Results 40,741-40,760 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's comments on the staff in the passport service. We now have 763 people working in the service, which is the largest number ever employed. We are committed to maintaining and improving that level, if we can. The Deputy is correct. There are issues relating to the role of An Garda Síochána, which is an essential part of the verification process. There...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Of the 1.1 million, 11% were from Northern Ireland, but 90% of those were online. The approach of the Department has been digital first and to encourage and incentivise more and more people to go online because it is the most convenient, quickest and least expensive channel for applicants. People have made representations in respect of new passport offices in Northern Ireland and the west,...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: There is no backlog as such. We are meeting turnaround times. Passport applications are being processed in line with normal turnaround times. As I said, 2022 was an exceptionally busy year with more than 1,085,000 passports. This year, 2023, looks like being similar, with 61,000 passports issued to date. About 56,000 fully complete applications are in the passport service system,...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: That is more a question for the Department of Health, but I would make the point that-----

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I was, once upon a time. Thousands of people are coming into the Irish health service every year. I recently attended an event relating to nursing for very sick young children and met two young nurses who had come back from Australia to work in the service in Ireland. It was a foreign NGO but it highlighted for me that the traffic is two-way. These were young Irish nurses who had been in...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: No, these particular nurses are here. I accept that others go out.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The health world has always been highly mobile. We must do more to attract and create better working conditions in our health service to retain staff there. That is important.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Brexit Issues (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have consistently heard in my engagements with business and people in Northern Ireland that resolving issues around the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a key priority for them. This is recognised by both the EU and the UK, which are devoting substantial time and effort to finding joint solutions that address these concerns. European Commission Vice...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Brexit Issues (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy made some fair points in the latter part of his question. From the outset, we have acknowledged that issues have arisen in the operation of the protocol, particularly with regard to consumer goods. In my meetings with all political parties in Northern Ireland, including unionist parties, we have acknowledged that. I think Vice-President Šefčovič and the...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Brexit Issues (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have been to Derry in the context of the shared island initiative over the last two and a half years. People there are pleased with the shared island initiative. The North West Strategic Growth Partnership is particularly pleased. It involves all of the councils in the north west working together in harmony by leaving politics and party politics outside the door to advance the cause of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for the question and his kind comments. Ireland’s position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear. The continued establishment and expansion of settlements is a violation of international law and is unacceptable. This position was reiterated at the UN Security Council on 19 December, which focused on the implementation of UN Security...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am not quite certain what the Deputy is getting at. Ireland has been very active politically, diplomatically and at all multilateral fora, whether the UN Security Council, where we have raised the issue consistently, or within the European Union, which remains the biggest donor to the Palestinian Authority and a significant donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Andrews made the point of the comparison between Iran and Palestine. Deputy Ó Murchú said Europe does not seem to care or act. Ireland does, though. When Shireen Abu Akleh was killed, Ireland raised the issue during our tenure on the UN Security Council. We did not stay silent on it. We called for an impartial, independent and effective investigation and, on 24 May, we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and thank him for his kind personal comments. The recent political and technical engagements between the EU and the UK around the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol are welcome. While technical work is ongoing, I believe it is best to give the EU and UK teams space to find joint solutions that will address the concerns of people and business...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I accept the Deputy's sentiments. I am acutely aware of concerns unionism has on the operation of the protocol. I believe the EU is aware of that too and that, through meetings over the past year, Vice President, Maroš Šefčovič, has made himself aware of those issues and concerns and is anxious to respond to those concerns. We have also been very anxious to allow...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: It is important to reiterate and reassert the constitutional position of the Good Friday Agreement, that is, that the principle of consent remains intact. That is the bona fide position of the Irish Government and of all parties to the agreement. Second, in all my meetings with all parties in Northern Ireland, no one has suggested that access to the European Union or the Single Market...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Since Russia commenced its unjustified and unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine, we have consistently expressed Ireland's unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We have used our voice at the UN Security Council, UN Human Rights Council and other multilateral fora to call for accountability...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry; I thought political representatives could be mentioned.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Okay. The point is taken. Accountability is extremely important because we have to call out Russia's cynical attempts to use the Council and other United Nations bodies to spread disinformation. Ireland voted to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council and has co-sponsored three resolutions at the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s aggression and calling for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: In my previous role as Taoiseach, we had been pursuing the entire issue of accountability for Russia. It is complex legally but it is one area where Ireland feels it can make a contribution. I outlined earlier the different decisions we have taken, for example, that the Russian Federation should cease to be a member at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe; that we submitted a...