve the provision of disability services in this country is a change of Government. I hope the new Taoiseach will prove me wrong.

The housing disaster is the biggest challenge facing the country. We need a Government that will treat it as the national emergency that it is. People on average incomes have lost all hope that they will ever be able to buy homes like their parents did. The lives of more than 500,000 adults who are still sleeping in their childhood bedrooms have been put on hold. We speak about the lockdown generation a great deal in the Chamber. Deputy Harris has spoken about that generation quite a lot over the past few days. We all recognise how disastrous that reality is for people's lives and their mental health and what happens when the absolute basics of adulthood are kept out of reach and they are to have unable privacy, independence or feel any hope for a future for themselves in Ireland.

How can anyone start a family when they are a letter away from eviction and being given a few short weeks to pack up their belongings and struggling to find a new home in the middle of a housing crisis? People need to find homes they can afford to rent that are close enough to their workplaces, children's schools and the homes of their parents who provide the childcare they otherwise cannot access or afford. This is all stressful, damaging and preventable.

There is another way. We could introduce a no-fault eviction ban to stem the rising tide of homelessness and provide some security for renters. We could introduce a three-year rent freeze in order that those struggling to pay rent would have some relief and time to find their feet. We could stop the bulk buying of homes by investment funds in order that first-time buyers are not bidding against billion euro funds. Crucially, we need to acknowledge that the developer led model of housing dependent on the private sector for delivery has failed. We could address the affordability crisis at the heart of this housing emergency by delivering social and affordable homes at scale so that the dream of homeownership can become reality. All of this is achievable. Nobody is saying that it is easy, but none of the crises facing us in housing is insurmountable. We just need the political will and determination to change course.

The State needs to stop outsourcing its responsibilities to the private sector. Essential public services like housing, healthcare, disability services and childcare are fundamental human rights. They should be provided by the State and accessible to all, regardless of income. Every party in the House signed up to a plan stating as much for the future of our health service. In 2017, when the incoming Taoiseach was health Minister, there was cross-party support for the Sláintecare plan, but implementation has been painfully slow. Nearly 900,000 patients are on waiting lists and every day hundreds of people languish on hospital trolleys all over the country, while children with scoliosis wait in agony for years for surgery.

Providing quality, accessible and timely healthcare is a basic requirement of the State. However, the situation in the mid-west has deteriorated to the extent that people are afraid to go to the emergency department of University Hospital Limerick. This should not and cannot be tolerated. What changes is the Government going to implement to make a real difference? What is it going to do in the next year that it has not done in the past four years? How can we rely on the Government to deliver crucial healthcare reform when seven years into the ten-year Sláintecare plan, we are nowhere near where we should be?

Too often, the Government has excelled at climate rhetoric but failed at climate action. We have a responsibility to farming and coastal communities and future generations to take steps that are ambitious enough to meet the enormous challenge ahead of us. Instead, we are missing our targets. The leader of the Green Party summed it up perfectly. We are only warming up. We are on course to face up to €8 billion in fines by 2030. Every second we wait to take action increases the existential threat and costs we face down the line. It increases the risk of floods, failed crops, coastal erosion and irreversible damage to our ecosystem.

We need a Government that will approach climate action not as a burden but as an opportunity. We could have warmer homes, pristine waters, protect and rejuvenate our biodiversity and become a net exporter of energy by the end of the decade. We could be held up as the example for the future of agriculture. We have the resources to make all of this happen and help the communities and industries that will be most impacted. This is why the Social Democrats want to see the budget surplus used to create a €6 billion climate transformation fund that would provide funding for rural communities and farmers to ensure a fair transition. Change is coming and we have to embrace it. The approach of the Government of leading farmers to a cliff edge before pushing them off is not just dishonest; it has been a disaster for the future of agriculture and our natural environment.

The potential and desire for change in Ireland is huge. People know we can do better. They are demanding that we do better. I do not believe that a better Ireland can be achieved with more of the same old approach that we have seen from Fine Gael for the past 13 years. Fine Gael has been in office for almost my entire adult life. The incoming Taoiseach has been in office for almost his entire adult life. Where is the new energy? Where is the new approach? Honestly, I cannot see it. The Social Democrats will not support the nomination of Simon Harris today because we want a new approach. For that, we need a change of Government.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Fine Gael is putting a brave face on today's events, but the real background to the ascension to office of Deputy Simon Harris is an outgoing Taoiseach and one-third of sitting Fine Gael TDs abandoning the Fine Gael ship and being afraid to face the electorate at the next general election. The reason they are abandoning the Fine Gael ship and do not want to face the electorate is because they know they have failed hundreds of thousands of people on the most basic things, namely providing secure and affordable housing, providing a decent health service that works, protecting our children with special needs and those with disabilities, providing the public services that make life bearable and protecting people from the crippling cost-of-living crisis that has been inflicted on them over the past number of years.

I find it particularly remarkable that the outgoing Taoiseach has attempted to absolve himself of these failures and the reasons he is abandoning ship by making reference to the international origins of the problems we face.

