Results 33,541-33,560 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: Following the third wave of Covid-19, we took a decision to reduce the number of times we would meet at Cabinet committee level. This does not mean these issues came off the Government radar or anything like that. In fact, the opposite is the case, especially in terms of mental health and education. A number of specific meetings have taken place in the intervening period with the Minister...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 8 February and is scheduled to take place again on 19 April. The committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of the programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters. There is significant work under way on the implementation of these...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Deputies have asked quite a range of questions. First, I point out to Deputy Boyd Barrett that the Government is not outsourcing housebuilding. Some 9,500 of the 12,500 social housing properties to be built this year will be built by local authorities and approved social housing bodies. There will be very large social housing provision this year in terms of building. The Government is...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: From what I can see, ideology is preventing the building of houses.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Kelly asked me about the provisions in the Land Development Agency Bill in respect of councils and so on.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: Look at the development on Oscar Traynor Road. Up to 900 houses - 853 homes - are stopped. How much longer will it be stopped because ideology keeps getting in the way?

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: I will participate in a meeting of the members of the European Council which will take place by videoconference tomorrow, Thursday, 25 March and, if necessary, on Friday, 26 March. It had been planned to hold this meeting in person in Brussels. However, due to the continued high, and in some cases growing, prevalence of Covid-19 in a number of member states, the President of the European...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Mar 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: Legislative Process (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: My Department is very rarely the sponsor of legislation. As was the case with the Autumn and Spring Legislation Programmes, the forthcoming Summer Legislation Programme will include no bills from my own Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government has regular and ongoing engagement with companies involved in supplying vaccines for Covid-19, as well as with the European Commission and others involved in the procurement and production of vaccines. For example, the Chief Executive of IDA Ireland is a member of the Taskforce on Covid Vaccination and is in regular contact with the companies concerned, many of which have a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Shared Island Unit (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: On 22 October, I set out the Government’s vision and priorities on Shared Island in an online event at Dublin Castle. A Shared Island unit has been established in my Department to coordinate and drive this work as a whole of Government priority. In Budget 2021, the Government announced the Shared Island Fund, with €500m to be made available out to 2025, ring-fenced for Shared...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Capital Expenditure Programme (24 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: My Department has no subhead provision for capital expenditure.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, I state unequivocally that the Government I lead is one that sees as its fundamental objective advocacy for children and providing services for children in education and health in the most comprehensive way possible. All my political life, I have fought for children with special needs in whatever capacity I have served. I do not intend to change now. When I became Minister for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: Lexi Forde, the child referenced by the Deputy earlier, will not have to wait until 2026. We will make sure that is the case. No child should have to wait that length of time. I do not want to comment on specific individual circumstances. It was raised, however, and we will see to it that that does not arise in that case. The allegations made in the "RTÉ Investigates" programme are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: There was no practice. It was not a practice when I was Minister for health of deliberately going out either to authorise the collection of data in respect of individual children or families. From my understanding of litigation, what normally happens is that pleadings are made and in the course of the interaction between legal teams, the plaintiffs will often provide information to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: As I said very clearly, any breach of patient-client confidentiality or any attempt by any official or anybody to ring up a doctor or consultant, as happened - they had documentation in respect of one case - would be-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----totally wrong and unethical.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is not something I would condone.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising those issues. The vaccination programme is a key part of exiting Covid-19 and endeavouring to bring life back to some degree of normality. The measures we adopted yesterday were essentially designed to continue to keep the pressure on the virus, particularly over the next four weeks, in order to reap a bigger dividend later in the summer, rather than taking...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 Mar 2021)

Micheál Martin: That is a first dose.