Results 50,821-50,840 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There are a range of grants out there now for vacant houses and for dereliction. They are quite substantial, and there are a lot of applicants. I know they may be more on the individual level. There is the town centre renewal programme. I think there is a town centre renewal officer in Kilcock. I know that the Minister will, obviously in the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Government is essentially five months - close to six months - in office. This will require capital allocation and provision. We are working off the budget of last year in terms of the estimates that were provided to every Department, so there are limits to what the Government can do in 2025 if one takes on board that substantial additional capital moneys were allocated to housing - up...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: First, more generally, the Minister for rural affairs will be meeting the Gaelic Athletic Association in respect of the new rural future design programme. The GAA is having a huge impact the length and breadth of the country on many fronts. On the housing front, it is not fair to say that there is no focus on housing in rural Ireland. There is. The derelict grants and the vacant grants...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: All of those apply to rural Ireland. The first homes scheme applies to rural Ireland.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. He is raising very legitimate concerns and I will ask the Minister for Transport to review this. I will also ask him to consult the Minister for justice in respect of any road traffic regulations and laws. I saw a situation yesterday evening. I could not believe my eyes. There were two guys on a scooter and a guy on a bike was hanging on to them...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: First of all, I think about €3 billion is now being spent on medicines. I can clarify that. There is an ongoing issue, and there will be, because of the rapidity of discovery and new drugs coming onto the market. Ireland has a very significant pharmaceutical presence. I have engaged with most of the CEOs of the pharmaceutical companies in respect of tariffs, trade and so on and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: We should work to improve our timelines.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue. I know this is an issue close to his heart. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to all schools. Last year, the then Department of Education provided per capita grants to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. There are two grants: the capitation grant and the ancillary grant. Schools have...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: This is an important point. In addition, the capitation grant payment in June 2025, which will be a balancing payment for the period of January to December, will include the new increased rates effective from September 2025.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht – Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy can send that note to the Minister for housing and copy it to me, and I will talk to the Minister for housing in respect of it. The Deputy should try to take it up directly with him. I will alert him to the fact the Deputy has raised it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: I join with the Ceann Comhairle in welcoming our special guests from County Tipperary, our Little Blue Heroes, who have come to watch proceedings here in the Dáil. They had a busy morning. They had a Garda escort and were greeted by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, the Ceann Comhairle and Deputy Michael Murphy. I was delighted to attend the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: We will deal with this issue in the budget, but consumer price inflation, as measured by the European Union harmonised index of consumer prices, HICP index, has eased significantly over the past two years, with the annual inflation rate in May 2025 standing at 1.4% compared with 2% in May of last year. That is below the 2% target rate of inflation set by the ECB. In April, Ireland had the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: Additionally, with inflation expected to grow by 2% this year, nominal wage growth-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----is set to reach 5.5%. That will result in real wage growth of between 3% and 3.5% this year. When inflation was high, we did not have that to offset it. We now have it at significant levels. That is an effective way of dealing with this issue, in addition to the measures we will take in the budget to deal with that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I take issue with the term "released" from school. Children these days enjoy school and have very good experiences in our schools but they are going out to enjoy the summer holidays. Through many other avenues of government, we will endeavour to give supports to children throughout the summer holidays. More specifically, the issue...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: Over the last five years since Fianna Fáil came back into government we have built close to 48,000 social houses - delivered. That is the most in 40 years. You would have to go back to the 1970s to get that level of social housing construction, but we need more because the population has increased. That is a factor in this. The composition of those presenting for homelessness and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----and through the approved housing bodies and those involved in the homelessness area to address this issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: The question is?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: Am I going to-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2025)

Micheál Martin: First of all, I say to the Deputy that he has a tremendous habit of asserting what I said earlier, which of course I did not say at all.