Results 17,861-17,880 of 50,683 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I understand the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has initiated an inquiry into the sodium valproate issue. I will talk to him about the timelines, which I am sure will be published in due course.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will check that out with the HSE and see what the story is.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland administers this retention fee on an ongoing basis. This issue has not been brought before Government.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: Government has provided unprecedented resources targeted at improving services across the health sector and at improving the working environment and working conditions of nurses. 1 o’clock The impact of the winter initiative can be seen so far in terms of the better flow through hospitals in emergency departments and so on. That said, I will talk to the Minister for Health on...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government would view with concern any large-scale redundancies of that kind. Obviously, they are not mandatory redundancies. The indications seem to be that these are issues that will have to be worked out in negotiation but I will obviously discuss this with the Minister for Finance. Conversations will also happen with the banks although I have to stress that the Government does not...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I remember that occasion well. I also remember when the trade unions engaged with the Government and said they were in a process

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: They were in a process with the then Government at the time. That is what happened with that particular campaign at that particular time. Some of it was resolved at the higher level in terms of the larger organisations but there was engagement between the unions and the HSE at the WRC. We would seek to have these issues resolved through the proper forums. Of course section 39 workers are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: Again, organisations and regulatory bodies across the country manage and regulate their membership, including for registration purposes. It is not the function of Government to get involved in every single one at this point. The Government has put unprecedented resources in under the economy. The sums are extraordinary. The Government, through the taxpayer, is providing €1 billion...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not satisfactory that the report has not been published, notwithstanding the pandemic. Much has happened since March and a lot of normal activity in terms of the way Departments operate has been put on hold but that in itself is not an excuse for the failure to publish this very important report. I will follow up on that, find out why the report has not been published and seek to get...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: As part of the European pre-purchase agreements, the companies have been indemnified.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is no set amount. The bottom line here is that we either want a vaccine in the middle of a global pandemic or we do not. Now, get real. This is unprecedented in terms of the progress around getting this vaccine done and without pre-purchase agreements, it simply could not and would not have happened. The bottom line-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: This was very clear from the outset to those following the European debate on this. The European Commission, on behalf of the member states, entered into pre-purchase agreements with companies with a view to getting vaccines to deal with a virus that is crippling economies all over the world. If one looks at the trillions of euro that have been spent globally on trying to save economies,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: The balance is correct in this context. It is the right balance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is mandatory to correctly complete the passenger locator form and we are looking at further potential mandatory obligations. As far back as the summer I spoke to the Northern Ireland Executive about the dangers of travel. We did not have the same exponential increase in the Republic as they did in the North after the summer because we were very slow in reopening travel in this country....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter, which relates to significant employment throughout the country. It was inherited by the Government and has been brought about by massive serial objections to forestry licences all over the country, which created paralysis in the system. As the Deputy said, he supported a forestry Bill that was enacted in October, which brings the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is an important issue. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and ask him to engage with the Deputy on the primer grant aid for smaller growers. The wider matter of small growers must be addressed proactively and positively by the Government. I will engage with the Minister in that regard.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is the reason I established a task force.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: There has to be proper line accountability, right to the Minister for Health in the first instance in terms of supervision.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I set up the task force and it will report to me. It will report on 11 December. Generally speaking, I prefer to let it get the job done, get it sorted and dot the i's and cross the t's. The task force can present the plan and we will then operationalise it. The HSE will be a key driver of the operationalisation of it and the Department of Health will have oversight of that, as will the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: This is of a different scale. That is why we have brought in external expertise and those people are represented on the task force. It is important to draw on those strands that are then clearly accountable to a Minister. It is easy to nominate someone and put him or her in charge but he or she would not necessarily have the line accountability or authorisation over officials or agencies....