Results 1,461-1,480 of 50,064 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: The issues are growing and the agenda is growing. We either want to be realistic about it or we do not. The larger Dáil reflects a larger population and that has to manifest itself as well in terms of the structures and size of Government. On the storm, my understanding was that agreement had been reached yesterday with regard to arrangements for the storm. I hope I am not now...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: On the Sinn Féin strategy, I believe the party did tell journalists that it was going to bring a new aggression in its Oireachtas strategy. I think it has decided to import the total opposition approach which has now become the norm in many parliaments that are dominated by populists.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: On the issue raised by Deputy McDonald, we have the largest population in our history. By the way, we have the largest Dáil in our history. We have gone from 160 Teachtaí to 174. I do not see any 14 volunteers who want to resign their Dáil seats. We have a growing agenda and I would argue - I will be clear about it - that the legislation governing Cabinet and Secretary...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----or not. We have just-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----in terms of the housing issue and the housing market.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: One of the challenges we have, and it will remain a challenge irrespective of what gets said, is how we balance the unprecedented level of State investment in housing with private sector investment in housing, because if we want to get to 50,000 homes per year, we are going to have to do that. That will need fairly focused, specific change in what we have been doing. I acknowledge that. ...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----at all of the initiatives that have happened in recent years and where we have to do more. I would respectfully suggest it is not in opposing every initiative the Government comes forward with. It is not taking safe options such as saying it all has to be social housing on one side or nothing, which delayed housing schemes-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: You did - which delayed housing schemes for years in this country. Absolute fundamentalism in respect of how things should happen has held back housing growth in this country. I am going to put it to the Deputy that we are going to take initiatives here and I would welcome his support for them, instead of what has happened over the past four years, where you have opposed every single...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: First of all, as I said to the Deputy, and I will say again, there was no attempt to mislead the public on this. That is the first point. I will make another point. We used ESRI data for our election targets in housing, which the Deputy's party did and everybody did. The fundamental question is how the targets are achieved. That is the core question. What the Social Democrats put...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: One of your main contributions to that meeting, and I remember it well, was you looking at your watch: nudge, nudge, time to get out to make the 6 o'clock news for the soundbite. That was your contribution to Government talks.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: That is what happened. We saw it on our side: nudge, nudge, look at the watch, we better get out and get the 6 o'clock news.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Social Democrats had no commitment to going into Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There are 3,000 ESB Networks crew members, with crews from the UK, France, Finland, Germany, Austria, Norway and the Netherlands. I thank all of the 3,000 people involved in all of those crews. We can say “Do it faster" but they have been working day and night since the storm began. There is no additional capacity other than what is there in those 3,000 crew members. I think we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: As I have said already, housing is the number one issue. It was not, in any shape or form, a deliberate attempt to mislead people. I have quoted those who early in the year and mid-year were predicting close to 40,000, such as EY-Euroconstruct, Deutsche Bank and Cairn Homes. Others, by the way, in other years the Deputy identified, underestimated the number of houses that were...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Stoirm uafásach a bhí ann, is dócha an ceann is measa a bhí againn riamh. Níl aon amhras faoi sin. Caithfimid a bheith an-bhuíoch do gach éinne a thug cabhair agus tacaíocht do dhaoine ar fud na tíre. This was a severe, unprecedented storm, the likes of which we have not witnessed in living memory. It caused widespread devastation throughout...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I will say more on that if I get a chance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Could I say to the Deputy that if we take the three years combined, 2022, 2023 and 2024----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: ----we exceeded our targets by close to 5,000 houses. That is not of interest to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line of the general election is that the programme Sinn Féin put forward did not persuade people. It wanted to dramatically disrupt and change the Land Development Agency.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin wanted to get rid of the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme, which are so beneficial to first-time buyers. Its programme did not persuade.