Results 39,241-39,260 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: There are different levels of affordability in different locations, taking into account the costs involved in developing a particular site and so forth. Our main aim and target is to get housing as affordable as we possibly can for people and, through other schemes such as the first home scheme, to make houses that young people wish to buy affordable also. It is not just the affordable...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy knows, the Minister waives all fees for the school transport scheme. This measure is saving families up to €650 a year. This very substantial cost-of-living measure should be acknowledged in any comment on this scheme. It was coupled with an increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and the extension of the school meals programme. Over 124,000...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: First, I accept the points the Deputy is making. There are huge gaps. In my view, the roll-out of the progressing disability services, PDS, model has been very problematic and challenging over the years. I would have had my own views prior to coming into government in terms of the PDS model. I have engaged with the Ministers for Health and Education, the Minister of State with...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Within different parts of the health services, therapists can be recruited more easily than seems to be the case for the disability sector. That is a challenge. We are meeting regularly now to try to deal with this and the HSE is part of those meetings.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy cannot raise this issue and pretend there is no extra 21,000 places, which everybody in the Opposition seems to want to do. I am not saying she is doing that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: In that specific case, the Deputy acknowledged the person should be getting the ticket.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: If Bus Éireann said it was going to give the person a ticket, it should give them the ticket. I do not dispute that. It is a matter at a local level in terms of operations. The more fundamental point, to be fair, is that the company needs more buses, and it is securing more places on buses, because of the exponential growth. The easier thing would have been to do nothing and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: These are decisions that will be long lasting and will leave a legacy in terms of how we deal with climate change and getting people out of cars and into buses. The decision was taken to do it and we did it. It has caused challenges; I do not dispute that. We will sort those challenges out in the coming short while.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is, in my view, a serious development that needs review. The citizens information service was one of the more outstanding services provided. I said last week in the House that when I was Lord Mayor of Cork, I gave the freedom of the city to the late Maureen Curtis Black, who was a pioneer of the citizens information service and a volunteer in...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I take the Deputy's points and I will talk to the Minister regarding this issue. A priority waitlist for test appointments has been established to allow vehicle owners to avail of any test cancellations. The average waiting period for a test appointment is now just under 24 days. The Deputy referred to an appointment in March, so I will need to follow up on this. The average waiting time...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, that-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. I attended a meeting over dinner in Madrid on Wednesday, 29 June 2022, hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which brought together leaders of EU member states and those of NATO member countries. While the event took place alongside a NATO summit, it was a separate event and not a part of the summit. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Durkan was the first to raise this matter. It was interesting that after the immoral invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which was an unprovoked and savage attack on the people of Ukraine with missiles hitting civilian targets and killing innocent people, including children, Finland and Sweden, which had a different position prior to this war, decided to join NATO. It was their decision....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I said that over the past 40 years we have not militarised as a country. We should stop pretending that we have because we have not.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is not what we are trying to do now. I would point out that the defence commission has made recommendations. The Government has accepted those recommendations, not in their entirety but in terms of the middle tier of ambition which by any yardstick is not militarisation, but getting the bare essentials in place that we can protect vital assets, protect our seas and protect ourselves...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: What is extremely insightful in the contributions that I have heard today is that it is all about NATO. NATO did not start this war on Ukraine. The reason for the EuroAtlantic EU-NATO dinner and engagement was because of the war on Ukraine. NATO did not start that war. Most of the leaders of NATO who I know did everything they possibly could to stop the war from ever starting. They spoke...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: It is all about NATO. It is all about NATO's aggression, allegedly, and NATO's militarisation when actually it is Russian aggression that has created this world crisis that we are in. No one wants to be in this. The members of NATO want their economies to work.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: We favour nuclear non-proliferation and we work at the United Nations to try to achieve that. We have been one of the most consistent member states of the UN to advocate for nuclear non-proliferation and are perceived as such.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Paul Murphy-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (20 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will come back to the Deputy on the specifics.