That is quite extraordinary.

The reality is that ours is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The profits of corporations here have gone through the roof in the period during which Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been in government. Those profits have almost quadrupled since 2011. In a wealthy country where profits are being raked in by corporations, energy companies, corporate landlords and vulture funds, the Government has left us with the worst housing and homelessness crisis the country has ever seen. That crisis continues to get worse day in, day out. It is shameful that 4,000 children are in homeless accommodation and that their numbers continue to rise. It is absolutely shameful that in a country as wealthy as ours, a generation of young and working people are priced out of the possibility of ever owning their own home. Many of them cannot pay the utterly unaffordable rents being charged, and we are seeing the return of mass emigration. Young people coming out of the universities and colleges Simon Harris has been charge of are leaving because they do not believe - they have no confidence - that this Government is capable of giving them a secure and affordable roof over their heads. The skills and talents they have developed are being taken elsewhere, to other countries, because they believe there is no future for them.

The outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, referred to the cost-of-living crisis and stated that the worst is over. He should tell that to people who got their electricity and gas bills in the early months of this year. Those bills were absolutely crucifying. The same is true of mortgage interest rate hikes that have seen people's mortgage repayments go up by hundreds of euro every month. For many, they are absolutely unsustainable. Likewise, of course, there is the profiteering of rents, which in Dublin are now between €2,000 and €2,500 a month. It is extraordinary. Spending €24,000 or €30,000 a year of after-tax income on rent is unaffordable for the vast majority of working people.

There was a reference to special needs. All I am hearing about at the moment in my clinic, and I have heard it around the Dáil over recent weeks, are children who cannot get appointments with the children's disability network teams, which are chronically understaffed, or with the completely under-resourced and understaffed child and adolescent mental health services teams, and about schools that are seeing cuts to special education teaching resources or cannot get funding for the autism classes they are looking for. There is the failure to ratify the optional protocol for people with disabilities and the shocking fact that rather than people with disabilities and carers being given rights, they are means-tested and are often denied the supports and rights they deserve.

I found it particularly shocking that at its Ard-Fheis at the weekend, there were references to Fine Gael going back to core values and back to basics. That should be a reason for people to be scared, because Fine Gael's core values over the past ten years have been to back corporations, landlords and vulture funds while working people get it in the neck, while Fine Gael cannot deliver affordable housing for people and while our health service is crumbling.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Thanks for watching anyway.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The first sign of this is the kite-flying around the plan-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

No wonder the viewing figures were up.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----to renege on the promise to extend sick leave next year for workers. Already, the new Harris regime is suggesting it is going to renege on a promise to give additional sick leave to workers in order to back the interests of big business. Then, of course, there was the standing ovation over the words Simon Harris used about being repulsed, rightly, at the actions of Israel in its genocidal attack on the people of Palestine, when the same Ard-Fheis voted heavily against the occupied territories Bill, which would impose sanctions on Israel for its brutal and cruel treatment of the Palestinian people.

I was asked by somebody from the constituency of Deputy Harris to mention the shameful decision for the mother and baby homes redress scheme to exclude the Westbank Orphanage in Greystones. It was recommended for inclusion in all the mother and baby home reports and has been shamefully excluded, and I was asked to take this opportunity to ask him to address that utter wrong.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy Harris has chosen a song from the 1970s as his new theme song, Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". It is a great song, but I can think of one or two other tunes from that decade that might be more appropriate. For example, I can think of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" from 1971. It might sum up the mood of the electorate a little better, and it does contain the closing lyric:

Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss

More seriously, on 26 March 2020, this Dáil gave a standing ovation to all the front-line workers who were risking their lives for us as Covid struck. Deputy Harris was the caretaker Minister for Health at the time. On Easter Sunday last, the Government cut the pay of public health workers, many of them nurses who had contracted Covid in those times and who have suffer to this day from the effects of long Covid. Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach on the day their pay was cut. Deputy Harris will be Taoiseach by this afternoon. Is he going to reverse that pay cut or is he going to let it stand? I put it to him that if he does decide to let it stand, he will be starting off in his new job standing over one of the most miserable actions taken by any Irish Government in recent years. I will be awaiting his response on that one later today with interest.

Deputy Harris projects himself as the great listener, but his track record of listening to trade unionists and to workers' concerns is very poor. Ambulance paramedics fighting union busting were forced into the first national ambulance strike in the history of this State on his watch as health Minister. Nurses fighting for a decent pay increase were forced into only the second national nurses' strike in the history of the State. Now, he seems to be flying kites about the possibility of delaying improvements to workers' sick leave entitlements. If he tries to do this, he will meet a storm of opposition. That is a theme I intend to return to this evening.

