The Taoiseach announced yesterday that he is to resign. I reiterate my good wishes to him for the future. I wished him the best personally yesterday and acknowledged his years of public service. As he said, all politicians are human, and I acknowledge that he has endured some awful abuse personally in his office as Taoiseach. We are all aware of that. We are also aware that it has become harder to enter politics, and to stay in it due to the levels of toxicity in public debate. I acknowledge the Ceann Comhairle's role in trying to challenge that. We all have to address that together.

However, this should not deter us from criticising what is clearly a bad political decision from Government to continue in office, despite the Taoiseach's announcement yesterday. This Government is out of ideas and lacking in focus, commitment, ambition and energy. It appears the decision of the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is to effectively preserve the current Government above all else and to preserve its term, as the Tánaiste has said, right to the end next March. That decision puts the longevity of a Fine Gael-led Government above the public interest, and it will be the second time Fianna Fáil has done this. In the previous Dáil term, Brexit was the excuse they gave. This time around it is an appeal for stability. However, the late-in-the-day swapping of leadership is deeply destabilising when it is the leadership of the country. The Tánaiste may wish that was not so, but it is the case. After two rotating taoisigh in four years, and with less than a year to go until the next general election must be held, by this day next year, Fine Gael is proposing that its members should choose a new Taoiseach, not the people. In our view that is wrong. It is against the democratic imperative. The Constitution may permit this act of political self-preservation, but it is absurd to say this is in keeping with a democratic imperative.

So much has happened since 2020. We have endured the pandemic. We have seen rents, house prices, and child homelessness at record highs. More than 4,000 children are now in homelessness. Horrific wars have broken out in the past four years due to the brutal, murderous policies of Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. So much has happened and there are political solutions available to us, but the Government is now lacking the focus and energy to implement those solutions. It is clearly distracted, even more so now. Fine Gael is grappling with an exodus, and Fianna Fáil and the Greens will apparently cling to a sinking ship no matter what, following yesterday. It is having a serious effect on our policies and governance at a time people need politics to work. The Tánaiste has spoken about the planning Bill, but the Government is rushing that important legislation through.

It is not being rushed. It is taking weeks.

It is delaying important decisions. That is patently the case. It is failing to make, and delaying, important decisions such as the introduction of State-owned accommodation for refugees. It is putting stays on Opposition legislation to avoid having to deal with them – stays that will last just beyond the term of the Government. Only this month, it allowed a Labour motion on housing to pass without saying anything about implementing it.

If the Tánaiste is setting his face against a general election, what is he going to do to change his Government's policies and focus over the next year, which is all that is left? Will he just allow a temporary Taoiseach to stand in and allow this political stagnation continue?

I appreciate the Deputy's kind comments in respect of the outgoing Taoiseach and the comments she has made about abuse in politics and toxicity in public discourse as regards politics. I agree with her 100% on that, and we collectively have to address that issue because the most fundamental thing we should all agree on in this House is freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of mobility around our streets. Even yesterday, in the environs of Leinster House, people were trying to encroach on and disrupt public service broadcasting as a major news event was being announced in neighbouring jurisdictions. These are serious issues for us in terms of freedom of debate.

The Deputy mentioned sinking ships. She should be careful about referencing sinking ships in the context of politics. Her own party would want to rise a bit more before she lectures others about sinking ships.

Perhaps we all will.

Have a look in the mirror.

The planning Bill should be completed. Huge work has gone into its preparation. It has gone through pre-legislative scrutiny and so on. That is an important piece of work. I recently saw a judicial review of a bus stop in connection with BusConnects. We need to streamline things and make sure we have a planning system fit for purpose because we have enormous projects to deliver in offshore wind energy, housing and infrastructure more generally. On housing, the first-time buyer situation has improved significantly under this Government. The future Ireland fund Bill is very important because, if passed, it will provide 0.8% of GDP for future-proofing pensions, healthcare costs and infrastructure. We will be putting money aside every year to create a fund that gets invested, and the return from that will fund the major challenges we will face in society in the future. I cannot think of a more substantive or important Bill or initiative as this in many a decade. Huge work has gone into the preparation of that. It went through Cabinet yesterday. That needs to get through this House. This is not about shoring up or clinging to anything. This is about a proactive approach to getting policy done, getting initiatives and infrastructure delivered and getting on with the normal business of government, which I and every other Minister is doing and will continue to do right through the lifetime of this Government. I think that is what the people want. People are not that impressed with politicians who keep on speculating about the next election. They are far more interested in delivery on matters of substance. We have made a lot of progress on housing; we have more to do. We have made a lot of progress on healthcare. Some 60% of the population now has access to a GP card, which is significant compared to where we were before this Government came into office. I could go on and on about a range of initiatives.

The Tánaiste has not answered my question. The Taoiseach said yesterday that there is a need to refocus policies. I agree that it is about delivery, but when are we going to see a refocusing of policies and delivery? If he has set his face against a general election, and if he and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, are determined to keep the ship afloat until this time next year, what are they going to offer people to change things? As one constituent said to me last night, the Taoiseach's decision yesterday was effectively the ultimate vote of no confidence in the Government. What is the Tánaiste going to do to give people confidence in it? How will it change things? Will it end cynical tactics currently in place in this Parliament and instead work with the Opposition to pass constructive legislation such as our Bill on pregnancy loss? Will the Government focus on rebuilding homes? Will it introduce new policies to see delivery of more homes? Will it end no-fault evictions? Will it end hospital emergency department chaos? What the Tánaiste said on health rings hollow for those in the emergency department in Limerick. What will change for people who are now struggling without a home, who cannot pay their rent or mortgage costs, who see overcrowded trolleys in hospital emergency departments and who cannot access childcare or care for their elderly parents? What is the Government offering them and what will change over the next year if there is to be no general election?

I said earlier that in February alone, commencements are dramatically up.

But what will change?

That is change. That is added progress to progress already made. There were 33,000 houses built last year. I understand that commencements are up by 85% in February this year, compared with last year. That is progress.

The Constitution is clear. The Dáil elects the Taoiseach of the day. There has been an attempt, not by Deputy Bacik but by others, to suggest that there should be a general election. A general election elects parties and Deputies. A majority of those Deputies elects the Taoiseach of the day once the Dáil assembles. We have a proportional representation, multi-seat constituency system. That is an important point to make, because our Constitution governs all of this. I believe, and have always believed, in particular since earlier periods of instability, that governments should go as close to full term as possible. I have served in Governments that have gone full term. The result is better long-term policies and legislation gets done. I have outlined the serious work we have under way. We want that planning Bill done, and we want the future fund Bill done as well.