Speech by Simon Harris on the nomination of Taoiseach

Check against delivery

Ceann Comhairle,

Fine Gael will be supporting the nomination of Micheál Martin as Taoiseach.

I want to begin with some words of sincere congratulations to Deputy Martin as he returns to the office of Taoiseach. I know it is a really special day for you and Mary, for Micheál Aodh, for Aoibhe and for Cillian.

I know it is especially so given the circumstances on the previous occasion when the COVID restrictions kept you from experiencing this great honour here together in this Chamber as you do today.

I have seen that trademark way in which you go about your business up close both as Health Minister, when our two parties were in confidence and supply, as Minister for Further and Higher Education in a department which was your concept, and more recently working together as Taoiseach and Tánaiste in quite an intense political period.

It is fair to say I could sense you were nurturing a mild desire to be Taoiseach again… and I sincerely want to congratulate you on the achievement and wish you well as we work together in partnership again.

Seriously, I know your wish to be in office is for all the right reasons and that you will again bring to it your dedication to public service, the benefit of your long experience in government and your personal qualities of being simply a very good and decent person.

The Fine Gael party is looking forward to playing our part in the new government in a spirit of partnership, mutual respect and shared objectives. There is so much work to do, and we are eager to hit the ground running. For my own part, I am excited to play a leadership role as Tánaiste in the first half of government and I pledge to work relentlessly on delivering the Programme for Government in the interests of the people.

I will speak at greater length later on when the Dáil reconvenes, but I would like to briefly reflect on the vision and values underpinning the new government which will be formed today.

I have to say we are very, very far from the public mood by being convulsed here by talk, instead of action, by the division of the business of this House, instead of the business of delivering for the people.

There is a context to the formation of every government. For example, the last government in 2020 was undoubtedly formed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous one in 2016 faced a combination of a nascent Irish economic recovery, a looming Brexit and a very fragmented election result.

On this occasion, there is no doubt the context is one of global geopolitical change and the very real challenge that presents.

In this context and at a time of incumbent governments losing power around the world, the Irish people delivered a mandate for stability.

Of course, there is also a great need to make progress on our own domestic challenges, particularly in the areas of housing, health and disability.

There is good reason, as my own party enters a historic fourth consecutive term of government, to believe that we can deliver both that essential progress and the protection of our economy in the face of potentially harsh headwinds.

We have worked in successive partnership governments with the Labour Party, with Independents, with the Green Party and with Fianna Fáil to deliver for the country even in times of emergency.

Looking towards the next five years, these are the qualities which must characterise the next government.

Because for the Irish people, the challenges I just mentioned – in housing and disability in particular – are nothing short of emergencies and they want to see the government meet them with the mantra ‘delivery, delivery, delivery’.

While it is clear a period of some economic instability may lie ahead, our public finances are in a position to ensure we can make key progress on increasing infrastructure delivery and improving services.

We can move the delivery of housing to the next level, building on progress to date with a new plan to achieve our new targets. We can and we will restore the hope of home ownership and the availability of affordable accommodation to our young people.

In particular, we can bring a new energy to the delivery of the infrastructure – water, energy, transport – needed to support the faster development of housing and to maintain our economic success.

Because while the companies located in or considering locating in Ireland will look to the tax base both at a corporate level and for their individual workers, this is not their only consideration.

Among other things, the infrastructure to accommodate their workers and to ensure energy supply and security is also essential to us continuing to retain and win foreign direct investment and support our own indigenous industry to scale up.

When it comes to disability and special education, there is no point pretending that we are anywhere close to where we need to be.

I have many times acknowledged that this is an area where successive governments have not made sufficient progress but I believe we enter the new government with the message of the people ringing in our ears that there must be a step change here.

The commitments we have agreed in the Programme for Government together with the restructuring and reprioritising of relevant departments will result in a serious focus of resources on making improvements in disability services and I can guarantee you this is an area which will be championed from the top by both Micheál Martin and myself.

For my own part, I am looking forward with confidence, optimism and energy to delivering five budgets together and making progress for our people in each of the next five years.

It is an immense privilege to be elected to the 34th Dáil, an enlarged Dáil to reflect our growing population, with many new Deputies including 23 new TDs in Fine Gael, but also Deputies right across the House.

We are at the outset of five years where, whatever may come, progress and delivery are our watchwords.

We may not always find unity in here, but we are united in our chosen calling in political life and public service and I look forward to working with you all and hoping to find times when we can work together on shared priorities.

That is when this House is at its best.

Go raibh maith agaibh.