Results 21-40 of 756 for speaker:Martin Heydon in 'Dáil debates'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Policies (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a critical issue for the future of farming and agriculture. Supporting generational renewal is one of our main priorities as Ministers. It is also one of the great challenges facing farming, not just in Ireland but across the EU. Worldwide, the average age of farmers is higher than everyone would like it to be. For this reason, the Common...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Safety (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Griffin for raising a really important issue. Due to the prevalence of farm safety issues and farm workplace incidents, farmers are the most likely workers to lose their lives. Farming is the most dangerous profession in Ireland. A farmer is seven times more likely to lose their life in a workplace incident than any other one of the more than 2.5 million workers in this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this very important issue. I remind the House that the rationale behind the establishment of this new element of TAMS was to further develop gender equality throughout the agriculture sphere, to encourage more capital investment on farms and, in many instances, to recognise the role that many females already play on farms throughout the country, in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy Kerrane. We keep a constant review on all elements of TAMS. It does evolve. There are no plans at present to change eligibility criteria for the women farmers' capital investment scheme or any other element of TAMS, but TAMS 3, as were previous TAMS, has been monitored and followed through with regard to how we might change it. With regard to the point on the work...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: The officials are making good progress through them. We hope to have them all cleared in early April. Good progress is being made in this regard. I acknowledge the work of the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group, which has led the way on this. We were very happy to work on its early proposals. As things evolve and change, we keep an eye on its requests. To go back to the...

Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Martin Heydon: It is a privilege to be a Member of this House and to listen to the contributions of Members in honour of John Bruton. It is an even greater privilege to get to contribute. I want to make three brief points. As somebody whose political career began when John had retired from his, I am struck on reflection by how many times I met with, listened to and engaged with John Bruton during my...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: Fair play to the Deputy for trying to get me on the hook for that one. Obviously there is a process, which I outlined very clearly in my opening response. The process is at a very advanced stage and once the draft report is submitted to the Department, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, guarantees that it will be looked at it without delay and a decision made theron. The purpose of the DCB...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this very important matter and for the opportunity to provide an update on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 on 22 June 2023, which provides for an enhanced grant scheme, and adopted the related...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I empathise with him and his constituents. As a Kildare South TD, I know all too well the pressures his constituents in County Wicklow face around school provision and demographic growth. We suffer the same in the adjoining county of Kildare as people in Wicklow do. The Deputy has articulated those challenges in respect of Temple...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: I will bring back the request the Deputy made to the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. who has special responsibility for special school places, which is obviously a key part of the Deputy's ask as well. To reassure parents in the area who are following this debate, I will highlight that the collaboration and engagement that are now taking place are very important. I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Facilities (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputies for raising the important issue of Enable Ireland Sandymount School. I am responding here on behalf of the Minister for Education. Enable Ireland Sandymount School is a co-educational, special school providing a primary and second-level education to students aged from four to 18 with physical and other complex needs. The school property is not in the ownership of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Facilities (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: Again, I thank both Deputies for giving me the opportunity to outline the Department of Education's position. The Department has been engaging with the school, as is evident from my response, regarding the level of detailed knowledge around the challenges that exist in the emergency works scheme application received. The Department will continue to keep the school informed throughout that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Facilities (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: We are too efficient.

Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (18 Jan 2024)

Martin Heydon: I thank all Members for their work on this Bill to date, the contributions today and far beyond. I know many Members, both in this House and the Seanad, spoke passionately on this issue. I would like to begin my closing speech by acknowledging, on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, as well as on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government, the importance of progressing...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: On the issue raised by Deputy Conway-Walsh, I absolutely accept there is a challenge for farmers with regard to ACRES payments, particularly farmers who have worked with their advisors and undertaken the measures to be implemented this year. As I have said here already, payments will commence next week on 18 December for two thirds of all ACRES general participants. Those payments are in...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Smith for raising this important issue. As I stated, 46,000 farmers applied for ACRES and were all facilitated, even though initially the number of participants it could be anticipated could be taken in was just 30,000. There have been challenges in the additional complexity associated with the co-operation stream, the CP stream, and payments by ACRES CP participants are...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: The Department of agriculture, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I are working hard to make sure farmers across the board are supported and will receive their payments in due course. In the first year as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy, we have seen €1.2 billion being paid out under that to 113,000 farmers. There was big pressure on the agri-climate rural environment...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: Were they isolated in 1980?

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: You knew where he lived.

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Martin Heydon: I express full confidence in the Minister and her work in building stronger, safer communities across Ireland. Victims of the attack outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire, who are foremost in our thoughts, deserved a united response of solidarity from all sides of this House. Our gardaí, who faced down rioters and those looting shops, deserved a united response of solidarity from all...