Results 42,141-42,160 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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

Micheál Martin: I take it that the fire that happened this morning will be referred to the HSA. Under the law the HSA will conduct and I understand is conducting investigations into the previous incidents in which two workers were seriously injured, one of whom was very seriously injured. It is an absolute prerequisite that there would be comprehensive health and safety investigations. In respect of the...

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I agree with him on the importance of the Garda Reserve. I agree that members of the reserve force can be of significant help to the community. I recall being in government when the Garda Reserve was introduced. Like all institutions, initially there was some resistance to the idea. Increasingly now, both within An Garda...

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

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is correct. I am sure he would agree with me that Councillor Micheál Anglim has been a very strong and proactive advocate for this.

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

Micheál Martin: I say that to be fair to Councillor Anglim. I went down to Ardfinnan. An external review took place. The NTA should approve this separate proposal, given that the independent review said this was the best way to go. I have spoken with the Minister in respect of this as well. I believe there has to be a balance and a proper response from national agencies as well. This is very unsafe....

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I do not have the specifics in respect of every county across the country at hand. There have been ongoing issues with the dental service and the reform of oral health services. Orthodontics have always been challenging, notwithstanding the unprecedented funding that has been allocated to the sector. We are probably better than most European...

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

Micheál Martin: We are, in terms of the fees paid and so on. An additional €15 million was allocated in the budget for public oral healthcare services, bringing it to €200 million to address backlogs and longer term reform. There is an issue here about value for money, efficiency and about getting some return for that investment.

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

Micheál Martin: It is a bit more complex than that. The home tuition grant scheme provides funding towards the provision of compensatory educational services for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. This could be due to illness or certain conditions. By nature, it is a short-term intervention. Some of the providers could be more long term, some are more short term....

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

Micheál Martin: The Department is not the employer.

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

Micheál Martin: The Deputy raised this matter with me the other night and I raised it with the Minister. He seemed to be of the view that the project was progressing but he said he would check it for me in respect of its current status and the appointment of the design team. I will revert back to the Deputy on that.

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I agree with the broader strategy of incentivising recycling and separation of waste. The country has made extraordinary progress in those areas over the past 25 years and that needs to be acknowledged. Sometimes we tend to have a negative self-perception of the country; actually, it has made extraordinary progress on a number of fronts in the past...

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

Micheál Martin: The HSE says it will. I will speak to the Minister for Health again because this issue has been raised across the House again today. We have to give time to deal with the backlog from Covid but we also have to look at methodology and models of provision and have a more fundamental look at this because waiting times are too long.

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

Micheál Martin: I share the Deputy’s revulsion at the shocking attack on the young boy in Navan. We have collectively done that today. On the retained firefighters, we ask all parties to continue to engage constructively on resolving the outstanding industrial relations issues within the established facilitation forum. That is the best way to resolve this. There is no silver bullet solution...

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

Micheál Martin: I referenced the Deputy’s interest in this in my earlier contribution and his long-standing advocacy in this area. I spoke with the Minister for Health on the ERNs and the necessity to provide resources to build up supports for the clinicians involved, as well as to recruit people to the service to enable a critical mass of people within the HSE to be focused on our participation in...

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

Micheál Martin: I hope the Deputy is not suggesting that there was a deal between An Garda Síochána and far-right activists.

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

Micheál Martin: There was no such deal, for God's sake. We need balance in what we are saying in the House. In respect of the illegal eviction, the Government takes illegal evictions very seriously and is committed to doing everything in its power to ensure that tenants are treated fairly, respectfully and within the confines of what is legally permissible. The Minister for Housing, Local Government...

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which he has been raising consistently over the past while. I have spoken to the Minister in respect of this and we are very conscious of the need for maintenance of country, rural and regional roads. We will continue to pursue this in terms of any available resources we can allocate this year to deal with the fact that the costs of the materials...

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

Micheál Martin: I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to take one of the questions. I do not have the specific details about the couple Deputy Farrell raised or the nature of the eviction. Approximately 1,000 cases are now being progressed by local authorities across the country in respect of the tenantin situscheme.

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

Micheál Martin: A variety of initiatives that the Minister took are having an impact and are responding but the overall issue will have to be resolved through more and more supply. Thankfully, in the first quarter, commencements were at an all-time high since 2014, as were completions. We are making progress on building new homes-----

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

Micheál Martin: -----particularly for first-time buyers there has been a noticeable and significant increase over the past two years-----

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

Micheál Martin: -----for first-time buyers. Deputy Troy raised the issue of AI and I appreciate the points he made about good governance, trust and confidence. However, it will be some time before that directive comes to light. It will be a considerable length of time. I favour the use of facial recognition technology by An Garda Síochána in respect of child abuse cases, for example, as well...