Results 381-400 of 51,735 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy and appreciate the points he made about aviation policy nationally. He has been a strong, consistent and persistent advocate for Shannon Airport and I also appreciate his comments on other airports, particularly Cork Airport-----

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----which he referenced in passing. Regional balanced economic growth is a key objective of the Government and connectivity is key to economic development. I take the Deputy's point in respect of the importance of regionally-based airports. There is no question that the cap has to be lifted.

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: Very often airlines dictate the pace in respect of where they want to fly into and out of. Capital cities all over the world tend to draw the highest volume of traffic and interest and that has implications for regional locations. As the Deputy will be aware, there was a mid-term review of the current programme for regional airports with high-level outcomes announced in July last year and a...

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: Shannon Airport in particular is a significant asset.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: No, I disagree with that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy mentioned the correlation between supply and price. Is he suggesting-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: In terms of supply and its relationship with pricing, I will tell the Deputy one thing for certain: if we do not substantially increase supply, rents will go through the roof.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: The scarcity involved will increase the cost of any new tenancies that come along.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I take it we are all agreed with more supply. That is a fundamental.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is not Deputy Hearne's turn. His party had its turn. Are we agreed that we need more supply?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: Second, we have very comprehensive and significant protections in place for tenants. Yes, the RTB has a function, obligation and role to enforce and ensure the protection of tenants in these scenarios and that fairness applies on all sides in respect of tenancies. Deputy Stanley referenced that we have brought in those kind of protections around evictions and so on. With the measures we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: We are not creating a free-for-all in terms of the rental market more generally. We are creating a national rent pressure zone, ultimately including the entire country. The bottom line is that we need more supply of houses. We need a significant and substantial increase in the supply of housing. That is the key. Without additional supply we will have a very challenging rental market....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: We are going to continue with that agenda.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: First of all, Deputy Cairns's critique of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled Persons is wrong. There was significant participation of people with disabilities in the formulation, delivery and announcement of that strategy. They enthusiastically participated in that. Structures have been created to follow through on it. That is a kind of a cynical, poor response by the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I am just saying to the Deputy-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I met with the people at the launch of the strategy. I have created a disability unit in my Department to drive change. We will do it over the lifetime of this Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is right across the board. In terms of cost of living, it is not that simple and the Deputy knows that. However, there will be measures in the budget to help families with disabilities in terms of income supports. There will be measures in the budget in that respect.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: First, I take the opportunity to welcome you back, Deputy, and I am looking forward to our continued engagements. I think we both share a love of west Cork and the people of west Cork, as well as their representatives in terms of quality, calibre and so forth. I am going to miss Deputy Cian O’Callaghan. I thank him for his forensic engagement over the last while. I also thank...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have indicated that we are going to do that. I said to the Deputy, prior to the summer recess, that we would target our resources as opposed to universal allocations.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: Through our social protection frameworks, we have mechanisms that will enable us to do that in terms of the various payments and so on that we can increase, but we will prioritise in respect of the child poverty question. We will prioritise in terms of disability and in terms of the additional costs that families with people who are disabled have to incur, and we will seek to alleviate that....