Results 31,961-31,980 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will make three points. First, there needs to be a sale to enable a purchase. That is a procurement issue and there is a negotiation issue if such a situation were to materialise. Second, there is a €25 million bridging agreement already in place between the HSE and private hospitals which allows for diagnostics and general services to be provided. This will move into a more...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: All of us have to make sure we are fully informed in terms of the dynamic of this virus and how it affects particular settings. A total of 27,000 tests have been undertaken as part of the serial testing programme in meat plants across 80 plants since 21 August, with 107 positives. There had been a view prior to the serial testing programme that the plants were the origins of source of the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the introduction of specific legislation for specific sectors, the Health and Safety Authority has powers in regard to workplaces and around making sure that companies adhere to the health and safety practices that should apply.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will not give a commitment to introduce legislation of that kind. Obviously, such legislation can be put forward.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The plants are not, as of now-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government is implementing the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. The Deputy knows that since its establishment the Low Pay Commission has been consistently recommending increases to the minimum wage, which Governments have successfully implemented and fulfilled. It is the Government's view and hope that, notwithstanding the dispute between the union side and the employer side...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I agree that we want therapists on the front line dealing with children and people generally who require interventions from therapists. That is why 500 people are being recruited in the community swabbing area. They have gone through the interview process and the first new staff will start on 8 October in community swabbing. On the contact tracing side, the first 400 people are through the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that it will be published in December.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will check out the specifics on that. It seems to be an operational issue on the ground and should be dealt with at that level.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The two letters are published. The NPHET-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No. The NPHET letters are published. That is the situation. It is either a graduated response from level to level or one goes the full hog. The issue on the exponential growth is whether one should close everything down now, with no guarantees at the end of the four weeks, although one would hope that it would come down significantly. The chances are it would come down to some degree but...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: In response to Deputies Danny and Michael Healy-Rae, nobody in this House wants to close pubs and they need to accept that. Nobody here wants to close pubs. Do the Deputies honestly believe that people wake up in the morning asking how we can close more pubs? No one believes that. No one wants to do that. The real issue is that there was a recommendation that we go to level 5, which...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The economic division of my Department assists me and the Government in developing and implementing policy across relevant areas including economic growth and job creation, infrastructure and housing and climate action and social dialogue. This work is focused, in particular, on the delivery of commitments in the programme for...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Was I?

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I must resist the attempt to underplay and undermine the progress that has been made in ramping up key aspects of the health service. The testing and tracing capacity has been significantly enhanced with an onshore laboratory capacity for 100,000 tests and 2,000 per day offshore. We are currently increasing capacity onshore for November and December and we will continue to have offshore...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The budget will hopefully deal with some of the issues to which Deputies are referring but I cannot pre-empt it today and I do not intend to.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will come back to it later.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Advertising (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, 24 and 149 together. The bulk of the spend in 2020 to date has been to deal with the Covid-19 emergency. Of the €11.4 million spent to date, €4.2 million was on advertising in publications and €5.8 million on broadcast advertising. Since March, my Department has co-ordinated communications for the...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Advertising (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The data are being published. The data on ICUs are being published.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Advertising (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Information on the case numbers is published on an ongoing basis. The NPHET letters are being published.