The country needs a general election and a radical change of direction. It is not to Deputy Harris's credit that he is choosing to deny the people a general election, nor to the credit of those Independent Deputies who are assisting him in denying it. The shortest-serving Taoiseach in the history of this State was John Bruton. He was in office for 924 days. Even if the Minister manages to stretch this out until March of next year, I think he is going to be the new holder of that record. The people will see that the new boss is the same as the old boss, and I definitely do not think they are going to be fooled again.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. He might bring a turntable with him the next time. We go now to the Regional Group. Deputy Lowry is sharing time with Deputies Tóibín and Shanahan.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will be supporting the nomination of Simon Harris as Taoiseach. I could join in the sound bite populist chorus of negativity. I could contend that everything in the country is a disaster and demand a general election. That might make better headlines but that is not my style of politics. There is no denying we have serious problems in housing, in health, particularly at University Hospital Limerick, in the disability sector and for family carers, agriculture and small businesses. Many issues require urgent attention. I do not see how any of these problems will be solved by putting them in cold storage for up to ten months while we fight a general election and form a new Government. I believe politics is practical. It is about working together to improve the reality of everyday lives, about action and delivery rather than empty outrage.

Unlike some, I do not believe that being an Independent Deputy means sitting on your hands, sniping, criticising, howling at the moon and achieving nothing. Adversarial debate is healthy, but I do not believe in slamming doors on the possibility of progress and the public good for the sake of maintaining a facade. Slamming a door leaves both sides isolated. I believe there is more to be gained for my constituents by working with Government Ministers of whatever persuasion and their Departments to achieve social justice and reward for work and enterprise. That has been my consistent approach.

I am here to work for the small business owners who are struggling with spiralling costs. These are the risk takers and entrepreneurs who contribute so much to wealth creation, funding our social welfare system and giving local employment. They need immediate tangible support. I am here to work for farmers who are bogged down not only by the weather, but also by debt, bureaucracy and the challenge of change. These are the people who put food on our tables, support our economy and underpin our way of life. They do not need lip service. They need real solutions to their problems and urgent practical assistance. Lack of housing is the scourge of our time, and irrespective of who is in government it will take several more years to catch up on supply due to the failures of the past. We cannot build houses for our people without a skilled workforce. The apprenticeship scheme implemented by the Minister, Deputy Harris, is a real positive. The ETB training centre in Thurles is a model of excellence that should be expanded and replicated right across the country. The chaos in our national broadcaster must be brought under control. A new funding system is urgently required and should incorporate those in the sector who are presently excluded. Local broadcasters are the first source of information and discourse for rural Ireland. They should have a trusted place in national debate. They must be acknowledged, respected and financially supported. As Taoiseach-elect, you have a short time to put your stamp on the Government. It is a daunting task. I wish you well, and hope you can fulfil your ambition.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Simon Harris will break a few records today. A man who took his seat on the 15th count, and a member of a political party that came third in the last general election, will become Taoiseach today. The Taoiseach carousel continues in this political bubble where the people of this Republic are continuously locked out of the decision-making process. There is no doubt that Simon Harris is very good at spin. I have never seen anybody be able to distance themselves from themselves so well as he has done in the past number of weeks. He has flipped from a committed proponent of the current hate speech law to a critic of elements of it. He went from a pro-life campaigner to the person who introduced that heartbreaking law, and he is also the person elevated now to the position of Taoiseach posing as a new broom. However, the truth of the matter is that despite throwing promises around like confetti, he is the Varadkar continuity candidate. He has been a Minister for eight years. He owns the highest homelessness numbers in the history of the State. He owns the highest house prices in the history of the State. He owns the highest rents in the history of this State. He also personifies the south Dublin political bubble that cannot see beyond the M50-----

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am from Wicklow.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----where establishment TDs talk to themselves and the NGOs and ignore the people.

I do not believe he is a man of convictions. I believe his motto is, "There go my people, I must find out which way they are going and then I will lead them". Simon Harris has a record which I believe has cost this country dearly. He threatened striking nurses with financial penalties. He announced free smear tests for women to save himself, placing pressure on the system and leading to dangerous delays for women. In the early days of Covid he refused to meet with the nursing homes sector, which was the most vulnerable element of that crisis. Indeed, at that time, thousands of people were moved from hospitals into nursing homes and many of them were not tested, which seeded Covid right through the nursing home system and led to many deaths. During Covid he cancelled cancer screening and reduced cancer services, leading to 100,000 fewer women being screened for breast cancer and a tidal wave of more advanced cancers. According to Simon Harris, the overspend of billions of euro on the national children's hospital was not a scandal. In 2017 he promised that no child would wait longer than four months for an operation. A response to a parliamentary question from Aontú has shown that, in Temple Street and Crumlin hospitals alone, 55 children are waiting more than one year for scoliosis surgery. Deputy Harris was Minister for Justice for the first half of last year, and during that time violent crimes increased, the number of gardaí resigning and retiring increased, and the number of gardaí being attacked increased as well. I do think this is a historic day. I think we are seeing the elevation of a caretaker Taoiseach who will have the record of having the shortest term in the history of the State.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish fair winds to Deputy Varadkar. While he got some big calls right on the macro economy, the pandemic and Brexit, this has not been a Government for all people or for all parts of Ireland. People have become divided during the term of this Government. It has pitched urban against rural, motorist against cyclist, agriculture against the environmentalist and house buyers against immigrants. The social contract for young people is burst. Expectations for housing, good work and services have all been knocked back. The Dublin-Cork Cabinet has starved large swathes of Ireland of investment, development and economic hope for a better life. The Border, north-west and midland regions, as well as my own region of the south east, have roared at Cabinet members to advance meaningful projects outside of their own patches.

