Results 2,841-2,860 of 3,729 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: The Senator is dead right. It is as serious as it gets. What the Senator outlined is not acceptable in terms of the progress, which is why a number of initiatives across our multifaceted approach are being set up, including the ADHD team I mentioned, which will hopefully take 120 off the waiting list in a six-month period, as well as a number of different initiatives. I appreciate how...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (1 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank Senator Chambers for raising this important issue relating to women's health and for her ongoing work in respect of it. The Minister for Health sends his apologies that he cannot be here. As recommended in the Women's Health Action Plan 2022-2023, launched in March 2022, the Government aims to increase the public supports available to women before, during and after the menopause....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (1 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: The point the Senator makes about the six-month dispensing not happening is practical. That matter is not referenced in the response I have from the Minister for Health. I will bring it back to the officials and Minister to highlight it to them. It is all well and good to talk about the DPS but for those getting it monthly and not passing the €80 limit, it will not have the benefit...

Our Rural Future Policy: Statements (14 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: I am sharing time with Deputy English. I thank the Minister for her leadership, energy and enthusiasm, which are evident in her 15-minute statement. As a Deputy who was first elected to this House in 2011, the greatest charge against me from the Opposition benches, as a rural-based Government backbencher from 2011 to 2016, was that we were seeing the death of rural Ireland. Nobody is...

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: Deputies referred to import figures for beef. On a point of information, the CSO recently corrected its trade data for beef imports in 2022 and 2023. The correct figures are that we imported almost 37,000 tonnes of beef in 2022, compared with Irish exports of 492,000 tonnes of beef last year. To the end of April this year, we imported 11,000 tonnes of beef, compared with exports of 154,000...

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: It is the reason it is smart to be bringing forward that point. I will get to the Deputy's point.

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: The Deputy is very worried about what I am saying here. It is good to know he is paying attention and I thank him for that. This also means focusing on our environmental and climate credentials and facilitating the sector to contribute to our national ambitions on climate in a fair and balanced way. That is a road the sector is already travelling and I have seen first hand the steps...

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: These measures will be optional. It is my firm believe the best results come from bringing people with you and not by imposing obligations on them. That approach is reflected in the Food Vision dairy and beef reports. These reports were prepared through a process of collaboration and co-operation and represent a broad consensus with some reservations on the key actions required. Contrary...

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: It is called context, Deputy.

Culling the National Herd: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (28 Jun 2023)

Martin Heydon: Your stomach sounds like a charade.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Jul 2023)

Martin Heydon: I will respond to the Deputy. ACRES is a hugely important agri-environment scheme and we have seen a massive amount of ambition from Irish farmers in this, with 46,000 of them signing up for it. It was a big undertaking for us in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make sure we could facilitate that oversubscription because originally there were only 30,000 places...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Jul 2023)

Martin Heydon: I agree with Deputy Cathal Crowe, who outlined that we have robust animal welfare legislation in this country. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, funds a number of animal welfare charities with grant aid to assist with and defray some of their costs. We work closely with our local authority system and the veterinary staff in local...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jul 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this important issue. I and my Department condemn the cruelty we witnessed in the programme last night. I share the Deputy’s sentiments on that. We in the Department take any such breaches of our strict animal welfare guidelines very seriously and wish people who have any information around them to share it with us. We have requested from RTÉ...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Healthcare Policy (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and pass on the apologies of the Minister for Health, who could not be here to take this Commencement matter. The response I have been given focused on the title, which was around breastfeeding facilities specifically, but I take on board the Senator's point on the importance of ensuring we have those facilities for men or women who are...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Healthcare Policy (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I again thank the Senator. He articulated the impediment and the societal challenges really well. I take his points of view on board and will bring them back to the Minister. We know the importance of ensuring breastfeeding mothers can breastfeed freely and comfortably in the workplace and the wider community. Research indicates breastfeeding gives a child an optimum start in life....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wastewater Treatment (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue. I know the impact and the importance of this type of critical investment in wastewater treatment for the very reasons he has outlined that are important to his communities in Clare relating to the future sustainable development and growth of towns and villages. I am responding on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wastewater Treatment (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I again thank Senator Conway. To allay the concern he raises that the expert panel could perhaps say that nowhere needs the scheme, we all know of places all over Ireland - I have them in my constituency of Kildare - that need this level of investment. I take heart from the line in the original response which talks about taking a demonstration project model approach. I do not think there...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): Sports Facilities (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank Senator Crowe for raising what I know is a huge issue not just for Galway but for the west of Ireland. I know the Acting Chair has a great interest in rugby, and we all share that interest, particularly in these months. From that perspective, this is a very important project. It gets to the heart of the Government's approach of supporting balanced regional development, and is a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): Sports Facilities (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It gets to the heart of these large-scale sports infrastructure projects, of which 33 were allocated funding under the previous Government. Obviously, things changed dramatically after January 2020. The 33 projects in question all increased massively in cost because they were delayed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: An Garda Síochána (28 Sep 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and to pass on the apologies of the Minister, who is in Brussels and, unfortunately, cannot be here. As he will be aware, the Garda Commissioner determines the divisional structures throughout the State. The Minister does not have a role nor can she seek to direct the Commissioner regarding such matters. This is for good reason. We in...