Results 10,941-10,960 of 50,434 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Financial Resolution No. 5: Income Tax (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: I will take 40 seconds. We need to get away from the idea that when someone goes out sick, he or she is deliberately doing so in order to be absent from work. That was the point made in the Minister's speech, because this measure featured in a paragraph entitled "absenteeism". The purpose is to punish workers who go sick. I do not know what the Labour Party is doing at this stage, but it...

Financial Resolution No. 5: Income Tax (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: It will save €13 million.

Financial Resolution No. 5: Income Tax (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: €13 million.

Financial Resolution No. 7: Stamp Duties (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: I can understand the rationale for this proposal. I take it that the basic objective of the exercise is to try to kick-start the property industry. In this context the Budget Statement was interesting. At one level there was a good deal of criticism of the fact that the property bubble was a fundamental factor in the collapse of the economy but the more deeper underlying problems relate to...

Financial Resolution No. 7: Stamp Duties (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: Was advice received on this taxation measure and, if s,o is it possible for it to be published? Was there any lobbying by interest groups in favour of the introduction of such a measure and, if so, is it possible for this information to be published? How was the figure of €64 million calculated? It seems to indicate an expectation or anticipation of approximately €2 billion worth of...

Financial Resolution No. 7: Stamp Duties (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: For heaven's sake.

Financial Resolution No. 7: Stamp Duties (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: I disagree with the Minister.

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (6 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: Question 16: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has considered or will consider changes to competition law to deal with what the Financial Regulator recently referred to as the dysfunctional nature of the banking market and which he cited as one of the main factors preventing ECB mortgage interest rate cuts being passed on. [38310/11]

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: As I said yesterday, the proposed cut in the payment to young people with disabilities is callous and unnecessary. To single out this group for such a cut is truly a retrograde step. The Taoiseach's attempted explanations yesterday did not add up as young people with disabilities will have their incomes dramatically reduced - some to the tune of €111 a week - no matter how much he tried...

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: As a result of the budgetary strategy to be pursued, the Taoiseach deliberately adopted an approach of finding cuts which were deeply unfair and carefully targeting smaller benefits relied on by vulnerable groups in society.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: Yesterday the Taoiseach was adamant that there would be no change and the Minister for Social Protection sat alongside him to give him the rationale behind this approach. Will he confirm that the very strong signal which emanated from the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, last night-----

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: At least, the Minister for Finance gets the light which perhaps some Labour Party Ministers and Deputies might not.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: Will the Taoiseach confirm that this cut will be reversed in the social welfare Bill?

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest of respect, it is time for the Taoiseach to stop blaming everyone for decisions he is taking. The Taoiseach's answer this morning lacks credibility and is pathetic. This decision in respect of young people with disabilities has nothing to do with the troika.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: The troika has made this clear time and time again. As for listening to people, we raised this matter yesterday. This cut-----

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: This cut was a sneaky, cowardly attempt to get something in through the back door in the hope that people would not notice. When we raised this matter yesterday, the Government tried to muddy the water and would not come clean about what it was doing. Forget about appointing people to review the issue. The Government should do the honourable thing, accept it is a mistake and reverse it.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: The Government should not put up a smoke screen about appointing someone to review.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: We all know the issue. We do not need to be told about the current application of the situation.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: We all know the reality of the implications of this cut. The honourable thing to do would be to reverse it. Will the Taoiseach confirm to the House that we will not proceed with the cut in the rate of payments to young people with disabilities? We all know of individual cases. The Government should have known what they were before it took this decision.

Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2011)

Micheál Martin: It had many Cabinet meetings at which it deliberated on these cuts. We were told that it was meeting on Sundays.