Results 4,141-4,160 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Lahart outlined its origins. The formation and establishment by former Fianna Fáil Minister for Defence Brian Lenihan senior in respect of the representative associations was a breakthrough at the time. We have advanced since then. There is healthy engagement with RACO and PDFORRA. I do not think they could argue there is any attempt to restrict. I must stress that we...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputies for their comments. If we stand back, everybody at the committee said they accepted that the Defence Forces should not be political.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: What do we mean by that? What the Government is proposing is exactly that.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: It includes reference to "in uniform". Are we seriously suggesting-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I did not interrupt others. Are we seriously suggesting that the military should become politicised? That is what the Deputies are saying.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is what is being said. We need to be careful not to undermine what has been a strength of our democracy, namely, our apolitical Defence Forces. That is important, irrespective of who is in government. We are all birds of passage. We hope this legislation will apply for a significant period. Much of what is in the Bill is already in regulations and, in fact, may be less restrictive...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, and a member does not have to identify himself or herself as a member of the Defence Forces when criticising the Government or engaged in agitation and so forth. I went back to the Attorney General after Committee Stage because I was concerned about the piece around representative associations and whether they might be restricted in representing their members and so on. We put in an...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: In uniform.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is pre-empting the debate. This one amendment would not cover any of this, and deep down Deputy Howlin knows this, with no proper discussion or debate-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I welcome the Deputy's interest in this and his promoting of it but an amendment is short and it could create more challenges in the working out of the details. A lot of work has gone into this. Deputy Howlin has been in government. He is a veteran of Government as well as of Opposition. He tends to be a bit more radical when on the Opposition benches when it comes to the sharing of...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is not quite how it works.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: It does not work that way.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: Is the Deputy being somewhat mischievous? Under the Constitution, the Government must prepare legislation and develop legislation. That is the context. I said there is working paper that I approved recently, to give the Deputy a sense that this is happening right now. I was afraid he might have thought this was on the long finger and that I was only saying it. There is advanced work...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy has indeed.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: There will be pre-legislative scrutiny.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: Pre-legislative scrutiny could change it. I will undertake to discuss this with the Deputy.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for the clarification.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: In fairness, I did not give the Deputy any rote response the last time and I and not going to give him one now.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: Neither am I going to accept the amendment. I indicated to the Deputy I would be introducing the most comprehensive legislation in terms of command and control within the Defence Forces. In the period between Committee and Report Stages, I have already approved a paper that my officials had done some work on in respect of CHOD, in respect of the recommendation the commission came forward...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 42 and 43 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.