Nikki Bradley (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach.

I want to start by saying it is an absolute honour to be nominated for the second time by the former Taoiseach and current Tánaiste, Simon Harris. Like many of the people here today, I come from a background that was far from the ordinary. My disability advocacy brought me here last July. If it was not for my Fine Gael colleagues who, thank God, took me under their wing, I do not know what I would have done. It is very daunting to stand up here and speak in front of so many seasoned politicians and incredible people who have created really positive change. However, it is also okay to acknowledge when you are new here that you were brought here for a reason. I remember that every day. The job does get tough. I learned that going through a general election up in Donegal, which was incredibly tough. I apologise to Senator Ruane but I had to get my county in there. I had to give Donegal a plug. It is tough work. Regardless of what party you are from or whatever, you need to be able to collaborate with the people around you and with the people in this room.

Some of the speeches I have listened to today were incredibly inspiring. Some of the areas and the issues I will be focusing on will be very similar to my very brief stint last term. Obviously, disability is my number one focus. I have lived experience of this, as is very clear today. For those who do not know or cannot see, I am an amputee. I am also a cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed with cancer over 20 years ago, I tried to get treatment while living in Donegal. I would have thought that the process one undergoes when one lives in Donegal would have changed by now. I hope my father is not annoyed at me for mentioning that he was diagnosed with cancer the week of the election. He is dealing with the same waiting lists, and the same transport issues, that I dealt with. If you do not drive in Donegal, good luck to you. I often say that Donegal is like LA, minus the weather, in that everybody drives there. We cannot rely on transport up there. I received an email yesterday from someone who informed me of the dire situation with bus services in my county. I was aware of it to a certain extent, but he went into some further detail. I can assume that this is reflected at national level. He had some specific information to share with me about locations where buses are accessible but bus stops are not. If you can get yourself to a bus stop in a wheelchair, you may not be able to get on the bus because the actual bus stop is not suitable. They do not work together.

I would like to acknowledge an incredible woman, Councillor Vicki Casserly, and her son James. James has done absolutely incredible work in the disability space. James is so cool. Members should look him up. He does so much, considering he struggles every single day with a disability. He went up to Donegal to test out different bus services, and it was up there that he dealt with the biggest issues. This angers me because it is not good enough. In 2025, it should not matter whether I live in Donegal, Cork, Tallaght or Lucan, which is where Vicki Casserly is from. If you have a disability and you cannot get from A to B because you cannot rely on services, that is simply not good enough. That is one of the biggest things I will be focusing on this year, along with cancer services, as I mentioned.I need to stick up for people who cannot stick up for themselves. I see the heartbreak and I have lived the heartbreak. I am here for those reasons. I have absolutely no ego. I will be the first to say that I had not a clue last July and I do not have much of a clue standing here today but I have no problem asking. I am not embarrassed. The bigger issue here is what needs to be done. It is not about me. It is not about my career. That is absolutely the least priority that I have. It is about working together in this room to create positive change. I am so excited to work with you all.