Results 16,281-16,300 of 50,453 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: As I stated earlier, a limited number of places were made available on the pilot scheme that was announced and initiated by the Road Safety Authority. It has begun offering driving theory tests online on a pilot basis. It will offer in excess of 3,000 online tests in June and aims to increase this in the coming months. The aim is to ramp up numbers as quickly as we possibly can. We do...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy and others for raising this most important issue. He made a good point that the summer months represent a very good opportunity to get moving on this issue. I stated that in excess of 3,000 online tests will be offered by the Road Safety Authority in June. The authority is also working to increase capacity in its physical testing centres, a matter to which the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: Those are very succinct and pertinent questions in the context of the debate that took place yesterday at the EU Council meeting. Ireland was broadly able to accept the conclusions. The Commissioner made a presentation. What I would say is that a simulation or modelling exercise or a comprehensive impact assessment need to be carried out in respect of the effect of Commission's proposals...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: Project woodland is a good initiative. Clearly, there have been significant backlogs as a result of all the objections to a host of licence applications in recent years. There has now been significant recruitment to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and a 90% reduction regarding aspects of this. However, there are still backlogs. I met recently with the Minister of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is obviously a good and solid project in respect of the provision of independent living accommodation, which is something I strongly support. I commend the council for proceeding to build the facility. I will work with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, the Deputies in the constituency and with the HSE to see if we can get a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is currently preparing updated rural housing planning guidelines which will continue to allow for the development of homes in rural areas, while also highlighting the need to manage certain areas around cities and towns to avoid overdevelopment. He expects to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: Kilkee is a popular and attractive location for many people. Many Corkonians, indeed, spend their summer holidays there. I will intervene and talk to the Minister to see if we can get this project accelerated, because pumping raw sewage into a bay of this importance is not acceptable in this day and age. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, has allocated...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Tully for raising this important issue. The RSA has begun offering the driver theory test online on a pilot basis and, as such, only a limited number of places are available. The RSA will offer more than 3,000 online tests in June and it aims to increase this number in the coming months, subject to the pilot not raising security or other issues. A key priority for the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I did meet the CEO of Aer Lingus. The Deputy is correct that I met with him, Deputy Cathal Crowe and all the Deputies and Senators from the region. That meeting served to convey the sense of urgency and importance that public representatives in the mid-west, and in Limerick and Clare especially, feel about this issue, as well as the need for action concerning Shannon more generally and in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy knows, the establishment of the tribunal was based on the recommendation of Mr. Justice Charles Meenan and was provided for in legislation enacted in the previous Dáil, which had the support of all political parties in the House. It is the Government's view that the tribunal offers a number of advantages when compared with taking High Court proceedings, as outlined by Mr....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He has been a consistent advocate in respect of this matter. We have committed to establishing citizens' assemblies on a number of issues, including the Dublin Lord Mayor, biodiversity and drugs. I will come back to the Deputy on their sequencing and prioritisation. The Government will give further consideration to the matter as well. I take the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Health will be bringing forward details on the review of the legislation and I hope he will do so in the next number of weeks. It will be a comprehensive review covering all aspects of the implementation to date. The Minister will come before the House to outline this.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. The Government, working with our European Union colleagues, has already conveyed and articulated our deep concerns about what is happening within Hong Kong more generally, particularly as regards democracy being applied. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and I will continue to make representations on this specific issue and more...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. It is important to point out that according to the most recently available HSE data from 10 May, more than 6,675 applications have been processed under TAPS and €93.9 million in direct financial support has been provided to the nursing home sector. In total, €42 million has been made available for this year while €92 million was provided in 2020....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I know. Were it not for successive Governments, the Common Agricultural Policy would not be as central and strong as it is currently. Ireland has been one of the great defenders of the Common Agricultural Policy for many years at European Union level. We have fought, along with a few other countries, to hold the line-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----on food production and the Common Agricultural Policy. The Minister did not deny anything this morning. He pointed out that there is a balance. Some win and have gained on this. Quite a lot of farmers have gained and quite a number of farmers have lost out because of convergence. That is the point the Minister was making this morning.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: We have got to look at other initiatives, including environmental initiatives, both to increase incomes for farming and to maintain the backbone of the direct payments system, which is key to farmers. We understand that. The direct payments system is absolutely essential as a backbone for farmers to underpin their projections and sustainability from an income perspective into the future.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: I always have to fundamentally disagree with this label "the establishment". Every Deputy in this House is elected at every general election. I have equal respect for all Deputies by dint of the fact that they have been elected. It is too easy a label to throw out there and it is deliberately done to undermine people, when we have a strong, functioning democracy in Ireland compared to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Irish taxation system is one of the more progressive, globally. Those who earn the most, pay the most. The overall taxation framework in Germany is much more onerous than is the case here if one takes all the social insurance and contributions that have to be made into account. The Deputy is not comparing like with like there. If he is advocating that we leave the EU, I disagree with...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2021)

Micheál Martin: We have made the position very clear. There are schemes in place. Last evening a scheme went through in Fingal. It has been in preparation for quite some time. There was opposition to that, again, and that is the point. The Deputy's party opposed it.