Results 33,381-33,400 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government is coming up to eight months in office. It has to deal with this project, which has been under way for several years. The objective of everybody involved with the project was to provide a state-of-the-art facility for the children of the nation now and into the future. Without question, it has dragged on too long and it has incurred excessive costs as well. The Government...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (17 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government is firmly committed to achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These cut across policy areas within the responsibility of many Government Departments and agencies, and touch on both domestic and international policy approaches. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has lead responsibility for promoting and overseeing the coherent...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Public information campaigns in relation to Covid-19 have been advertised across a broad range of media, including national and local newspapers, and this will continue to be the case.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts (17 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: My Department has not entered into any contracts for public relations advice or consultancy since January 2021.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Communications (17 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Following success in the elections in November, I wrote to then President-elect Biden and to Vice President-elect Harris to offer my personal congratulations. I spoke with the President-elect by phone on 10 November. We discussed the great value we both attach to warm and close bilateral relations, the importance of protecting the Good Friday Agreement and the US’s unwavering support...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Clearly, the Deputy is engaging in a propagandistic, sloganeering approach to housing. In the recent budget, the Government allocated unprecedented resources to a broad suite of measures to deal with the housing crisis. The largest social housing programme was budgeted for in 2021, in terms of public and social housing, including direct builds by approved housing bodies. Yet the Deputy has...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government will build a number of ladders in terms of creating opportunities for young people who are caught up in a rip-off rental market. We want to liberate young people from that scenario and give them opportunities to buy homes and be in a position to afford houses that will be built. The new equity scheme is targeted and aims to do that, along with the further proposal of a new...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, I disagree with the Deputy. We have been guided by the public health team all the way in terms of the path ahead. NPHET is very clear that the five-level framework is the correct approach and then we should apply flexibilities in different given situations. That is the first point. Suppression of the virus, irrespective of form, does not change in terms of what we must do as a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: It actually is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I am clear in how we are approaching this. I did not interrupt the Deputy. The bottom line is that two months ago, the Deputy was in favour of the living with Covid-19 document. He said it should not be torn up. A month later, he said it should be zero Covid. The Deputy is changing his mind every single month. I regret that because I want to work with him. I want to work with people....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I support the introduction of it but the Deputy and everyone in this House agreed that we would take on board expert advice and public health advice. Those authorities have not been as enthusiastic about it because they believe polymerase chain reaction, PCR, testing is the gold standard. The Deputy knows that and I know that as the Deputy has been briefed on that in public health meetings...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Antigen testing will be undertaken in the path ahead. We have been doing serial testing for quite some time. I do not know why the Deputy is suggesting that we are not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: We have been doing serial testing in all nursing homes for the last year. We have also been doing it in direct provision centres and meat factories for periods. As we have been doing serial testing in different settings, the concept of serial testing is there.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: We did not do it in schools because it was not advised to do so but we have been doing serial testing consistently and we will expand it again where the public health advice deems it necessary. Sick pay has also been addressed in the context of Covid-19, as the Deputy knows. It is a bit populist and wrong to speak about 2,000 Brazilians coming into the country in the way the Deputy did....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: People leave and come back in but there will be a need for mandatory quarantining.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: We have provided for mandatory quarantining for those from Brazil, South Africa and other countries, as designated by the public health advice.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I offer my sincere condolences to the families of all those who were bereaved at Ballynoe nursing home. I understand that the particular outbreak the Deputy is referring to commenced on 8 January, which resulted in all 47 residents and 29 staff testing positive for Covid-19. Tragically, 21 residents died associated with that outbreak. As the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: There is no excuse for poor communications between a nursing home provider, management and staff, and the relatives of residents. That should be an obligation of the provider. The provider should ensure there is such communication. Part of the HIQA inspection framework will encompass that dimension of that. That is important. We need answers in relation to the specifics here in this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Naughten for raising the issue. I acknowledge his long-term interest in this issue and the measures he has taken in the past in different capacities to deal effectively with it. The Deputy is correct in saying that illegal dumping is a scourge on the landscape and offenders should and must face the full rigours of the law. Penalties for illegal dumping are significant....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I know the Minister is anxious to progress the legislation, resolve this issue, give capacity to local authorities to use the latest technologies, with respect to the right to privacy, to deal with illegal dumping, and use the full range of anti-dumping measures available to the Government. Working with community organisations across the country, additional funding was allocated through the...