Ceann Comháirle,
Confidence motions have long history in Dáil Éireann. They are intended as a mechanism for stepping away from day-to-day arguments and focusing on the fundamental work of government.
For much of the past century they were put down by oppositions seeking to offering a systematic alternative to the government. They were an opportunity to address the full range of economic, social, and international issues facing our country – to look beyond one or two issues and present a broader programme.
Unfortunately, the reality is that this debate has yet again shown that today’s opposition has abandoned any effort to offer a comprehensive alternative – and that it simply will not engage with the broad range of issues which face our modern society and economy.
In the place of an alternative all we have from them are soundbites – intended only to exploit the very real concerns of people on particular points while ignoring the overwhelming majority of issues and the actions taken by the government to address them.
In the face of complex problems, they offer empty soundbites full of cynical empathy – and by their silence on many fundamental issues they clearly understand that they have no alternative.
They are offering no alternative to a government which in some of the toughest times in our modern history, has worked successfully with the Irish people to deliver sustained progress on key issues and which has put in place the policies to deliver much more during the rest of our mandate.
We are having this debate today because the Labour Party decided that it needed to do something to get attention. It has adopted the strategy of trying to match others for angry rhetoric and empty promises. Just like other left parties, it remains so terrified of Sinn Fein’s troll army that it is increasingly incapable of presenting a distinct position from that party on any matter.
There is little purpose served in taking apart the reality of Labour’s tactics in demanding a confidence vote. All I will say is that when I hear the loud words of attack on us in relation to housing, I cannot help quoting the last policy on renters outlined in a Labour Manifesto:
‘Labour will professionalise the landlord business and encourage institutional investors into long term rental provision. We will provide standard business tax reliefs to landlords…. We will also seek to create the regulated, stable rental market that institutional investors, such as pension funds, require to provide significant rental units’.
While the opposition is today dominated by those who claim to speak up for workers it is becoming quite dramatic how often workers are ignored by the left when they are attacking the government.
Even in Budget debates the Irish left has fallen silent about employment and the economy – and it has no policy on social supports other than to wait for the latest announcement and demand more.
This government took up office faced with the largest pandemic and fastest moving recession in modern history. And in area after area, we showed real leadership in saving lives and livelihoods in our country. We implemented ambitious and urgent policies which have made huge and positive impact – often in the face of sniping from the opposition and demands for policies which would have caused real damage.
The opposition doesn’t think these are important enough to even mention.
This evening there are over 436,000 more people at work than there were on the day this government took up office. Unemployment has been dramatically cut, and good jobs are being created in every part of the country. An unprecedented 70% of new jobs have been created outside of Dublin. At the same time, employment opportunities for women are at a record high while youth unemployment is at a record low. In fact, youth unemployment in Ireland is now the lowest in the entire European Union.
To the opposition this is unimportant. They are the only self-declared left-wing parties in Europe who have nothing to say about employment creation.
The reality of a dramatic escalation in prices throughout the world has also hit Ireland. There is not a single person in this House who has denied this, and no person can honestly say that the government has failed to act, particularly to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
€9 billion has been put in place in a range of measures to limit the impact of rising prices. The biggest single part of this has been direct aid for households. Through a mixture of significant permanent increases in payments, the expansion of support schemes and major once-off payments to tackle short-term pressures, we have implemented a highly progressive programme of help at this critical time.
The opposition also thinks that the Pandemic is not worthy of mention – ignoring the leading role which this government played in limiting its economic and health impacts. They have nothing to say about one of the world’s most successful vaccine campaigns or the fact that our policies meant that Ireland has recovered faster than any comparable country.
And we have also begun implementing a radical programme to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies. This has involved putting in place sustained investment as well as implementing many tough measures. Most of these measures have been opposed by the majority of the opposition – committed as always to pretending that even the most difficult problems can be addressed without having to inconvenience anyone.
As we’ve demonstrated once again this week, we are determined to deliver a step-change in the provision of housing. A new era in building public housing has begun and actions are being taken to address each element of the housing supply chain. Schemes specifically to help people with affordable homes have been put in place and are helping families throughout the country.
Any honest discussion about housing will start with the fact that we need to build more homes and to do so over a sustained period of time. This demands secure funding and a concerted programme to unblock very real barriers to construction and affordability.
Home completions, planning permissions and first-time buyers are up to the highest levels since 2008.
Up to 30,000 new homes were completed in 2022 - an increase of 45% on the previous year. This year we hope to hit and exceed our target of 29,000.
First time buyers are at the highest levels since 2008 – thanks to government supports .Up to 20,000 new social homes have been added to the housing stock under this government. We are making every effort to increase housing supply. To enable this we have now 40,000 more people working in construction than in 2021.
When the three parties which form this government agreed to work together, we each accepted that we had to both be able to compromise and to work together on an exceptionally challenging series of challenges.
In less than three years we have succeeded in restoring our economy, helping people through a terrible pandemic, and using the growth we have created to fund ambitious and progressive investments in services and public infrastructure.
We have done this in the face of a consistently cynical and destructive opposition which pretends that until everything has been done, nothing has been done.
With confidence in our record and our agenda for the remainder of our term I am happy to support the motion that Dáil Éireann has confidence in the government.