Results 31,801-31,820 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: A Cheann Comhairle-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is only an hour and a half. Divide up an hour and a half as much as you like. The Minister will be coming in.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: The point is, we would love more time for the Bill this evening-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----because this Bill is essential for the future of jobs in many rural communities. It is very positive that the Bill is being debated. We would welcome more time for the debate but Deputies will have an opportunity to speak because the Bill will be debated again tomorrow. The consternation is about the hour and a half given tonight and Deputies saying that not everybody will get to...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Let us get real and have some sense of perspective. Not everybody can speak in an hour and a half. The change has been that many backbenchers in the larger parties are saying that they have entitlements as well and they want an opportunity to speak on issues. It is a fair argument and that is all I am saying. Not everybody can be accommodated within an hour and a half but there will be...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: We would welcome more Government time but the Dáil business is very crowded. I am looking at the schedule and it shows a very crowded timetable. Deputies are already looking for more time to debate matters concerning Bus Éireann, which I agree is a serious issue. It is a question of how to divide up the time for the remainder of the week. That is the $64,000 question. It is not...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: If it is too weak from Deputy McGrath's perspective, it is probably too strong from somebody else's perspective. I am satisfied that it is needed to deal with the crisis within the forestry industry. We need to get on with it and get it done. I do not know whether time can be made available for other matters such as the Bus Éireann issue. I will leave that to the Business Committee.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that NPHET will be meeting on Thursday, having assessed and reviewed the situation across the country. That is its primary duty. NPHET is not the most powerful body in the country.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It provides advice to Government and the Oireachtas. Last week, I thought I would be attending a European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday. As it transpired, that meeting was cancelled due to reasons beyond our control when somebody close to the President developed Covid-19 symptoms. As a result, the Council meeting was postponed until this Thursday and Friday. I will facilitate a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Six hours are provided tomorrow-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Six hours are provided for the Bill in tomorrow's business. The Bill is urgent. The issue has been going on for years. There have been serial objections on an industrial scale, which is not merited and is not fair.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I have no issue with people objecting. People are entitled to make an objection. All that the Bill is doing is aligning the issue of licences in forestry, felling and planting to the conventional planning system. It still allows for objections but it creates fees for those who want to appeal and so on, in line with normal planning situations. I agree with a broad-based forestry policy. I...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----with grants to do it, with an expectation they would be able to fell those trees in due course. The timber industry had expectations there would be a supply of timber to enable production and jobs and so on, and the supply of materials to the construction sector. All of this is threatened. The urgency is that by the end of October or November there will not be an industry and jobs...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: No. That is the reality. The Deputy articulates very eloquently on behalf of workers and so on, but if this Bill is not passed, whatever chance we have, there will be a lot of workers made redundant unnecessarily because of inertia of the Oireachtas, of the legislators, and of the Executive. The Executive has taken its decision and has presented the Bill. We also want to encourage native...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----including native tree plantations and so on. The wonderful Dublin project was objected to also in the rush to object to everything. I am fully for stronger and enhanced biodiversity and for grants to farmers to grow native trees. I want the rebalancing of forestry policy. I do not subscribe to the idea that we put an end to commercial forestry.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is nothing wrong-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is nothing wrong with people being tree huggers and tree lovers. Trees are wonderful.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Trees are probably the most effective thing we have in this country to fight climate change in the future. That is my view. We should grow far more than we are growing at the moment. The current planning process-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----is paralysing the entire situation.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The decision of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland to uphold the decision not to prosecute 15 former British soldiers in connection with the Bloody Sunday killings will come as a deep disappointment to, and will be met with anger by, the families of all of those killed by the parachute regiment in Derry in 1972. Today's...