The administrative burden on our families, farmers, small businesses and home builders is out of control. As politics fails these people, their anger rises. It is a political mistake not to listen. Beyond reducing bureaucracy and supporting agriculture and enterprise, we have three tests in my region for the new Taoiseach - 24-7 cardiac care, our airport, and the SETU PPP and allied promised capital development. People in the south east are wondering how our new Taoiseach will change things for them. As Minister for Health we saw him standing on the Dublin children's hospital while failing to support capital spending at University Hospital Waterford. He is closely associated with the Department of Health's blocking of 24-7 cardiac care at UHW with the shoddy Herity report. We have still not seen the national cardiac review that he commissioned as health Minister in 2017. As Minister for higher education he is closely associated with preventing a full university in Waterford, forcing an underfunded merger between WIT and IT Carlow, and allowing unfettered spending and borrowing in the national university sector. Meanwhile, SETU Waterford has not seen a single new teaching building in more than 20 years. He promised new disciplines, buildings, lecturers, contracts, a borrowing framework and student accommodation, none of which have happened yet.

The regional south-east brain drain has worsened. The Minister is known for his ability to communicate, but talk without action remains just talk. Our late engagement over this vote has signalled to me that my region's priorities - 24-7 cardiac care, the airport, the equitable university funding programme and supports for our agriculture and business sectors - are not fully on the Minister's radar even though they are in the programme for Government. For that reason, alas, I cannot vote for him as Taoiseach today. Yet, I hope he is a successful Taoiseach, a Simon 2.0 who actually fixes things, delivers a form of leadership that renews hope in politics and delivers better, simple services to people in all parts of this Republic. Most of all, I hope his tenure signals that at last, the winds of positive change are coming for Waterford and the south east. Such change is the acid test for me and my constituents, and will show that the Cabinet is finally willing to listen and to deliver for Waterford and the south-east region.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to propose an alternative in this Chamber today in the name of Deputy Michael Healy-Rae who has represented County Kerry in this Chamber for many years, and on Kerry County Council for many years before that. I believe he is well capable of carrying out the task because he has the understanding of the people.

Like me, he knows what the people need and what they are concerned about.

I believe we are the only alternative group here in the Dáil on many occasions. We have proven that. I agree with Deputy Burke, who said that democracy should not be taken for granted.

First of all, I wish Deputy Varadkar well and good health long into the future.

In the recent referendum and canvassing generally for our three local election candidates in Kerry, I have never seen people more angry or disillusioned. Farmers see themselves being vilified and targeted here every day. Even last year, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, ensured the Luas - nine carriages - was painted white, advising people not to drink milk. I ask each and every one here today what would we be like if our mothers did not give us milk after being born and when we were growing up. It is ridiculous, like the suggestion that one car would do 30 people in a community and that we should bring moves into the countryside. That kind of carry-on is what Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have supported for the past four to five years.

Businesses are closing. In Killarney, another restaurant has closed today because of the increase in VAT and energy and rates costs. The Government has failed completely on housing.

In the immigration debacle, more than €2 billion has been spent. The Government even spent €860,000 to bring dogs and cats into the country for these immigrants. The Government is squandering money, and yet those who are out in the morning working are paying 40% tax and 4.5% USC charges.

In health, we cannot even get doctors. You can get a vet quicker into any farm than get a doctor in the evening or at weekends. It is a sad state that sick people cannot get a doctor.

We saw in the recent referendum where there was a consensus between all the parties, including Sinn Féin, which seems to be overlapping and lining up to go with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Is the Deputy to give way to his colleague?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Has Michael solutions to all this?

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin has been saying that Deputy Harris is not fit to be Taoiseach. Why did its members not oppose him? Was this not their chance here today to oppose him? If there is any scintilla of independence in the Independent Deputies here in this Chamber today, now is their time to come out and vote for an independent candidate for Taoiseach here today. This is their chance, but most of them who say they are Independents are Fine Gael at heart. There is no difference at all now for the people outside looking in here. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are the same, Sinn Féin is lining up to go with either one and the Greens will be written off, with the help of God.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

You would make a great Tánaiste, Danny.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Tá siad ag gáire. I second the nomination of Deputy Michael Healy-Rae because I believe he is a man who listens to the people. In politics since he was ten years of age, he canvassed in by-elections. Bíonn sé ag éisteacht leis na daoine - listening to the people - which the Government parties have completely lost. We need to have a contest in this House. We cannot move around and have no elections. That is why we are doing this today.

I wish Deputy Varadkar the best in his retirement and wish the Minister, Deputy Harris, who will be elected, his family, and his wife and children well as well.

