Results 36,561-36,580 of 51,299 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will come back to that. The Deputy said the Government is not committing.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have not interfered in the investigation. The Government took the decision to widen it out at the very beginning because in the modern era there has been a lot of leaking and so forth. In terms of the comments I made, I was asked basic questions about whether I would be offering an apology. It was not the first time I was asked that in respect of the Government's response to the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: That commission had been established some years ago. The commission of investigation model is the one we have. It may not have been the optimal model for this type of investigation-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: We did separate ones in respect of the industrial schools and others, and perhaps lessons can be learned from that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I am not in a position to say yet, but I certainly hope we can bring it to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to takes Questions Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, together. The Government continues to implement Global Ireland: Ireland's Global Footprint to 2025. Despite the constraints of the pandemic, considerable progress has continued to be made, as set out in the Global Ireland Progress Report published in May 2021. This includes: a further significant expansion in our network of missions...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy McDonald spoke about vaccine sharing, the TRIPS waiver and so forth. I argue that the European Union has been the leader across the globe in respect of vaccine donation. It is the largest donor, ahead of the United States, Russia, India and any other country or continent for that matter. It has made an extraordinary effort not to have any export bans at any stage, despite some...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes. I will come to that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: The TRIPS waiver itself does not deal with that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: It would never have provided the magic solution that was suggested when it was advocated. There is no single or simple answer except that we must improve production capacity within Africa. The European Union is uniquely the global organisation that will do just that. Africa currently imports 99% of its vaccines and 94% of its medicines. That is unsustainable and we must work within the EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: To be fair, Africa has suffered worst in respect of vaccine sharing and access to vaccines. That must be dealt with. Given Ireland's history of pharmaceutical production and capacity, we should be lending any knowledge we have in order to achieve that, and to help Africa with access to vaccines and developing manufacturing capacity. Work is under way in South Africa and Senegal, and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Foreign Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, we do not. The Commission will help to develop the capacity and the technology transfers to enable them to produce on home soil, but this takes time. In the interim, we must get the vaccine supplied to Africa as quickly as we possibly can. Deputy Haughey raised a number of issues. There will be a mid-term review in respect of the strategy. On the Security Council, I commend the work...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Expenditure (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: My Department incurred expenditure of €11,615,375 on advertising in 2021. This figure is provisional until the 2021 accounts are finalised. The majority of that spend related to Covid-19 public information campaigns, amounting to €11,565,853. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic there have been 68 separate public information campaigns, with each campaign using a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Expenditure (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank all of the Deputies for the questions raised. On Deputy Alan Kelly's question-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Expenditure (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes, but it provoked questions from others which the Deputy must be happy with. In any event, I will deal with the core point he made. I did not involve myself with the specifics. I take the Deputy's point about power and such a large volume of expenditure being allocated to advertising. It happened in the context of a once in 100-year event. The pandemic is still with us, and I remember...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (26 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 16 December in Brussels. Cruinniú suimiúil agus tábhachtach a bhí ann. This was preceded by the Eastern Partnership summit, also in Brussels, which I attended on Wednesday, 15 December. The European Council had a full agenda, addressing some of the most pressing issues facing the Union. We discussed Covid-19....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legislative Measures (25 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Director of Public Prosecutions is independent in the performance of her functions in accordance with provisions of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974. This independence is a cornerstone of our criminal justice system. There are no plans at present to legislate in the terms proposed by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (25 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Cabinet Committee on Health is currently scheduled to meet on 14 February.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Investigations (25 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: Following the disclosure in a newspaper report last year of certain information relating to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation on Mother and Baby Homes in advance of consideration of the report by the Government, I requested that an investigation be carried out. A senior official in my Department is carrying out the investigation in the context of a broader examination of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (25 Jan 2022)

Micheál Martin: While my Department has no specific provision in its budget allocation for 2021 or 2022 for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, which I chair, will be fully utilised to bring a dedicated focus to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, to ensure oversight of the issue from my Department