Results 22,741-22,760 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: His party is in favour of the carbon tax and is only ever against the next increase, and that is typical of the cynical politics that his party is pursuing.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: Perhaps Deputy Doherty might tell people where the €412 million I have ring-fenced this year for fuel poverty measures, for retrofitting and for agri-environmental schemes from carbon tax receipts will come from. It is not there.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for her questions. First, to respond to the comments she made and the questions relating to the articles in the Business Post, the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and I have a good working relationship. Officials of the two Departments engage on an ongoing basis. There is a health budget oversight group involving officials from both Departments that meets regularly...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: We are committed to tackling the general issue of costs in respect of access to healthcare. We will be extending the free general practitioner, GP, care eligibility to children aged six and seven years across this year. As I said, we have reduced the drugs payment scheme threshold and, recently, there have been reductions in the monthly prescription costs that individuals and families face....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: It is not a barrier.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: As a practising politician for a number of years I have never encountered a situation-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----where our public health system refuses to care for cancer patients because they cannot pay a bill. I have never seen that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: If the Deputy has any example please bring it to the attention of the Minister and the Government because access to cancer care in our public health system is not dependent on paying.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy Lowry for raising Tipperary town in the House, the challenges faced there and the need for the Government to support the efforts to revitalise the town. We are very much aware of the challenges that are undoubtedly there. We continue to provide supports and investment to assist the area to tackle challenges and build a sustainable place to live and work. As the Deputy is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: We can all acknowledge that revitalising a town such as Tipperary town requires a multifaceted approach. Deputy Lowry touched on the need for investment in educational facilities and infrastructure, and the need to generate employment, especially where we are dealing with a high level of unemployment and intergenerational disadvantage, which has manifested itself in Tipperary town. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy Nolan for raising these issues regarding our planning system. We all acknowledge the need for a fit-for-purpose planning system in our country for the development of homes, industry and public infrastructure. As the Deputy will be aware, we have now adopted a national development plan out to 2030 that involves public expenditure of €165 billion across all of the main...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: The issues that the Deputy raises are really important when it comes to the Government and the country meeting the objective of balanced regional development. We want to see such balanced regional development. It is core to the Project Ireland 2040 strategy, where the majority of growth in the population of Ireland over the next 20 years, which is estimated to be growth of about 1 million...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputies for raising those issues. Deputy Collins raised the issue of the Dursey cable car, which Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan has raised with me and colleagues as well, and I see the Deputy has a Topical Issue matter selected in that regard. That is perhaps the most appropriate forum in which to deal with that issue. We all recognise how important that piece of infrastructure...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----which we have been asked to introduce, and we do want to advance Government legislation. That is a central purpose of this House. We will liaise with Deputy Boyd Barrett, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Business Committee to find an appropriate slot for discussing what we recognise is a really important report. In response to Deputy Naughten, we recognise that for many people...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I can only imagine the recent storms presented a huge amount of extra anxiety for people living with mica in their homes. This is a top priority for Government. We want to deal with this as quickly as possible. We have announced a new scheme with an overall value of €2.2 billion with a number of important improvements and changes from the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My understanding is 116 plaintiffs sued the Medical Missionaries of Mary, the congregation, and the HSE arising from damages from Dr. Shine's abusive activities. In the period, December 2019 to March 2020, the 116 plaintiffs formally discontinued their claims against the HSE by serving notices of discontinuance. The plaintiffs continue to pursue...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I will raise the issue of the free school books scheme with the Minister for Education. We are increasing the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance from the autumn. We are also significantly expanding DEIS provision from next September, with an increase of approximately 20% in funding. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department is currently going through a detailed process,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I have heard the Deputy raise this issue on a number of occasions, along with others. It is being actively worked on. I know that because I am a member of the Cabinet committee on housing, where it has been an agenda item. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has presented on it. I will ask him to respond directly to the Deputy with an update on the timeframe for the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: Undoubtedly, there will be a look-back at our experience over the past two years and how the pandemic was handled by the Government, State bodies and others. The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Health recently announced the establishment of a public health reform expert advisory group that will initially focus on identifying the lessons to be learned from the public health...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy McGrath raising this issue. It is something we are all experiencing and all of us are being contacted by employers who are struggling to recruit staff as well as to bring staff in from abroad. We have an internal market within the EU of approximately 450 million people. Even within such a large pool, it is proving very difficult to attract people with the requisite...