Results 33,721-33,740 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Chairman made comments to the effect that he has not seen anything in services.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I am not saying the figures are based on the increase.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I never said that. Neither do I want the impression to go out that there has been no increase in services at all in health this year. The opposite is the case. There has been an unprecedented increase in health service budgets this year across the board, in terms of acute services, home care packages, diagnostics and primary care. The key now is to embed that into the future of our health...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, I am not. This is specific to the Department of Health.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I do not. This is very specific to the Department of Health. I made my points earlier in respect of why I think this Department, more so than other Departments, has a burden of responsibilities-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I want to give my own experience. I can tell the Deputy that, due to the nature of the Department of Health and the crises that arise very regularly across the breadth and depth of health services, the burden is of a far higher degree than most other Departments. That is, in my view, a fact of life that has not been acknowledged. It needs reform as a Department. It needs to be developed...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (27 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: No. On the acting position, we needed someone to take the role but we were clear there would have to be an independent approach. There was an independent process in terms of advertising and people from all over were entitled to apply. Whoever went through the interview process, the competition and all of the various steps would emerge. That is the position.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The virus, Covid-19, has wreaked havoc and caused a lot of damage in many sectors of the economy, creating a lot of unemployment as a result. It is not the public health restrictions per sethat have done that, but the virus. The public health restrictions are there to protect people and society from the virus. That is the context. As a result of the virus and Covid-19, the Government has...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: To be fair, the Government has acted in an unprecedented way in intervening in the economy to support incomes, particularly through the pandemic unemployment payment. Some €7.3 billion has been paid out to date. We have made it very clear that there will be no cliff edge fall-off in the context of the supports. We stated, well in advance, that supports will continue until the end of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising these important issues. Of course, it is extremely important to raise the vaccine question. Vaccines are a vital part of our overall strategy to keep the pressure on this virus and to protect people. First, to protect people's health and well-being and then to protect society and enable it to return to near-normal activities. The vaccines have been very...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: Regarding the operational logistics the Deputy has raised in respect of various age cohorts, the HSE is working through that. It is clear, however, that we will have to get moving and get vaccinating with available vaccines as they come in. The HSE will operationalise the advice it has received. People are continuing to register and there has been good momentum with people registering...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: We just do not have the number of vaccines to do that. We have to continue as programmed and that will continue to be the case. We have to get the vaccines out as quickly as we get them in. The HSE is examining the advice from NIAC and will come forward in the next number of days with its up-to-date plan on the operationalisation of some of that advice. Some of that is challenging, as the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: One of the facts of the current situation with housing is the enormous amount of land that has been zoned and the number of planning permissions that have been granted but not acted on. There is no shortage of zoned land or projects that have received planning permission, but the projects have not started. There is a big issue there that needs to be dealt with from a housing provision...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Minister is doing everything he possibly can regarding the provision of housing. He does not interfere in county development plans to that degree and it is important that there are demarcation lines there in terms of-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----the actual county development plans. There is a question that begs to be asked. A lot of land has been zoned over the years and a question must be asked about why that land is not being built on. I am not so sure it is all just about viability.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, it is not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: Lots of people have submitted planning applications. Why go through the expense of all that if you did not think it was viable from day one? I am not saying there are not issues with viability in respect of apartment buildings and density. We are prepared to examine all that. However, there are enormous amounts of zoning in the country and planning permission has been granted.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: Many other people are building.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this serious issue. Without question, the devastation in Killarney National Park over the weekend, which we all saw on our television screens, was absolutely devastating. It was heartbreaking to see such a beautiful area impacted so severely. It is estimated that about 2,500 ha, which is close to half of the terrestrial area of the habitat, have been...