The sudden departure of the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, in the Government's final year creates serious instability and surrenders to the public service. It is akin to the captain of a ship being first off when there is a shipwreck at which he is meant to stay until last.

Let us be clear, the Minister, Deputy Harris, and his few new Fine Gael Ministers bring no novelty and no change to the current Fine Gael-led Government's legacy. The legacy will be seen as their incompetence and decision to stop listening to the people. The Government has burdened the public with higher taxes and disregarded the voices of the ordinary people, both urban and rural.

From the outset, the three-party coalition lacked a plan, a vision and any bit of empathy with the people who elected them. The people voted in 2020 for change. They got no change but a Government cobbled together by Deputy Micheál Martin and Deputy Varadkar. Deputy Martin was the architect because he did not want to be the first Fianna Fáil leader never to be Taoiseach.

I ask you, Minister Harris, how can we have trust? I hold a letter here that you wrote to the pro-life campaign in 2012 in Wicklow. It states that you are contesting the next election, are happy and so proud to support them, and are pro-life:

In response to your ... questions:

1) Yes, if elected to the Dail I will oppose any legislation to introduce abortion in Ireland.

2) Yes, I will support legislation that protects the human embryo ... [and that protects babies at all costs].

Given the legislation you brought in, how can we trust you? The legislation was the most vicious, rigorous and disgusting that ever happened.

Deputy Harris's legacy in health includes the children's hospital and the promise to the unfortunate people with scoliosis, who were here a few weeks ago, that they would not have more than a four-month wait, and yet they are waiting years and languishing.

I note Fine Gael's attack on local government. The party demolished local democracy. It appointed and set up Irish Water, an unmitigated disaster. There are many, many others.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Conglomerates are the name of the game. Vote for Fianna Fáil. I refer to the beef barons and Cement Roadstone. All those people, all the big monopolies, are squeezing the lifeblood out of our communities. It is not what the people of Ireland gave their lives for here. It is a sad legacy.

Moving the deckchairs on this ship tonight will not do anything else for anybody. Deputy Harris should call an election, go to the people, get a fresh mandate and do something for the people.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I start by wishing the former Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and the former Minister, Deputy Coveney, the very best in their future.

This will be the third Taoiseach since the Government was formed in 2020. This, in itself, shows how dysfunctional this Government has been in the past four years. This Government lacks understanding and lacks the ability or hunger to look after the ordinary people. This Government, to date, has lacked common sense. The people of this country are sick to their teeth of this Government.

The simple way to see how disconnected this Government is with most of the Opposition was in the recent referendum where people spoke emphatically, with an overwhelming majority of people rejecting Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Greens, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats' plan to remove women from the Constitution, but it is not this alone that has people angered. Look at the housing crisis, which has run out of all control, and a Government running along happy with this crisis of 14,000 homeless, many of them children. Their inaction on housing in the cities, not allowing much needed development to build up where infrastructure is already in place, sees the homeless numbers crisis getting worse by day.

In the countryside, between county development plans drawn up with a negative view of rural planning and another stumbling block of a planning regulator put in place by Government, I have seen young people coming to me weekly in high numbers who have been refused planning and have been refused a chance to get their lives off the ground. These are people who have a site from their parents, have a mortgage sorted, will not be any burden on the State but are refused for one reason or another, adding to the homeless list and the housing crisis.

The health crisis in this country is nothing short of appalling and was the cause of the previous Government collapsing while the Minister, Deputy Harris, was Minister for Health. We have close to 1 million people on waiting lists on this island. People are in dreadful pain, seeking hip or knee surgeries or cataract surgeries to save their sight. The list goes on and on. There are thousands on hospital trolleys, in some cases for days, seeking a bed but left there in pain. These are the people who got up early in the morning in this country and worked hard and are left there in their time of need.

Look at agriculture in this country, where farmers continually tell me they are being treated as environmental terrorists even though we have some of the best-run farms in this country. Will Deputy Harris, as Taoiseach, allow the Green Party continue to wreck agriculture? That is a question Deputy Harris has to answer here today. Will Deputy Harris be a change and stand up for the people of this country, what Fine Gael did at one time? They did at one time stand up for the farmers of this country but they have turned their back on them in recent years, and I am asking Deputy Harris that here today. There is a crisis on the ground, as we speak, and we are getting no assistance. No farmer is getting any assistance from Government. Farmers are suffering severe mental health with the weather the way it is at present, and I would hope Deputy Harris will announce a package this evening.

It is the same with fisheries. The Government stood idly by, year in, year out, as the only deal it got for fishermen in all those many years was a decommissioning deal to get rid of Irish trawlers in Irish waters. It is a scandalous situation.

For small businesses, the Government raised VAT from 9% to 13.5%. It is putting small businesses, such as cafés, restaurants and pubs, out of businesses and it does not care. I do not understand what kind of a government it is.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. We are way over time.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There are many more issues, such as student accommodation, hate speech and migration.

