Results 39,681-39,700 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Again, the measures introduced by the Government are substantial on the income side in respect of providing funding to people to meet electricity bills, with substantial monthly payments from now until the end of the year. They should not be so lightly dismissed as the Government doing nothing. The scale and volume of those payments is unprecedented. In addition, there are other measures...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----de dheasca na bpraghsanna ag dul chomh ard agus atá siad. Coimeádfaimid súil ar sin chun cabhair a thabhairt do dhaoine i rith an gheimhridh ar fad agus táim muiníneach go mbeidh an tAire, a bhuí leis an méid atá déanta ag an Rialtas go dtí seo, in ann daoine a chosaint.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I do not disagree with her that there are serious societal issues on O’Connell Street, as shown on “Prime Time” yesterday evening. One is struck by the extraordinary wanton violence perpetrated by people against others on our streets late in the evening. There is no question that the free exchange of drugs on the streets is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I took the Deputy as raising this issue in good faith. The last part of her contribution suggests that she is reducing this to basic partisan politics, which is unworthy of the issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Dublin City Council is there to run this city. That is why we have councils. We have each way bets all the time in the House, saying that we have taken too much power from local authorities. Dublin City Council has to be at the heart of the rejuvenation of O'Connell Street. A community safety partnership has been established for some time. As I said at the end of my first reply I was...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have made it very clear, and I will say it again, that housing is the single most important social issue facing our society and country. In the past two years we have dedicated unprecedented financial resources to deal with housing. The fundamental approach has to be to increase supply. We have had to deal with Covid-19 and two lockdowns, which hit construction hard. We then had an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: That would take another year and a bit to establish.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: It would take another year and a half to get it established and up and running. We have established the Land Development Agency through legislation, which is dealing with a lot of development, to try to get social and affordable, as well as other housing, going using State lands. We already have an agency as an engine to get housing built as fast as we possibly can.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: We will take measures to force vacant units back into use and, more important, to force zoned land into use. The Ministers for Finance and Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working on that specific point. I agree additional measures will have to be taken, over and above what we have done. We are constantly at this in respect of adding capacity and trying to get more houses...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: There has been huge expansion in the nursing home programme over the years, particularly in terms of the nursing home support programme. Approximately 80% of all nursing homes are private and 20% are under the HSE, which we call community nursing units. The State is allocating approximately €1.4 billion per year to support approximately 22,000 nursing home residents and that has seen...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: As the person who set up HIQA, I take its guidance seriously. It has been very effective in increasing standards in health in this country since its initiation in the early 2000s. We take its point of view seriously because we want to protect and do everything we can to support smaller nursing homes as well because they are important in local communities for obvious reasons such as...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: We have taken significant measures to help students in the budget, not least the €1,000 reduction in fees this year and a further €500 reduction in the next academic year. There is also the renter's credit that parents who pay rent for students will be in a position to avail of. Those are significant measures. There is also the additional payment under the Student Universal...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: The State is doing so and discussions are under way between the Department, representing the Government, and universities in respect of how to get more student accommodation in place.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I agree with Deputy's raising of this very serious issue. I salute her for doing so as it is important this House reflects not just the deep concern but the outrage at what is happening to young women in Iran, particularly the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Her death was quite shocking and cannot be justified in any shape or form. There has been a very natural and strong response from...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----resisting Iran's human rights-sanctioned regime. I do not believe cutting diplomatic relations is the most effective way of dealing with this issue right now.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I heard the Deputy this morning and the manner in which he dismissed his colleagues on Dublin City Council was beyond me.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: He did. He said they had no power and they were next to useless. He did not use those words now but the impression I got from him was-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes. Apparently that is your view. You have a right to your view but we have to go back to Dublin City Council. I genuinely think so. To be fair, there are plans for O'Connell Street, which I mentioned earlier, in terms of the Moore Street area and so on.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Through the Chair, I am just making the point that Dublin City Council has to be at the centre of O'Connell Street. There is no avoiding that. One of the easiest things to do is say "Let us have a Taoiseach's task force.". A lot of people are saying we should have a Taoiseach's task force about this, that and the other. I take the Deputy's point but the Minister for Justice has already...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----involving all the various local groups and so on to try to move on. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has huge plans for rejuvenation but there are loads of objections.