Results 49,121-49,140 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 to 37, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on children and education will oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of children and education with a special focus on child poverty and well-being. It will receive detailed reports on identified policy areas, such as child poverty, well-being and education. A...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: Which report?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: There were quite a number of contributions there. Deputy Tóibín spoke first on the 70,000 referrals.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: In the first nine months of last year, and he is suggesting it will go to 94,000. That is an extraordinary number. I will have to drill down behind the numbers in terms of context and so on but it is very high. That is a broader societal issue as well and it shows Tusla has an enormous workload, to put it charitably. That is a huge impact. As the Deputy said, they are referred by a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: That is what I am saying, but again I need to know the details of it. I will certainly see what I can do to progress it. Deputy Ó Murchú asked about school-based and holistic therapies. The initial phase would be special schools and that will take some time. I am hoping we can get it started this year. Mainstream schools will be some time after that, but we will see what we...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy has mentioned it three times already, so I will find out where it is at. Turning to Deputy Bacik, there has been a massive increase in the number of special needs assistants. I will follow through on the issues she has raised in terms of what has been provided. I take Deputy Crowe's point on the census. I have seen this issue before in terms of how transience in rental...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: Yes, and schools’ allocations. I will pursue Deputy Ardagh's question with the Minister seeing as she made a compelling case. If there is no second-level coeducational non-denominational school in Dublin 8, there should be. As she said, there is now a primary school so there is a feeder school for such a school. We should try to progress that. It is no different to Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: Tá an ceart ag an Teachta go bhfuil na cruinnithe a bheidh agam an tseachtain seo agus an tseachtain seo chugainn tábhachtach. Léiríonn siad an gaol láidir agus tábhachtach atá idir ár dtír agus an Bhreatain. Léiríonn siad cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an gaol idir na tíortha san Aontas Eorpach agus, gan amhras, an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: We are pro-free trade and I will articulate that perspective. We will also articulate our views regarding Ukraine and the Middle East.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: First of all, I invite Deputy McDonald to talk to political parties in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. She should ask them if our position is somehow going to ease their concern and anxiety. I do not think she gets it and I think she needs to engage more widely in terms of the perspectives of others on the European Continent. They have bitter experience of what happened to their people over...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: In terms of Gaza and the Middle East, let us be clear. We want to consolidate the ceasefire and will be making that point very strongly. We want a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Arab peace initiative and the Arab proposals in respect of Gaza have come through, which have a lot to commend themselves.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it is very important and one I am determined to deal with in the short term. I want to ensure there is a proper system in the years to come whereby parents will know in the previous academic year where their child will attend second level for the subsequent academic year. Parents are going through too much in terms of endeavouring to find a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: On the assessment of need, I said earlier that we are looking at the legislative framework. We will have to introduce legislation to deal with the issue around assessment of need.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: There will have to be forward planning and that will be made clear to the agencies and the Department. There will have to be proper preparation in the coming years, looking at the demographics and the need and making sure there is a much more seamless system for parents and children with additional needs. That is the bottom line as far as I am concerned. Every child is entitled to an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. To clarify, funding is not an issue here. The Deputy spoke about planning and so forth. I am aware of the case highlighted by Sheila Casey Jones in respect of her son Patrick. In Cork alone, we now have about 16 special schools, as well as Cork University Hospital School, educating approximately 1,000 children in the Cork area. Three of those...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: It is wrong that parents have to be the proactive person in securing a place for their child. I believe the State should be doing that. The National Council for Special Education should have a proactive role in identifying the demand and need, and then agreeing the proper placement for a child. That is what I believe and it was the case before the establishment of the NCSE, when inspectors...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue, of which I am aware. As he knows, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan has been raising it for quite some time, along with Deputy Gould and others. There have been ongoing issues with the quality of water in Cork, predominantly on the northside of the city. I have met with Irish Water on a wide range of issues and I have specifically...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: As I said, Uisce Éireann is working proactively to address the issues with water supply in Cork. The planned flushing of the network took place in the first week of July last year in the Ballyvolane area, including Ballyvolane Shopping Centre, Ballyvolane new road, Riverview Estate and Meadow Park Lawn, over a seven-week period. Those flushing works are part of Uisce Éireann's...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have no difficulty engaging with the Deputy on this issue. There had been reforms of the bail laws. People are very intolerant of people who are awaiting trial, etc., and who then go out and commit crimes again. I do not know whether the Deputy is proposing wholesale internment of everybody who is a suspect because that is another side of the story. The point is, the figures are huge...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: We have to focus on those who have a history of crime and who are again brought before the system. The bail laws have been reformed. They will be reformed further. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is looking at this, but there are limits to what can be done, as I am sure the Deputy would appreciate. If you take the politics out of it, we have no issue. We want to stamp down on...