Results 8,861-8,880 of 50,151 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. He has had a long-standing commitment to these issues over the years as a public representative. I agree with him on the Windsor Agreement. We must allow people to read the detail of it. It is a very detailed, comprehensive response to legitimate issues that were raised by political parties in Northern Ireland in particular and by unionist parties in respect of some...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am not fully aware of the details behind or the range of cases that might have given rise to the comments the Deputy has made. I will discuss this with the Minister for Justice and alert him to the Deputy's raising the issue on the floor of the House and how he feels there are serious matters of public interest that need to be reflected upon.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Senator McGreehan raised the same issue at our parliamentary party meeting yesterday evening. I will revert to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, as the Deputy has raised it here, but to be fair to him he has, over his term, responded consistently to different issues as they have arisen in particular sectors of the food production system. Clearly, sheep farmers are finding the going...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am not too sure that is the issue because we have had fairly rapid developments in special education in the past two and a half years. New schools have been established for the first time in over a decade. We have had two to three new special schools and new ASD units. The Department of Education was given the green light to spend a lot of capital moneys in the last year and it did. It...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister and the HSE have already announced the programme and response in terms of dealing with the issue and accelerating the times for people to get their results.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Government spends far more than €1 billion, as the Deputy knows, and we will draw that down. The Deputy is underestimating what has happened already under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, BAR. The level of investment in piers and harbours across the country is because of the BAR and the allocations are multiples of what we used to annually provide. There is no comparison. There...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: In ports such as Rosslare, where there has been huge investment by the Government, some of that will hopefully be drawn down from the BAR, but we are doing it in any event because of Brexit. There are other aspects. The dairy industry has grown, notwithstanding Brexit. It is not as bleak a picture as the Deputy has painted, as he is wont to do-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: We are going to draw it down.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Is this in Clonmel?

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy would have to acknowledge there has been a lot of good work happening in Clonmel town.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: There has been huge refurbishment and development of a very significant kind, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, was there recently in respect of both housing initiatives and new investment.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: We have to work with the local authority, which is the key player here.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: We can sometimes set up new bodies, agencies, task forces and all of that, when the simpler thing to do is to identify the issues and have the local authority work with the Government and other local organisations, and then come back to Government with a clear plan as to how we revitalise an area, such as the area the Deputy has just identified. That is probably the better way to do it.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I acknowledge there has been an issue in terms of payments and we had a Cabinet sub-committee meeting last week in respect of this issue. Measures are being taken both to deal with the immediate situation of some people needing immediate payments and to create a new model that would make for more regular payments into the future. That is the type of situation that many Deputies have come...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: It has been a very good scheme and it is one that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, deserves great credit for initiating in the first instance. We have to evaluate schemes as they evolve. This was part of the housing initiative to create affordability for people to live in various locations, and to provide affordability to couples and people who might want to own and live in their own...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: To be fair there is no doubt about the impact of the energy crisis on people's bills and the challenges it presents. There will be an energy credit in the March and April period of up to €200. There is also the doubling of the free fuel allowance and various payments. We have an additional payment for pensioners over and above the energy credit. There will be a payment in April of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: No. No one has to turn off the lights and Deputy Doherty knows this.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: No one in those situations will be disconnected and Deputy Doherty knows that. Let us not put fear among people unnecessarily.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Significant intervention has been made in respect of early childhood development and early childcare services. We have different types of services in different localities and communities. What Deputy Bacik has outlined suggests that significant resources have been allocated to the club.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: These resources have been allocated by the Government.