Results 201-220 of 46,692 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, that is not circumscribed by this at all. The prohibition of the military right to strike is fundamental to the maintenance of military discipline, guarantees the provision of defence and secures the other services of the Government, and clear and specified provision must be made in legislation under the Defence Forces regulations to guarantee the availability of military capabilities to...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: They do.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I was taken aback by something the Deputy said earlier. For the proper conduct of any state, what has stood Ireland in strong stead has been, generally speaking, the apolitical nature of our public service.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy seems to be suggesting, however, that we are evolving into some looser concept of that and that it should be okay if people air and articulate their public views. I would argue-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: If we had Secretaries General turning up here, there and everywhere-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, but I want to cut to the-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is a bit of fluffiness going on here. Everyone wants to appeal to everybody out there, be popular and do what we think is nice and all of that, but the bottom line is-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I just want to make a point, through the Chair.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am not saying the Deputy's motives are base. I just think there is a general sort of-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is an element of this-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: -----if we are honest.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy suggested that the Defence Forces would have a lesser code of conduct than even the Civil Service. The apolitical nature of the public service has been critical to the success of the State. We do not want to be where other states have ended up. In the modern era-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy should let me make my few points generally about why this necessary, or at least a framework around it is necessary. Let us not pretend we can be all things to all people. We cannot be. People are generally saying we agree with some code-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am giving the backdrop to this.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am trying to tease out what page everybody is on. People are generally saying they agree there should be some code of conduct, but then we are querying it and saying perhaps there should not be. I was just taken a bit aback by the casual references to the public service and the Civil Service. It is one of the great strengths and we would lose it at our peril in terms of the conduct,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The nature of politics is to be popular. I include myself in that by the way.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: To which page is the Deputy referring?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Which paragraph?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Okay.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Would that not be very clearly a matter for the representative associations?