Results 161-180 of 455 for going forward speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (19 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: ...Frost. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, has met with the Secretary of State, Liz Truss MP, and Commissioner Šefčovič has also had meetings with her. Suffice to say there is good engagement and goodwill on both sides, the European Union and the British Government, to get this resolved. Timelines are challenging in respect of elections in the North and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Functions (8 Dec 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...and I gave the Deputy SAGE’s perspective on HEPA filters yesterday, for example, which was interesting. Deputy Kelly raised the social dialogue. LEEF has a lot of streams to it and it is going well. The aviation stream, construction and collective bargaining are all going well. Much good and substantive work is being done under the auspices of LEEF on substantive issues. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank all the Deputies for raising these matters. Deputy Richmond raised issues around the protocol and Brexit. All efforts are continuing to be made in terms of preparation. To be fair to the Government, and the previous Government, Ireland has prepared well for Brexit compared to what is happening in the UK. That seems to be evident in the challenges many SMEs have had in the UK in...

Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O’Gorman, being proactive as he is, has been working in parallel with the committee, monitoring the changes that were going to be made. The intention is to bring the Bill forward as quickly as possible. It is not the Government's fault that it has been delayed. On the regulations and so on, again we are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...Deputy may have overstated the degree to which there has been a change in communications. All press officers in all Departments have been asked to make sure that NPHET spokespeople are facilitated in going forward to the public media to do interviews, make media appearances and communicate public health advices in the context of Government policy and to explain to people the rationale for...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Climate Change Negotiations (24 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...areas. This will be published. On Deputy McDonald's point, those appointments were made in full accordance with the legislation and I think the Deputy acknowledges that because she said her party put forward an amendment which was not carried. There was a suggestion somewhere that the Minister had gone outside the legislation. He had not. Is the best the Deputy can do on climate change...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I responded yesterday to the issue raised by Deputy Farrell. We are confident of fulfilling the Government commitment to this, especially by providing more refuges, accommodation, supports and capacity. In respect of Deputy Ó Muineacháin's point, I understand a number of retained firefighters in Ballincollig have been successful in securing whole-time positions with Cork city...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...in winter time. The Housing First strategy, for example, has proved to be an enormous success. To be fair to the NGOs - the Simon Communities, Focus Ireland and others - which came forward with that idea, learning from what was going on across Europe and globally, it has been a spectacular success in terms of the number of homeless who avail of the Housing First programme and who are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...Department is in constant contact with the Irish Truckers and Haulage Association and the industry relative to broader issues pertaining to the industry, including a new strategy, the requirements for the sector going forward in terms of skills, for example, and the energy prices issue. The latter is a serious issue across the board and there is no denying that. As I said, it is a global...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...case that the booster vaccination infrastructure is just focused on the primary doses, which are dose one and two. It is important that we continue to do the vaccinations. Some 1,900 people came forward over the weekend for their first dose. That is good news. Those were people who may not have been easily accessed by the system, but they came forward to vaccination centres. We have...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (18 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...agus leis na Seanadóirí as an gcuireadh labhairt leo tráthnóna inniu. Is mór an t-áthas orm agus an phribhléid dom a bheith sa Seanad chun labhairt leo. Ar ndóigh is ócáid thráthúil í mar go bhfuil muintir na hÉireann faoi láthair ag dul trí ré dhúshlánach chasta nach bhfacamar riamh i saol an...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (18 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...of listening. That is a skill set we could all do better with and one I could improve on. It is the most fundamental skill set in respect of reconciliation on the island. At the core of the Good Friday Agreement were three sets of relationships, namely, the British-Irish relationship, the North-South relationship and the relationship between the two traditions on the island,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Ceann Comhairle is being too strict. I was really looking forward to a lyrical list of those beautiful Kerry names dripping off the tongue. I agree with the Deputy. I will look at it. It is a very fair point. Deputy Ó Cuív was instrumental in introducing the rural social scheme. It is a valuable scheme. It does a lot of valuable work throughout the country. It is very...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...for pubs to be opened in advance of any advice, then rushing to get the airports closed and then rushing to get them opened again. It has been the classic presentation from the Deputy from the get-go. I want to keep this in perspective, however. If we look at where we are now, connectivity has reopened and travel into and out of the country is happening. Hospitality, personal...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Anglo-Irish Relations (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...still stand. We have been here before. The meeting we had in May was comprehensive and lengthy. We had subsequent meetings with the European Commission. In the autumn the situation was on a good track with the European Commission looking at the overall situation and coming forward with a package of quite far-reaching proposals. In particular, European Commissioner, Maroš...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Citizens' Assembly (9 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...convened for a general discussion in seeking out information on educational policy more generally. Measures were taken in the budget to expand the schools meals programme. I accept that scheme can go further. There is a review under way on school transport. My view, in the context of the Government decision to halve the cost of public transport for younger people, is that in...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (20 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: I will attend a meeting of the European Council tomorrow and Friday, 21 and 22 October. Tá agenda cuimsitheach ann a chlúdóidh Covid, cúrsaí eacnamaíochta agus go háirithe, ról na hEorpa i gcomhthéacs cúrsaí polaitíochta an domhain agus cúrsaí trádála. Beidh sin faoi chaibidil againn agus mar aon leis sin...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: ...NAMA is very specific. That Act sets specific objectives and functions for NAMA, which are well established. NAMA has facilitated the construction of housing. There is an issue in terms of how, going forward, we interact with NAMA in regard to the provision of social housing. NAMA has in the past offered social housing to the State through the local authorities and so forth, some of...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: The budget introduced by this Government marks a decisive moment when our country moves forward to rebuild and renew after a once-in-a-century pandemic. It is a progressive budget, which will underpin economic recovery and return 400,000 people to work. It will deliver the largest package of income support in more than a decade. In the face of worldwide rises in costs, it provides...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Sep 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank all the Deputies who put questions to me in respect of housing issues. I will first deal with rents generally, which covers a number of the questions. On the issue of a rent freeze, the Government has been advised in the strongest possible manner that it is unconstitutional to introduce a three-year freeze. I remember years ago, before an election, Opposition Members put forward a...