Results 681-700 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: Aontaím go hiomlán leis an Teachta. Is uafásach ar fad an méid atá ag tarlú i nGaza leis an gcogadh uafásach agus na mílte daoine, leanaí go háirithe, ag fáil bháis de dheasca polasaithe Rialtas Iosrael. I agree with the Deputy's presentation of what is an absolutely barbaric and appalling situation in Gaza. There is absolutely no...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is absolutely unacceptable that innocent people were abducted and have remained hostages for so long after 7 October. That was also an appalling, barbaric crime by Hamas, which needs, in my view, to stop the war and disband, because it has caused nothing but misery to its own people. The Israeli Government needs to stop what is happening right now. We need a ceasefire. We need a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: To be fair, it is more than just words from Ireland. We have contributed significant funding to Palestine, to the Palestinian Authority and to UNRWA, which has been much maligned but is the only UN agency that has the capacity not only to facilitate the surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza but also to facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza. Most people will admit that privately if they are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The RTB rent index is the most reliable indicator for rent prices. It was published on 15 May and, according to the RTB, the standardised average rent for new tenancies rose nationally by 5.5% year-on-year to €1,680 in quarter 4 of 2024 while the rents for existing tenancies rose by 4.6% year-on-year to €1,440. These are high rents. We are under no illusions about that. Even...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: Look at it overall and look at the context. Across the European Union and many western economies, they are having this dilemma in the mismatch of housing demand and supply. In a European Union context, Ireland is probably doing more than most in increasing housing supply.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: In terms of real investment in dwellings, the Irish economy registered the fourth largest increase across the 27 EU countries. The recent ESRI publication comparing housing supply across Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales found that on a per capita basis, Ireland and Northern Ireland had the highest rate of house building and Ireland and Scotland had the highest rate of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: You can smile all you like but we need to be real with people here. It seems to me that what the Opposition really wants is for us to stay static in policy terms so that we end up not actually making the step change that is required on housing.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: Parallel with sustained investment from the public purse, the Exchequer, we will need a significant increase in private sector investment. We need to be in line with the Housing Commission and we will see what the review brings forward but we most certainly need to create a secure investment landscape for investment in housing into the future on the private side to supplement the record...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Church-State Relations (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 3 together. There is a Structured Dialogue Process in place to facilitate engagement between government and those who lead our churches, faith communities and non-confessional bodies in line with Article 17 of the Treaty of Lisbon. Engagement under this Process may take the form of plenary or bilateral engagement between government and the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I attended the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square on Saturday, 26 April as part of the Irish Delegation led by President Higgins. It was an honour to represent the Government and the people of Ireland at the funeral and to reflect on and appreciate the remarkable achievements of the life of Pope Francis. Pope Francis had a deep commitment to service. He was...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Consultations (21 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: A disability unit is being established in Department of the Taoiseach. The unit is supporting the work of the Cabinet Committee on Disability. It is also supporting the work of the Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality and other Ministers in driving cross-government, inter-agency and inter-disciplinary working and collaboration to improve the lives of people with disabilities and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: It does not work the same way.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank all the Deputies who contributed. I congratulate Deputy Cleere and join him in his comments on the camogie teams from Kilkenny and Carlow. I note his heartfelt concern about Cork's defeat on Sunday and the sincerity of how he expressed it. The season is young yet. There is a theme all around the House of the need to deploy as many gardaí as possible in rural Ireland as well...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: One often wonders whether local solutions in terms of accommodation could have been resolved. I do not know but I will talk to the Minister for education about the school and what the issue is there. Is it school transport we are primarily talking about here?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: They have been hit twice in that respect, both in not getting a place in the first place and then not getting transport. I hear Deputy Cahill loud and clear in terms of the need to accelerate the regeneration schemes in a variety of villages in Kerry. I think he referred to Killorglin and Dingle, and there are many more. I want to say publicly that I note his recent correspondence to me...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 30, inclusive, together. The Government has established Cabinet committees across a range of policy areas: economy, trade and competitiveness; housing; infrastructure; climate action and energy; disability; health; EU and international affairs; justice, migration and social affairs; water quality; Northern Ireland; and children and education. Issues...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ukraine War (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I again thank all the Deputies who contributed. Deputy Bacik spoke about the European Union membership of Ukraine. We were one of the steadfast early supporters of Ukraine's membership of the European Union, believing it would end a vacuum geopolitically, create its own implicit security for Ukraine and also enable it to be a full participant in the economic benefits and basic liberties...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ukraine War (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is not.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ukraine War (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: For people who live in Estonia, Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, the daily fear and number one overriding consideration is whether they continue to exist as a sovereign country, and how they protect their territorial integrity, because of what history has taught them, what they have experienced historically and what they fear. The Deputy cannot tell them what they should be afraid of, no more...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is not, really. It is also sending a signal that we have asylum laws for people who genuinely need asylum, not for everyone who comes in. A lot of economic migrants come in who should be applying for work permits. That is the point. Deputy Lawless followed up on the costs ballooning. We have obligations. There has been a significant inflationary cycle but we are reducing the...