All these issues need to be discussed properly before anybody would support Deputy Harris as Taoiseach.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In my view that will lead to further closures of pubs and cafes and those who support him would be equally responsible for such closures in their constituencies.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputies Connolly, McNamara, Harkin and Fitzmaurice.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There is a lot of fanfare about this being a new start for Fine Gael, this Government and the country. In reality, what we see is the same old stale, out-of-touch political system that has been in power since the foundation of the State. We can play political musical chairs and give everything a fresh look but this is just two sides of the same coin. It is another Taoiseach for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, the parties that have led this country into crisis after crisis.

We have a broken housing system with record homelessness, record house prices, record rent, the continuation of no-fault evictions and no end in sight. We have an underfunded and understaffed health service and public service, high levels of low pay and growing numbers of people in deprivation, at risk of poverty and in consistent poverty.

This is why the rich get richer. The top 1% have accumulated 70 times more wealth than the bottom half of this country since 2012, leaving the two richest people in Ireland owning €5 billion more in wealth than the bottom 50% combined. This is a fundamental issue. What nine decades of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil rule have left us with is a country for the rich. Taxes on Irish workers are 15% above the EU average. We have one of the lowest corporation taxes in the world, employers' PRSI contributions are 66% below the EU average, and our taxes on wealth are less than half of most EU countries. Nine decades of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have created a country where working class people pay high taxes for failing public services while the rich pay low taxes and can afford the best private services.

From talking to people in my constituency I do not think for one second that anyone buys that this is a new beginning. This is the same old out-of-touch Government with the same old out-of-touch parties that created a country where it is getting harder and harder to make a decent life.

The Government created the housing crisis and the crisis in our public services, and it has stood over a massive transfer of wealth to the rich while deprivation and consistent poverty grows. We can no longer afford a political system that allows this to continue, while everyone else struggles to find homes, services and decent wages. We can no longer afford to have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in power. Today is about the politics not about the personalities. This is why people want a general election. Many people want a general election now. It is why I am not voting for the proposed Taoiseach or for the proposed nomination from the Rural Independent Group.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Is mian liom comhghairdeas a chur in iúl don iarThaoiseach, an Teachta Varadkar. Bhí sé gonta lena chuid freagraí i gcónaí agus thaitin sé sin liom, in ainneoin nár thaitin na freagraí liom. Cuirim céad míle fáilte roimh chlann an Aire, an Teachta Harris, anseo: a bhean chéile, Caoimhe; a thuismitheoirí, Bart agus Mary; agus na gasúir, Cillian agus Saoirse. Gan dabht, is pribhléid amach is amach é agus is lá stairiúil atá ann inniu. Faraor, ní bheidh mé in ann mo thacaíocht a thabhairt dó, bunaithe ar a pholasaithe, ní ar leibhéal pearsanta.

Without a doubt, today is a very important day for the Fine Gael Party and it is an absolute privilege for Deputy Harris's family. I welcome his family here. He will not have my support based on the policies that his party and his colleagues have continued with for years. They talk about collateral damage. This was encapsulated lately for me by Professor John FitzGerald when he dealt with Germany saying we had a housing crisis by saying they were simply jealous and our problems arose from a successful economy. That is what the Government accepts - that the problems are collateral to a successful economy. I fundamentally disagree with that.

As I speak today there are 13,841 people and children homeless, directly as a result of the Government's policy. Yesterday in Galway, 71 people were on trolleys. Less than a year ago HIQA visited Galway and said it was grossly overcrowded when there were 25 on trolleys. None of these policies happened by accident. They are the direct result of the Government and continuous Governments relying on a market, commodifying everything and having no sense whatsoever of what a republic, public services and equality truly mean. They are all waiting for the boats to rise with the tide. Nothing has changed as a result of Covid or climate change where we urgently require transformative change. They are not empty words. The former Taoiseach and Tánaiste were totally wrong to stand up today and talk about these problems being caused by outside events. They refuse to accept or look in the mirror and realise they arise directly from their policies.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will begin by paying tribute to Deputies Coveney and Varadkar and their contribution to Irish life at some difficult junctures but I will move on to Deputy Harris as this is a motion of confidence in him as Taoiseach. Over the weekend he promised that he would have the back of farmers, but he has served in a Government which has been on the back of farmers. Like many small business owners, the only thing they get from the Government is a letter warning of new regulations threatening new fines.

The cost of government in this State has ballooned since Deputy Harris entered Cabinet in 2016. It was €68 billion then and it is €110 billion now. Can anybody in this State say that the services on which they rely have increased by that proportion, and that they are getting much better services now than they did then? Can anybody say that the infrastructure on which they rely to get to work and to live is improving by that magnitude? Where is the money going? It is simply unclear. Anybody who rings any Department now will be put on hold and will almost certainly not get through to a person. They simply will not get an answer. The Civil Service does a wonderful job, sometimes, but it requires leadership and it has become complacent and moribund during the lifetime of this Government. For that reason I am afraid I cannot vote confidence in Deputy Harris.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I cannot vote for the Minister, Deputy Harris, as Taoiseach, because four years of this Government and 13 years of Fine Gael in government have not delivered for the north west.

