Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the day that is in it, I will commence by expressing my own personal thanks to the Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, for all of the work he has done for Ireland during his period as Minister, Tánaiste and Taoiseach. They have been stressful and hard years and I fully understand the toll that such service can take on people who have dedicated themselves to public elected office. I want to thank him for one thing in particular, for which I will never cease to be grateful. When Sergeant Maurice McCabe needed an ally in public life, it was the Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, who stood up for him and showed amazing personal courage in doing so.

I also want to remind the House that recently, in the aftermath of the referendum result, he wrote an article in which he said he had also been on the losing side in the referendums on the abolition of the Seanad and on Oireachtas inquiries. He said he was disappointed at the time, amid recriminations, but came to realise that the people were wise and made the right decision. He said that the Seanad provides a check and a balance on the Dáil that would otherwise not exist and that we have seen the value of that in recent months. That was a generous statement from him to make because he was, until very recently, a convinced abolitionist.

This House has a limited role in relation to legislation. We can, under Article 23 of the Constitution, amend Government legislation or propose our own legislation but Dáil Éireann has the power to effectively reject our views after 90 days. That 90-day period is not very long. I mention that because I believe Ireland is developing and maturing into a different kind of democracy. The sad moment when Members of this House were forced to vote, by a party whip, for their own abolition should be a memory of the past only. I appeal to Members of this House, not today but over the coming weeks, to consider whether the application of a party whip in every matter really adds to Irish democracy or whether it would be far better for Members of this House, bearing in mind the limited role they have, to take it on themselves to express their own individual outlook and to vote in accordance with their own individual preference.It would be remiss of me if I did not wish the Taoiseach all the best. We were all taken aback, or even shocked, when he made his announcement at 12 o'clock. To me personally, to the Fine Gael Party and to the people of Ireland, he has been an exemplary Taoiseach and I wish him all the best. It was a decision not taken lightly and, judging by his words, it was both a personal and political decision, which I respect. Certainly, these have been very turbulent times, with the Government successfully overseeing Ireland through Covid and also the recovery of the economy, and the Taoiseach was there as part of the Government throughout those times. It is not an easy decision and I wish him, his family and his staff well. I thank him for everything he has done for the country. I have received many text messages from people throughout the country saying they are totally shocked and asking me to wish him all the best. It is nice that people are remembering him.

The other issue I raise relates to small businesses. They are on their last legs. I acknowledge the Minister, Deputy Coveney, will meet representatives of small businesses in Limerick over the coming days but those in retail and hospitality, in particular, need something done for them. They need changes to be made and perhaps the VAT rate to be reconsidered. It was increased from 9% to 13.5% and that needs to be looked at. Small businesses cannot compete at the same level as big businesses and we need to differentiate between the two and find a policy that works. One size does not fit all. We need to find something that will help save small businesses. I understand the Minister is due to come before the House for a debate at some point, but I would like that to be expedited because I know from having spoken to small businesses that some of them are on their last legs.