Results 51,221-51,240 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: More fundamentally, the Deputy ducked and dived on the question of the free trade deal between Europe and Canada. It has brought huge benefits to working people in multinationals and Irish-owned companies.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Jobs ultimately put bread on people's tables.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin's economic approach to trade matters in particular - it has opposed this trade deal for years and yesterday, it could not agree if it supported it or not - is a fundamental point.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: If we do not continue to expand and grow trade, we will reduce the capacity of ordinary working people-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: -----to deal with the cost of living.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The fundamental difference between the Government and the Opposition is that we are action-focused and get things done on housing. I do not like to put this to the Deputy but I have seen nothing in the Labour Party's policy proposals on housing that would build anything extra. All the policy instincts of the Opposition is to oppose any measure the Government has introduced in the past six...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The Government is simply saying we are maintaining and increasing public investment in housing from the State, the largest actor in housing right now, while also creating the conditions to facilitate far greater private sector investment in house building and apartment building in particular, which needs to increase. The fundamental way to deal with housing is to increase supply...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: You do; you said it in your manifesto and you doubled down on it only last week.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: If one looks at first-time buyers, for example, the percentage of first-time buyers has been steadily increasing, from about 25% of all purchases in 2015 to just under 40% in April 2025. Real progress has been made, through the help to buy scheme and first home scheme, in enabling first-time buyers to get into the market and get their first homes. About 119,000 first-time buyer mortgages...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: I have not even started yet on the range of measures we have taken in the past number of months.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: First, we do take responsibility. We are leading and have taken measures. The Deputy does not like the new planning design standards for apartments but that is addressing-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: -----a viability gap. There will have to be a range of house and apartment types built. There will simply have to be to cater for different elements of the market. Some people have said outside of Government that this will be positive with regard to single people seeking housing and apartments also.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The single-stage approval process for all social housing projects under €200 million has been decided on by the Minister and also the RPZ reforms, which the Deputy opposed. That is an action the Government took that increased, by the way, protection nationally but that will also increase greater investment for the private sector.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy just said, "No, no, no". Any measure designed to bring any private sector investment into the market the Deputy says "no" to.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy does. She consistently says "no" to that. The review of the national planning framework-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: ----enables us to zone more land and guess what? Some of you people will be out there opposing all of that too when it comes to the local authorities.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: First, I take strong exception to the Deputy's assertion that the Irish Government is funding genocide. It most certainly is not and never has.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Hold on, now; do not be twisting. The Deputy knows full well that ISIF was established as a separate organisation in terms of all of its investment decisions.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy knows Government does not get involved in investment decisions by any fund that is established. He knows that is the case. In terms of this specific issue the Deputy raised this morning, I will follow through on that. I ask him not to make the assertion because he must understand and know that this Government is fundamentally opposed to the Israeli war in Gaza.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Surely the Deputy knows that.