Earlier, the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, whom I wish well in his retirement from office, spoke of global mega-trends influencing outcomes. In my view, the only way to counter those trends in the context of balanced regional development is to have systemic and substantial policy-driven change across all Departments. The Government has not done that and so regions like the north west lag behind. The Government has not addressed or delivered housing for the north west. CSO housing commencement figures show that in 2023 the four counties I represent – Sligo, Leitrim, north Roscommon, and south Donegal – were in the bottom ten counties when it came to housing commencements on a per capita basis.

The Government has not delivered on health. Trolley Watch figures show that from 2011, when Fine Gael entered government, the numbers on trolleys at Sligo University Hospital have increased by over 250% while the national increase is 50%. The figures speak for themselves.

The Government has not delivered on agriculture, where it was a cheerleader for the nature restoration law, without mitigating outcomes for the drained peatlands in the north west and no ring-fenced funding.

I fully recognise that today is a momentous day for Deputy Harris and his family. While I will not be voting for him as Taoiseach, on a personal level I wish him and his family all that is good.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On a personal level, I wish the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, the best of luck in their future. This is not personal towards the new Taoiseach but I cannot support a Government that has a Minister who has gone to Brussels and left Irish farmers relying on Italy, the Dutch, and several other countries in regard to the nature restoration law. The Government will not listen to Irish farmers. This Government is supporting the approach.

I saw in the headlines that the future Taoiseach also stated in Galway at the weekend that he has the back of rural Ireland. He drove from Galway back to Dublin in his State car. The houses of people in the Lough Funshinagh area of County Roscommon were flooded, including those of a 92-year old and an 87-year old. They are looking at water higher than their kitchens and the Government has not signed the emergency order to help those people.

This is not only a problem in Roscommon; it will be happening everywhere throughout the country. Deputy Harris spoke in Galway about having the backs of farmers. A knife has been stuck in the backs of members of the farming community right around this country. I cannot and will not support a Government that is decimating parts of rural Ireland. The thing it has done most in rural Ireland is to cause protest by not talking, not listening and not providing the services that people there require.

On a personal basis, I wish the Deputy luck. However, I cannot support the Government, especially the Green Party, in light of what is going on.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish the incoming Taoiseach the very best. The public wants delivery, not an intent to deliver or promises to deliver that are broken time and again. The public needs delivery now. It needs delivery that is real and tangible and that improves their lives rather than making them worse. Many are busy trying to survive without access to vital services. They are trying to survive without homes. They have needed a Government that will respond effectively and not talk down to them. While I accept that the Government sits in this very important building, this Chamber is not the real world. Those in government need to stop assuming that they know more and, therefore, that they know better. That is not the case. Those who know best will always be the people who are impacted. They should always be front and centre. That is the Government's duty. That duty has not been fulfilled, either during the term of this Dáil or previously.

The vast majority of the public watching today could not care less about who sits in that chair opposite so long as they get the services and supports they need. They do not need skirting around the edges. There is no referendum in sight to make housing a right for all. There is no legislation for the right to personal assistance hours and a centralised system. People need recognition of the hardship they have suffered. What they need has not been delivered. We need a ban on no-fault evictions. That was not a big ask, especially when you consider that we are an outlier in Europe in this regard; nor was a commitment to the reinstatement of Ennis emergency department, particularly in light of the poor management of the so-called reconfiguration. I say that because the necessary and promised resources and funding were not delivered. Ratification of the optional protocol of the UNCRPD could and should have been done on the same day as the already delayed ratification of the convention way back in 2018 with no excuses or delays.

I fear the Government is missing the point that it is crucial that the public can trust the Government, politicians and, by extension, can trust Government agencies. It is imperative-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----to ensure social cohesion. It was interesting to hear that there is a level of trust in the coalition. That has not translated to the general population. Will a Taoiseach, constrained by time and with the job of rebuilding his own party, prioritise the best interests of the public and prioritise integrity in politics?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Dearbhaíonn é sin go bhfuil an Teachta Simon Harris roghnaithe chun a cheapadh ag an Uachtarán mar Thaoiseach.

I formally welcome members of the Harris family to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. They are all very welcome. I really do believe this will be a memory that will be firmly ensconced in the memories of Cillian and Saoirse. Long may they remember this great achievement on the part of their dad.

Taoiseach-elect, do you think you might be able to say a few words to us?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Go raibh maith agaibh as ucht bhur gcuid vótaí. Gabhaim buíochas le Peter agus Heather do na focail cineálta.

I accept this nomination to serve as Taoiseach and commit to doing everything I can to honour the trust placed in me today. I thank my party, Fine Gael, and our partners in government, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, for their votes, and the Independent TDs who supported my nomination. This is a partnership Government and I intend to lead it in a spirit of unity, collaboration and mutual respect.

I pay tribute to the outgoing Taoiseach, my colleague and friend, Deputy Leo Varadkar. The history books will record the incredible service he gave our country in dealing with some of the biggest challenges of our time, most notably Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. History will also record he was a trailblazer as we broke free from some of the worst prejudices of our past and showed Ireland at its best to the world. Go raibh maith agat, Leo.

