Results 501-520 of 51,735 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: More fundamentally, the Deputy ducked and dived on the question of the free trade deal between Europe and Canada. It has brought huge benefits to working people in multinationals and Irish-owned companies.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Jobs ultimately put bread on people's tables.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin's economic approach to trade matters in particular - it has opposed this trade deal for years and yesterday, it could not agree if it supported it or not - is a fundamental point.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: If we do not continue to expand and grow trade, we will reduce the capacity of ordinary working people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----to deal with the cost of living.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: The fundamental difference between the Government and the Opposition is that we are action-focused and get things done on housing. I do not like to put this to the Deputy but I have seen nothing in the Labour Party's policy proposals on housing that would build anything extra. All the policy instincts of the Opposition is to oppose any measure the Government has introduced in the past six...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Government is simply saying we are maintaining and increasing public investment in housing from the State, the largest actor in housing right now, while also creating the conditions to facilitate far greater private sector investment in house building and apartment building in particular, which needs to increase. The fundamental way to deal with housing is to increase supply...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: You do; you said it in your manifesto and you doubled down on it only last week.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: If one looks at first-time buyers, for example, the percentage of first-time buyers has been steadily increasing, from about 25% of all purchases in 2015 to just under 40% in April 2025. Real progress has been made, through the help to buy scheme and first home scheme, in enabling first-time buyers to get into the market and get their first homes. About 119,000 first-time buyer mortgages...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have not even started yet on the range of measures we have taken in the past number of months.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Ní aontaím leis an Teachta mar-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Admhaím go bhfuil brú. Gan amhras, tá brú ar dhaoine agus ar chosmhuintir na tíre maidir leis an gcostas maireachtála. Tá an-chuid déanta ag an Rialtas go dtí seo chun an brú sin a ísliú. An rud is tábhachtaí sna míonna atá le teacht ná cinneadh a dhéanamh infheistíocht a chur isteach in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: We are well-placed to deal with it because of the surpluses we have and so on. We have taken fundamental measures such as the free book scheme, which Sinn Féin never mentions for some reason. That was a game-changer in terms of the costs that people have going back to school.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: We did that a number of years ago and the finality of it will be this September. Every school now has free school meals. These were things that, up to three years ago, were not on the agenda and Sinn Féin ignores that. We have improved the situation regarding carer's allowance. What we intend to do in the next budget is to mainstream provisions that will help people to deal with...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: That is a positive but we have to provide for that as regards our water infrastructure, housing, energy infrastructure, public transport and roads. We are going to do that but there are limits to what any government can do.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin is a party of Opposition with no limits on what it would spend. In terms of expenditure, it does not matter. It is just whatever turns up on any day, it will spend a billion or two billion euro on it. That is its philosophy and mindset.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Yesterday, in Dáil Éireann, I challenged the Deputy's party to say whether it would support the EU-Canada free trade deal, which has enhanced Ireland's exports.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: We were doing about €900 million in exports in 2016. We are now doing €4.1 billion, which is bread on the table of Irish working families. That is how you deal with cost of living, not being against trade deals of that importance and scale, which have real impact on the working lives of people.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (15 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: A lot more social homes are built now than there were historically. The building of social homes is at a 40-year record, which does not get recognised at all.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (15 Jul 2025)

Micheál Martin: Of those on the homeless lists, as I think that is what Deputy Tóibín was referring to, close to 50% are from the EU or the EEA. We have a growing population. The timelines as to when people come on to the emergency accommodation lists are a matter that needs to be examined in the context of the needs of people when they arrive in. The growing population has created new demands...