Results 38,661-38,680 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Let us not pretend that this was some sort of stroke or whatever. It is not. We have some of the better legal frameworks governing political fundraising in this Republic.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes, thanks to Fianna Fáil, actually, and other parties in what has transpired over the last 20 years in terms of this Legislature.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The comments have been overstated. It struck me that when Deputy Fitzpatrick raised what for him and others in the north east is a legitimate issue, he was shouted down by everybody because he was not obeying the dictatorial attitude of everybody. In other words, because he was not discussing the issue the Deputies raised, all of them were saying he was out of order. All he wanted was time...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is democracy - shout down the Independents because they are raising issues of legitimate concern to them but that do not suit the agenda. It is a sign of what is to come if we do not toe the line with certain agendas on a given day, politically and democratically speaking.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, there will be a full debate after committee in respect of the issue he raised, namely, participation in four PESCO projects as opposed to one. I have no difficulty with that. We need interoperability and we need to work on a whole range of issues, from peacekeeping to peace enforcement, and making sure we have the capacity to do all that. Deputy...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: First, as I have said, the cost of living is bearing down very heavily on people. We are acutely aware of that in government and we have brought in approximately €2.4 billion of measures already. As I stated earlier, we cannot chase inflation like we did in the 1970s, when we had a decade-long inflationary cycle that went out of control and undermined people's real incomes, jobs...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Of course, Deputy Bacik is correct. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has worked with a range of stakeholders in respect of this. These figures are shocking. The Minister is leading work on a whole-of-Government approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and to develop and to publish the strategy as soon as we possibly can. The Minister engaged with all of the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Government has already taken measures. We accept that people are struggling. We accept the need. There has to be targeted measures, particularly for families and directed towards children in need and children who may be vulnerable, but the budget gives us the framework, but also the opportunity in advance of it to engage with many stakeholders and people who have views on this to make...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: First, the Government has taken significant steps towards reducing the fares on public transport, in the most recent cost-of-living measures we took but also in the budget in October last in terms of young people's fares being reduced by 50%, which was a radical move. I welcome the Deputy's welcome for the 80 electric buses.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: What is significant is that they come from a high quality factory, in terms of rights, in Ballymena. The NTA has secured the capacity there. That illustrates the synergies North and South that have developed economically to the benefit of all on the island. That is a very practical example of that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Actually, over the past two years we have had record numbers of recruitment into our health service. We have invested very significantly in nurse education in this country and transformed it over the past 20 years. I was involved in it myself at the time, in the degree programme, the advanced nursing programmes and the postgraduate programmes. We need to continue to invest in nurse...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I commend the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, on taking the decision to expand DEIS. This has been the largest and most significant expansion of the DEIS programme. A recent ESRI study has shown the programme, since it was first initiated, has been a very significant contributing factor to better outcomes in education in the Republic, as opposed to outcomes in Northern Ireland. There...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The HSE established the task force and the team to go into University Hospital Limerick. It is obviously reporting back to the HSE.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, I did not. That is nonsense. We saw during the pandemic the value of a single body to manage a pandemic. God forbid if we had 15 separate regional bodies trying to manage a pandemic and all that would have unfolded. There are pluses and there are minuses. Medical advice, royal college advice and so on, have all been of the view the configuration-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is heckling and he is interrupting. I simply made a point----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, I am not. Not at all. I simply made the point that a team was appointed by the HSE and it is reporting back to the HSE in respect of the challenges facing the mid-west, particularly University Hospital Limerick-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----where there has been very significant investment.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy for raising the issue. This scheme has been in effective operation since January 2021. It ensures patients have not lost important access to private providers in Northern Ireland following the cessation of the EU cross-border directive arising from Brexit. Using the latest data available from the HSE, more than 5,500 reimbursements have been made to persons in 2021 who have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Given the green credentials of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, I have no doubt the LDA will be pursued. The LDA wants to deliver here-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----and we want to deliver as much housing as we can, as quickly as we possibly can. I will certainly articulate the Deputy’s perspective again to the Minister.