Results 42,121-42,140 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is currently in the busiest season of the year for processing passport applications, as citizens prepare for their upcoming summer travel plans. Thanks to operational and staffing plans implemented by the Department, the Passport Service is successfully responding to the current high demand, and has issued over 420,000 passports to date this year. All turnaround times are at...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (17 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy may wish to note that the LDA Report on Relevant Public Land published in March 2023 identified St.Bricins facility as a strategic state land site to be used for adaptive re-use of the existing structure to residential use. In that regard, my Department has largely concluded the necessary legal preparatory work to give effect to this transfer.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (17 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: Between January 2021 and August of 2021, the Department had separate cleaning contracts for its various buildings. In 2021, under the OGP Framework, the Department consolidated all contracts under one for a three-year period with Accent Solutions becoming the sole cleaning provider for the Department of Defence. The table below details the periods for which each cleaning contract existed. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: United Nations (17 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 17 together. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of the United Nations and UN Peacekeeping.  Our commitment and support for the primary role of the United Nations, in the maintenance of international peace and security, is expressed in Ireland's long-standing tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping operations.  This commitment is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Funding (17 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: There has been no expenditure by the Department of Defence under the 'Per Cent for Art' scheme over the period in question.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: First, I must say that the country has been sickened and disturbed by the shocking attack on this young boy; the random violent nature of it, the videoing of it and the posting of the video online. I have not seen the video but some who did have described it as stomach-churning and quite shocking. I agree with the Deputy that there is absolutely no place in our society for such violence....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: First, of course, it should not have to wait for the online commission, nor does it have to wait. The companies themselves should remove such videos immediately once they go up and that should be the position. We have given that message to the social media platforms on a consistent basis. Indeed, they argue that they do that but the rapidity by which they do it at times has to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I read a summary of that report, which is very serious in terms of the short-term impacts arising from climate change and a projection over the next five years in terms of rising sea levels but also rising temperatures and, in some instances, excessive rainfall in northern Europe. The reality is that climate change is here. Some of the big...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's criticisms but we must be fair that the offshore wind auction was a significant milestone-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: -----in the drive towards offshore wind energy in this country. The 5 GW target is now in sight. I would argue that people could not see that target a year ago. The auction gives us concrete sight of that target. It will be challenging because we must get the ports ready. They are coming back with their business plans and so forth. The infrastructure and grid pieces require attention....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: There are plenty of opportunities for picnics and everything else. In the local community, you can get the sense of the transformation that is occurring. There are some very exciting projects in every town and city across the country on active travel. I make that basic point. On industry, I visited the PepsiCo facility last week. Some 25% of the its annual energy needs will from now...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which has been an issue of interest to me for quite some time. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan of Fianna Fáil has also been a strong advocate in this area. I welcome the participation by Ireland in 18 of the 24 ERNs. By definition, rare diseases have never been amenable to pharmaceutical investment, or the State could never invest in treatment...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: In respect of treatment, the Government has substantially increased funding for new innovative medicines for rare diseases, investing €100 million over the last three budgets. More than 100 new medicines have been approved, including 39 orphan medicines to treat rare diseases. We also committed €2.7 million to support the implementation of the national strategy for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: On the European Central Bank, there is a common currency and we have joined that. We are members of the European Central Bank in so far as every state nominates a representative. Of course, he or she does not act as an Irish representative and must act in the collective in the context of the European Central Bank itself. In terms of monetary policy, they have to control inflation....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy's proposals would create chaos.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: There would be chaos if every Government in Europe were to take on and disagree with the ECB. We need monetary policies to be set by the ECB.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: That is the way it should be. We need to get inflation down. Ireland has an unemployment rate of less than 4%. We have the lowest youth unemployment in Europe. We have dramatically increased employment in the past three years. There must be a balanced, measured and stable approach to managing the economy. Some countries outside the EU have inflation rates of up to 50% or 60%. When a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: It was agreed more recently than the St. Andrews Agreement in the context of the Fresh Start agreement and the shared island initiative. The issue is not financing, as the Deputy is well aware. A public inquiry is under way in Northern Ireland. There have been significant challenges in progressing route selection for the project in the North because of opposition from a variety of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: First, I thank the Deputy for her support of the Government's programme to provide accommodation for those seeking asylum. Some 84,000 people are now in State accommodation. That is unprecedented. Never before in the history of the State have we had to respond to a situation like this because of global conflict, not least the war in Ukraine which has been catastrophic for the people of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I share his horror at the violence and nature of that attack. I too have met representatives of the LGBTI community, especially young people who articulated on a personal level to me the bullying they have been subjected to. In some instances young people have to leave a school and go to an alternative school. That has happened. We must work...