Results 5,521-5,540 of 50,064 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: People talk about a cross-party approach. A week ago, the all of those opposite got together with People Before Profit, which even this morning could not condemn the Hamas attack on October 7. Labour wants a cross-party approach yet it attacked us a week ago and called us cowardly, notwithstanding the fact that we are before the ICJ. The bona fides all around in the context of working on a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Boyd Barrett attacked me this morning. He has attacked me for going to Israel to try to get Irish civilians out of Gaza. In the same breath, he has asked me to help to get Irish civilians out of Gaza and condemns me for trying to do that.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: We need a bit of honesty if the Deputy wants a cross-party approach.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: According to UNICEF, Ireland has probably been one of the better performers when it comes to reducing child poverty globally. We are in the top ten.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is where Ireland is positioned globally. There has been a consistent reduction over the past number of years in child poverty. Covid created challenges but we put huge investment into social protection. We targeted that investment at children at risk and will continue to do so in the context of social welfare payments, which will be doubled in the forthcoming payment next week as part...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: Our free primary schoolbook scheme is a dramatic intervention that significantly reduces costs for families, particularly in the context of participation in education. We have made progress. We need to continue to do so.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is no question that we have made significant interventions such as the free book scheme and in the reduction of costs for health, for example.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: It depends on the nature of the public forum. There should always be engagement between State agencies and the public in structured ways that can lead to the provision of information, questions being answered and issues dealt with. It is unacceptable that there should be discoloured water in the two houses to which the Deputy referred because overall, drinking water quality from public...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am representing the Government this afternoon in respect of Government policy, by the way, not just the Fianna Fáil Party. Fianna Fáil has an ethical framework governing social media policy. If the Deputy had bothered to ask me as leader of the party, I would have provided-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: -----her with that. We have a disciplinary process as well if anyone violates that policy or undermines people in an untoward and unacceptable way. I hope all parties have.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is an evolving situation. Does the Deputy have a specific example? She has laced her contribution with innuendo, which is difficult to reply to. I do not know the specifics of what she is talking about.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I have no idea about what she is alleging and who she is alleging it against.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy just thrown something out there into the ether, which is not a very honest way of doing things. If she has a problem with a particular person, say it to me. Say it to the Fianna Fáil Party. We have commented on other tweets about situations that we found unacceptable. That happens across all parties and individuals. There is a policy and a disciplinary process to deal with it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for acknowledging that there has been an increase in house completions. The Central Statistics Office indicated today that 32,695 houses were completed in 2023. That is a 10% increase on 2022, which saw a 45% increase on 2021. The momentum on house building is in the right direction. Without question, Covid held us back. Over 100,000 houses will have been built since...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is very cynical. It seems to be more about leverage electoral and political advantage for themselves than about an objective and rational assessment of how we proceed. In terms of intervention, the point is that we cannot intervene until we know the basis of the case. Our approach to this is exactly the same as our approach to Ukraine. Ukraine was refuting Russian allegations, which...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: Going back to the court case, states that consider they have a legal basis for intervention in the ICJ must seek the court's permission to intervene. This is typically done in all cases. Nothing new is happening here. It is typically done after the court has made any provisional measures orders. The court is now saying it will deliver that tomorrow. What are the provisional measures...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I just answered it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: If the Deputy is suggesting that somebody is doing this, maybe she should call it out, if there is validity to it. More generally, public representatives should be upfront and transparent in their communications. In my view, no public representative or political party should be creating a bot machine, or a whole series of approaches that facilitate trending and the creation of false news or...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: First, the Deputy’s analysis is wrong, actually. We need a multidimensional approach to healthcare. The Deputy is falling into the old trap. It is about tertiary hospital capacity for him but actually it is not. That is an important part of it but it is about building up community care and primary care. I attended Ballincollig primary care centre two weeks ago. It is a fantastic...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ah, keep quiet, Deputy Gould.