Results 20,241-20,260 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his question. As an overall policy position, I am establishing a new social dialogue unit within my Department and I would like to explore the issues to which the Deputy has referred such as collective bargaining and so on with the various stakeholders in that regard. I will check with the Tánaiste about receipt of the Low Pay Commission report. The position...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: First, I did participate in a Zoom meeting with Debenhams workers, and the Deputy should know that. Of course, I will meet a delegation of the workers. There is no difficulty whatsoever. I have communicated with workers in my constituency in that regard. The difficulty I have is that in situations such as this I am very reluctant to create false expectations and false hopes for people who...

Nomination of Member of Government: Motion (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the nomination by the Taoiseach of Deputy Dara Calleary for appointment by the President to be a member of the Government. Pursuant to section 4(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1946, I propose to assign him to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In his short time as Government Chief Whip, the Minister of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the travel issue, the decision in terms of the green list will be taken next Monday but along with that will be issues pertaining to stronger defences and a stronger presence at airports, and further issues to which the Deputy has alluded will be examined.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I accept the Deputy's well-articulated concerns and she is correct that people are very concerned about the fact there is travelling from what we might call hot spot areas or areas that, to me, appear to be out of control with regard to the virus. I accept the Deputy's point on this. Since the start of the pandemic, travel has never been banned. The Deputy's point about follow-up is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----in terms of the other areas the Deputy has highlighted.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the Deputy's opening statement on Apple getting sorted and so on, Apple did not get sorted. Apple is also about workers. Apple has been in Ireland since 1980 and the court decision is that there was no state aid to Apple. This is the essential point that the court decided. Apple now employs 6,000 people throughout the country. This is important. There has been an ongoing view from...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Again, I have to be very clear. I made it very clear in my speech to the House yesterday evening, and again today and also to Deputy Cowen on Monday evening and yesterday morning, that he had an obligation to speak to the House to clarify issues that had emerged. Particularly since I saw the PULSE file itself, I felt he should because there was a demand that he come-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry, but this is an issue of grave public controversy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I asked Deputy Cowen to share his personal data with me. To be fair to him, he did so in the end. I felt I needed that because I am here now accounting to the House. One moment it is being said that I know everything without seeing any PULSE file, the next moment when I do seek access to the PULSE file that is something that is terribly wrong as well. That is not fair or balanced. It is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I cannot be definitive about that. My understanding is that it is a PULSE file, but I do not know. I was given information. From my understanding, it is a PULSE file.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The provenance of it is this: it relates to the drink-driving incident and it relates to two other issues, one of which is a speeding fine, which the Deputy knows about because it was published in the newspaper. Deputy Cowen was in a situation where people had more information about what was on his file than he himself might have had-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----and that is a very difficult position for anybody to be in. To be fair to him, he then sought access in that context. I think that was fair enough, given the gravity of what was being said and given the issues.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy began by asking a number of questions about the events of yesterday evening. Again, the fundamental issue yesterday was Deputy Cowen's refusal to respond to my request that he address Dáil Éireann on the issue. I felt he needed to come into the House to clarify the issues that had arisen, particularly following my reading of the file and my discussions with him the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is again making false assertions.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am not standing by any assertion by Deputy Cowen in respect of the Garda statement. Does Deputy McDonald understand that? I am not standing by the assertion in relation to the Garda record on the file. That is the point. I read the file yesterday. I spoke to Deputy Cowen the night before. There is a process in place and I do not want to prejudice it, but I have my own view on it. I...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did not prevent-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: There was a tactical device to force a vote on the issue. The issue was on the Order of Business. I had come into the House after having asked Deputy Cowen to consider his position and reflect on his decision not to come into the House. In my view, he should have come into the House.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I was giving him time and space to reflect on that. In my view, he should have come into the House. In the afternoon, when he still refused to respond to my view that he should come into the House, I was left with no alternative then-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----but to seek the termination of his appointment. We both disagreed in terms of the route. He wanted to go the legal route but for me that was not tenable in the context of being an officeholder.