Results 461-480 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I will ask the Minister. I have been a supporter of the move of youth back into the Department of education and was involved in that in the programme for Government talks. When I was Minister for Education and Science, youth affairs was part of the Department. The VECs, in particular, did very good work with various youth organisations. I would like to see the ETBs continue that sort of...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's persistent focus on this issue and his advocacy for emergency care in the mid-west. I do not have the details yet in terms of the timeline of the HIQA report, but I will talk to the Minister and alert her to the fact that the Deputy has raised this issue. I will say in passing that it is extremely important that we continue to develop the first responder capacity...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy McCarthy for raising the issue of Shanagarry, which is famed for its pottery and so on. I will raise the issue with Uisce Éireann. There is a town and villages scheme, as the Deputy knows, that had limitations regarding funding. There is engagement, and a memorandum is being worked up, it is my understanding, by Irish Water in respect of local developers that are...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I can recall two years ago when Sinn Féin was arguing and advocating very strongly that Government would do more to provide accommodation for those seeking asylum.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: That was Sinn Féin's position then and Government did respond to its advocacy and others', and the international law, in terms of procuring services. The Department of children had to procure services in an accelerated way. The cost of those services is expensive. There is no question about that. In fact, Government is legally vulnerable if it does not provide such services or such...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I know now Sinn Féin has changed tack a bit and is moving in a different direction. I understand that. Politics is always supreme with it, but I-----
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I am not commenting on individuals.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I am not allowed to comment on individuals in the House-----
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: -----and nor should the Deputy.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I do not know the case.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: Government did a lot over the last number of years in respect of a whole series of reforms that were implemented in respect of insurance. Some premia came down; some have gone back up again. There is an onus on the insurance industry to respond to the reforms that the Government delivered with a view to reducing costs. The Government has re-established the sub-committee on insurance. The...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: Is this a private sector project the Deputy is talking about?
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: No, the ISIF is-----
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I am all for that. We are all for that, and the Government has done a lot in terms of promoting policies in terms of investment in film through our tax incentives and so on. The ISIF invests commercially. It is not equivalent to the Government giving grants or anything like that. It weighs up commercial criteria and decides to invest on the basis of that, and that is a good thing. It has...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: Non-governmental organisations are there for legitimate reasons and are entitled to advocate. However, just because they say something, we should not, herd-like, all agree with what they say. We need more intelligent and informed debate. The Deputy referred to the Fianna Fáil housing Department. The Environmental Protection Agency completed a consultation on characterising heavily...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: Standing back from it all and looking at pre-1990 levels, Ireland has made significant progress.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: I am not. The Deputy needs to open up and engage with the public out there. This has been a problem.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: We have to bring people with us. I was a member of the Government that brought in the toughest and most stringent climate Act. The previous Government did that.
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: Let us not lecture each other on this. The bottom line is that the population has grown exponentially. Economic growth has been quite exponential over the past decade. Notwithstanding that, there was a quite significant reduction in Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions over that period. That is all I am saying. Let us not deny that either. There is an enormous challenge to get to the 2030...
- Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 May 2025)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy would seek to undermine their position even more.