I also pay tribute to my friend and colleague, Simon Coveney, who is stepping down as a Minister after serving our country with distinction in many roles over many years. In particular, no objective analysis will ever forget all he did for our country during the darkest days of Brexit. Today we acknowledge that and thank him for his contribution to Ireland. I know it is a contribution he will continue.

Today is a special day for me. When I started campaigning on issues close to my heart and got involved in politics, I chose this life. However, my family did not. They have been very patient today. Through every step of the journey, they have supported me without question. I particularly thank my parents, Mary and Bart, who are here today. They have been my driving force, making many personal sacrifices for their three children. I hope they can be proud of their eldest son because I know I would not be standing here were it not for them. I thank my sister, Gemma, and my brother, Adam. They are my best friends and we are each other's biggest supporters. I also thank my nana, who is here today. My biggest thank you goes to my wife, Caoimhe, who is my rock and an incredible mother to our two beautiful children. Lastly, to my children Saoirse and Cillian, who mean the world to me, I promise that being your dad will remain my most important job.

It is 13 years since I made my maiden speech in this Chamber to nominate Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, someone who went on to fulfil the considerable faith many of us had in him. He led a Government that helped rescue our economy and restore our economic sovereignty. Back then I reflected on the values I thought were needed for the job in hand: integrity, honesty and a work rate which cannot be surpassed. As Taoiseach, I will demand of myself what I saw as important then. To return to the words I spoke that day, I promise "to preside over a government committed to public service, at a time when such commitment is so urgently required". I believed then that a Taoiseach should work every day to realise the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all our people, and I still do. I accept this new role in a spirit of humility, ready for the challenge and full of energy and determination about what can be achieved.

As Taoiseach, I want to bring new ideas, a new energy and a new empathy to public life, but politics is never about the officeholder. This is not about me but about all of us working together to serve the people. We as a people and country have over the past 100 years worked tirelessly together to create our own future. Collectively, this country can and should be proud of the progress it has made. The number of people with a job is higher than ever before and the number accessing education is among the highest in the European Union, but now is an opportune moment to build a new social contract, one which renews our promise as a Republic to create equality of opportunity, to support those who need the State the most and to protect our hard-earned economic success and use its benefits to deliver tangible outcomes to society.

Time is short and there is much to do. Housing remains the greatest economic and societal challenge of our generation. Today I recommit to moving mountains to help build more homes and drive more home ownership. I will work tirelessly to support the delivery of Sláintecare and will prioritise the delivery of mental health services and a step-change in how we care for our older people. I mean this seriously. I want to work with colleagues across the House to deliver real and meaningful reform for people with disabilities. As Taoiseach, I want to see everyone reach their full potential. I want to help create an Ireland that drives innovation and creativity, that is passionate, tolerant and respectful, that gives every child an equal start in life, that protects our children's future by acting decisively on the climate crisis, and that values community and rural and regional development.

This is a time of great challenge and a time in the world where leadership matters. In Ukraine, we see brave and courageous people standing firm against unprovoked war and aggression. In Gaza, we are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe and seeing innocent children, women and men being starved and slaughtered. We have not been silent on the unforgivable terrorist actions of Hamas on 7 October, nor can we be silent on the disproportionate reaction of the Israeli Government. As a country, we will play our part in helping bring about a ceasefire and a lasting peace. Later this week I will travel to Brussels and deliver those messages to Europe on behalf of the Irish people.

Ireland's position in Europe is vital to our economic and social success. It has in many ways become part of our national identity. Yesterday I was honoured to join Government colleagues in meeting with the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland at the North-South Ministerial Council. As Taoiseach, I pledge to guard and honour my role as protector and guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. We have much more to achieve for all communities on this island and I look forward to working with the Northern Ireland Executive. Ireland must never take peace or freedom for granted. Our political history has been defined by our quest for freedom: freedom of country, freedom of conscience and the freedom to achieve freedom. In the 21st century, our destiny is to build on these achievements and to provide hope, opportunity and a better future for all. This must be our mission and our pledge to the generations to come.

While I am proudly the leader of Fine Gael, I will lead a coalition of three parties. I sincerely promise to be a Taoiseach for all. No matter your political persuasion, I will work with and for you and for the country we all love. I will be a Taoiseach who will listen. My message is simple: I want to work every day to improve the lives of all in this country. Fuelled by hope and driven by a vision of a better Ireland, I will provide a new leadership and energy. I intend to act decisively in the best interests of our people.

Going back centuries, our shared history is more than simply a narrative of oppression, resistance and courageous triumph over adversity. It is a story of belief in each other and faith in the future. The Irish story is a story of hope. A spirit of optimism sustained us in the darkest of days. Today, once again, we must ensure it lights our way forward. Let us not make the mistake of giving into pessimism and despair about our future. History has been written in Dáil Éireann many times since January 1919. We can and must write it again by rising above partisan politics and working together to solve the greatest challenges of our time. The people expect us to do more; we should demand of ourselves no less. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.