Results 38,821-38,840 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Order of Business (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: This is 2012.

Order of Business (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: Yes.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: It was bad enough that the household tax was pushed through come hell or high water by 31 March, with the result that only half of households have registered for payment. Now the country is faced with the water metering debacle, with headlines in The Sunday Times suggesting that people will have to pay up to €300 to install a meter. This was followed by a spokesman for the Department of...

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: I suggest the Government already is out of touch.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: It does not have a clear and detailed plan on how water metering is going to work.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: This has been a shambolic and farcical situation. There are no detailed costings, no detail on exemptions and no details on how the Government expects to put water meters into all households by 2014-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: -----which would require an installation rate of 4,000 per day. Moreover, while the actual cost of meter installation has been quoted as being €800 per house, Professor Gray of Trinity College Dublin has stated that meters can cost anything from €90 to €700.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: Can the Taoiseach bring clarity to this issue this morning? How much will this water metering system cost the average householder? Second, what are the job loss implications in the 34 local authorities? I note when this happened in Northern Ireland, more than 800 jobs were lost in local authorities there-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: -----which would equate to approximately 1,300 jobs in this jurisdiction.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: Third, will the Taoiseach ensure the appearance in the House today of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: -----to make a detailed statement to bring clarity to this issue and to answer questions from Members of this House?

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: It is the hapless Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, who always is sent out. Where is the Minister, Deputy Hogan? The Minister, Deputy Hogan, should come into the House to give a detailed statement and answer a few questions on it for the benefit of the House and the public.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: I simply asked a question.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest respect, I asked the Taoiseach how much this is will cost the average householder and he did not answer my question. In fact, he avoided the question in its entirety.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach stated that there is a large amount of documentation available and that comprehensive submissions have been made by Bord Gáis Éireann. Will the Taoiseach publish such documentation and also the advice the Government received?

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach should publish all of it.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: The real scam that has been pulled off relates to the election commitments made by the Taoiseach and his colleagues last year. I am aware that the Tánaiste was in difficulty on Sunday as a result of the Labour Party conference.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: I took the Tánaiste at his word when he stated that a decision has not been taken. However, I suspect that something else may have been going on. In 2009, the Labour Party had a very clear position on this matter when it indicated that "water is a basic and fundamental need and should not be treated like a market commodity".

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: At that time, Deputy Tuffy stated "Charging for domestic water, in the light of our current taxation system, will only add to inequality, since such charges don't take account of people's ability to pay." She also stated "The Labour Party abolished water charges when Brendan Howlin was Environment Minister in the Rainbow Govt, 1996. We would oppose any attempt to reverse that move."

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach obviously brought the Tánaiste into line in respect of this matter prior to today's sitting. How does he propose to ensure that people's capacity to pay will be taken into account?