Results 35,901-35,920 of 51,299 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Programme for Government (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 39 together. Government has been working hard to implement the commitments in the Programme for Government across a wide range of issues in all Departments. The ten Cabinet Committees established by this Government reflect the full range of policy areas that it will work on during its lifetime as set out in the Programme for Government. Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality oversees implementation of Programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, equality and public services. This Cabinet Committee last met on 30 November 2020 and is scheduled to meet again on 25 November 2021. I have regular engagement with Ministers at cabinet and individually to discuss priority issues relating to their...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (24 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: No employee in my Department has been removed from their position, transferred to another role or had their employment terminated in the period in question due to breaches of departmental standards, professional misconduct or incompetence. However, during the period in question, four employees were not retained following completion of their probationary contracts.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, I say to the Deputy that every party and every Dáil Deputy in this House is extremely well aware of and very concerned about the devastation wreaked on many families as a result of the mica scandal. The scandal is not about the absence of regulation; it is about a failure by certain operations to adhere to the regulations. We must call that out. Those responsible need to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: No Opposition party replied to a written request two months ago, after the working group report was published, to detail their specific position on how the scheme should be improved. You need to answer that fundamental question. You could have got involved. You could have come up with your proposals and your plan, but you had no plan and you had no proposal.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The reason you did not is that you simply want to exploit this, unfortunately, for electoral and political gain. We want to provide a solution.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is that the Deputy behind Deputy Doherty endorsed the original scheme back in January 2020, a scheme we accept was not suitable. We are saying we must depoliticise the methodology around the costings here. The SCSI on an annual basis updates the square footage building costs. They accept a sliding scale. Most people involved in building and surveying accept the methodology...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----and the upfront costs being dealt with. They will not have to find that money.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy said the Government’s Covid-19 response in general was haphazard and chaotic. I would like to put that comment in context. More than 8.1 million vaccines have been administered in Ireland. We have the highest vaccination rate in the European Union, with 93.4% of the adult population fully vaccinated. The executive director today of the European Medicines Agency, EMA,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, we are living in a very fast-moving pandemic. No one, including the Deputy, at any stage suggested that we should, prior to utilisation of antigen testing, establish a regulatory framework governing them in advance. She has been an advocate for antigen testing for the past number of weeks and is of the view it should be happening much faster, etc.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: Now she has come back around the scrum to say,well, actually, slow down somewhat now and do not have it as freely available on the basis of the quality.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: Of course, and we need very strong communications around the types of tests people should buy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: What is important as well is that, in key targeted areas, like schools and the food industry, we are up to 130,000 and close to 100,000 in terms of close contacts, which have been dispatched freely. In key target groups, they are free, have been free and will continue to be free.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I went through all the different sectors where that currently is happening. More generally, the price range now has come way down, because of engagement, by €2 up to €3, which is a very significant advance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: However, we must always remember that PCR testing remains our core response and 210,000 were given out and done for free, properly so, last week.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: As I said at the outset, the scheme, as currently structured, will cost approximately €2.2 billion for 6,000 to 7,000 homes. That is a substantial contribution by the taxpayer of today and the future and the Exchequer to any housing remediation scheme. That needs to be acknowledged in the first instance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: We did not cause any problems.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I did not cause any problems. Everyone in life has responsibilities. Let us stop trying to excuse people on the ground of regulations. There are regulatory frameworks today and there were regulatory framework then. Certain people did not adhere to them. That is the point. No one will ever call that out because it does not suit them to call it out. The Government must always be the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: That is very important.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I do not think the existing arrangements were adequate in managing a scheme of this scale. The Government wants to do right by the homeowners. The comprehensive nature of this scheme, which includes rental properties, something that was not included in the previous scheme, is a significant advance.