Results 39,681-39,700 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: There was no discussion of the role of the European Central Bank.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Is the Taoiseach saying the bank is not relevant?

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach has made an extraordinary statement in saying that the European Central Bank is not an issue in so far as this treaty is concerned. In fact, the ECB is at the heart of all of these issues. Much of the critical analysis of the treaty is that it is the wrong treaty for the wrong problem and will not in itself provide a solution. It is a political response to domestic political...

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Such concerns did not stop Chancellor Merkel from meeting people during a particular election campaign.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The previous Government also appointed a Minister of State with responsibility in this area and he, former Deputy John Moloney, did a very good job.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: We told the Taoiseach that previously.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: One of the central reasons we are a member of the eurozone, and one of its great benefits to us, is because we are an exporting country. We depend on exporting goods and services to markets abroad. I welcome the announcements on PayPal and Allergan because they bear out what has been a very successful and effective industrial strategy for the past decade. It was not today or yesterday that...

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach described Deputy Boyd Barrett's contribution as a rant. I am delighted the Taoiseach is now beginning to see the glass as half full as opposed to half empty. There was a time 12 months ago when he would probably have said something very similar to what Deputy Boyd Barrett said.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: I remember him saying the country is banjaxed and like a corpse. Does the Minister, Deputy Burton, remember this?

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The debate is on the issue of austerity. I agree with the need to balance and get revenue and expenditure in line. However, the real issue is why I asked whether the Taoiseach has raised the issue of broadening the role of the European Central Bank at these meetings and the need for fiscal union in its truest sense, not a narrow fiscal balance agenda but a fiscal union which means a...

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Government policy.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: It has not been discussed at all.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: This week we learned that waiting times for operations have increased by more than 47% for people waiting longer than six months, dramatically so within the past nine months. The related legislation is the health governance Bill which is intended to replace the governance of the HSE. This is urgently required because as things stand nobody knows who is in charge of the health service....

Order of Business (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: I understood the Minister made an announcement on it during the week.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The situation is worse.

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Of the 769,000 residential mortgages in the State approximately 71,000 or 9% are now in arrears of more than 90 days and more than 53,000 of these are in arrears of more than 180 days. By contrast, the average in the UK is approximately 2.07%. One in seven mortgage accounts are not being repaid according to the original loan agreement, and this trend is accelerating. According to...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach's response is inadequate. We have long moved past the time for pilot schemes to address what is a huge problem for thousands of families. This is having a debilitating impact, not only on the lives of families but also on the wider economy. The Taoiseach promised much to the negative equity generation, including legislation to cap the interest charge imposed by lenders...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: A dháilcheantar féin.

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide details of all documents he has tabled for consideration at the European Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4754/12]

European Council Meetings (21 Feb 2012)

Micheál Martin: Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide details of his discussions with President Sarkozy since 9 December 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4756/12]