Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do indeed. I thank the Ceann Comhairle.

In 2020 as the Covid crisis first hit our shores, the Tánaiste led our country through the most difficult months. He showed what a fine Taoiseach he was through his focus on the well-being of our citizens, his clear plan to deal with the crisis and, above all, his commitment to forming a Government to lead. Tomorrow people across the world will tune in to the World Cup final to find out who the winning team is but today we reaffirm in Ireland that in Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party we have our winning team.

The Tánaiste will take over as Taoiseach of an historic coalition, one which shows how far we have come since the Civil War. It is testament to both party leaders that we see the successors of these two sides share and pass on power. Today is an example of our country being at peace with it Civil War history and today proves that coalition works.

This day next week, a certain someone will leave the North Pole to deliver to boys and girls and that is exactly what this Government has done - deliver. It has delivered through challenges that were absolutely unforeseeable back in 2020: a global pandemic, a war on European soil and a cost-of-living crisis. With strong, steady, stable leadership we are navigating through these unchartered waters. It is a Government Deputy Micheál Martin has led so responsibly and with such compassion and one the Green Party has ensured always operates through a lens of action on climate change. People want a functioning, responsible Government that gets on with the work at hand and that is exactly what this Government has done. It supported businesses when they needed help most, protected workers through ground-breaking legislation, and delivered record employment against a global backdrop of uncertainty.

The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has delivered for rural Ireland. She has invested in communities throughout the island and protected our most vulnerable and our over-70s. The €11 billion budget of the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, protected households and his influence has put us at the centre of Europe. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, led us through the choppy waters of Brexit with a whole-of-Ireland approach. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has made third level education more accessible and apprenticeships more attractive. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has been creating stronger, safer communities throughout Ireland. Her second son, less than one week old, will shortly have lived through his second Taoiseach. He grows up in an Ireland that punches far above its weight on the international stage and in an Ireland that offers opportunity, not just to our own people, but to those who want to call here home.

It can be so easy to be blinded by the empty rhetoric of opposition politics that paints Ireland as a bleak country on the outskirts of Europe. Optimism is never the hallmark of opposition politics but this Opposition has been populist, pessimistic and divisive. Ireland is a reflection of its people. It is a nation of céad míle fáilte, decency and kindness, a hard-working ethos and fairness. It is our people that this Government serves and that Deputy Leo Varadkar will lead as Taoiseach, and serve them he will.

Some 28,000 new homes have been delivered this year and we will continue to build more. People will pay lower income tax next year than this year and we will continue to put more money back in people's pockets. Public transport costs have been slashed and we will continue to invest in our roads, buses and trainlines. Childcare costs will be reduced next year and we will continue to invest in those early years. Hospital inpatient charges have been abolished and we will tackle waiting lists. There are more gardaí on our streets today than last year and we will always prioritise law and order.

This Government will continue to focus on reality rather than populism; on hope rather than pessimism and on unity rather than division because that is how leadership looks. Ireland needs a leader that will provide stability and division. Deputy Leo Varadkar did that for us last time round and I know he will do that for us again. It is my absolutely honour to second Deputy Leo Varadkar's nomination for Taoiseach. I know he will do our party, our country and our people proud. Go n-éirí an bóthar leis.

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