Results 39,441-39,460 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: The conditions that existed in the Covid crisis were that we legally restricted people's movements, on public health grounds, to distances of 2 km early on and 5 km in some instances. There was a very clear legal underpinning for any decisions we took, given the restrictions the Government and public health interests put forward. In the context of the current crisis, there are arguments, of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: ------in terms of the overall number of houses built. The reality is that looking at the figures on home completions, commencements, permissions, home purchases, first-time buyers and mortgage draw downs, they are encouraging this year. They give us confidence that the Government's overall 2022 supply target will be met, but we need to go higher than that every other year. That means, and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: First, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. At the outset, that Labour's motion is very broad. At times it is not clear who, specifically, it is targeting. At one leap, it is almost as if every voluntary and community organisation would be made a public sector organisation, if one were to follow the entirety of the motion through to its logical conclusion. As the Deputy knows, quite...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. In the health sector in recent years, for example, upward adjustments have been made in the pay of some eligible section 39 workers, following a process led by the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at the Workplace Relations Commission in 2019. That resulted in funding being made available for pay increases for a pilot scheme...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Government does not want disconnections this winter above all else. As the Deputy said, for winter 2022 the usual one-month pause on disconnections for non-payment has been extended to three months, from 1 December 2022 until 28 February 2023. For vulnerable customers, the pause on disconnections for non-payment has been extended to six months, from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: We have identified a whole range of measures that will be paid out from now until Christmas that will help the financially vulnerable. Substantial payments are being made which should help people not to get into difficulty with their pay-as-you-go bill. That said, the additional needs payment is there. Anybody who is financially vulnerable should engage with the Money Advice and Budgeting...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Is this about new sergeants being appointed?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this. It is an important issue given the overall situation and to the need to enhance retention and recruitment in the context of the Defence Forces. As the Deputy will know, a civil-military review of mandatory retirement ages and service limits of all ranks in the Permanent Defence Force has been conducted and the recommendations arising from the review and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Eight.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Even as he spoke, the Deputy illustrated some of the knock-on effects that can happen, so obviously the matter needs some consideration. The overall objective is to retain and extend the numbers working in the Defence Forces. We have to find a way through that and do it expeditiously. I will talk to both Ministers in respect of the issue.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: It will be a very challenging winter. Experience across the world is showing that with a combination of influenza and Covid-19, or new waves and potential variants of Covid-19, it could be a very difficult winter. Covid numbers are increasing, which places real strains on our hospitals and nursing homes, results in delayed discharges from hospitals increasing, affects flows through...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that those availing of the rent-a-room scheme will be entitled to the renter's credit. In terms of wider standard licensing, if the Deputy could give me instances of or context relating to those, I will take them to the Ministers for Finance and Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I would appreciate it if the Deputy could, in confidence, forward details of those three cases to me because I am interested in the context and background as to why he received those calls today. There are protections in place such that it would take a number of months before anybody could be evicted. People cannot be evicted today, tomorrow or overnight.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I would like to get the background.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is a separate issue.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have given the answer regarding evictions.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I gave it earlier.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I dealt with it earlier on Leaders' Questions.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Which workers?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: About 123,750 staff in the HSE have received the recognition payment. I am disappointed that many of those entitled to the payment have still not received it. We have discussed this at Government level, particularly in terms of private nursing homes, hospices and section 39 organisations. We want to work out a much faster methodology. The HSE has been dealing with this and is anxious from...