Results 741-760 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: Early intervention is the key. I could not agree more. We need to expand early childcare services for children with additional needs, particularly early childhood education provision for those children. We are doing that and will continue to expand services there. The HSE is not in a position to fulfil the law right now. The Deputy knows that and I know that. We have to respond to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy mentioned special education. Special class enrolment has doubled in five years. We have gone from about 9,000 to 19,000. What is that saying? It is revealing the exponential growth in the number of children requiring special needs provision and services and resources have expanded accordingly, in terms of the number of classes, SNAs and special teachers and funding for extra...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: Sorry, I have already organised that. There has been engagement and we will meet.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have met Cara before and Deputies-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: One of the reasons this Government quickly established the need for a therapy-in-school service, which we have now commenced and taken the decision to do, was the inadequacy of the response within the health service itself. Many CDNT teams are experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining therapists, as well as wider general issues. The issue is actually not one of resources; it is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy has offered no solution. She has offered rhetoric, and that is all.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is this. We will do everything we simply can to deal with the existing waiting lists and so forth. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of assessments that have actually taken place - a 30% increase on 2023 - but that in itself will not deal with the current situation. We have to have a multifaceted response. We need more therapists in third level colleges.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: We will be providing more private funding to procure assessments. All of that, however, will not, in my view, redirect the work of therapists most appropriately, which is to provide services to children.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I am making a point. Under the current system, the status quo is simply not tenable. The Deputy must know that deep down, so there has to be change in respect of that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: In my view, we have to explore every avenue we can to increase the number of therapists and to recruit more therapists. The money is there in many instances-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----and the HSE has not been able to recruit 100% of its CDNT teams.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: There will be.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: At the outset, I appreciate the work Cara Darmody has been doing and her campaigning work with her father, Mark. She has been campaigning for quite some time. She initially began to do so in terms of advocacy for her family and now does so nationally in respect of disability rights more generally. When I was appointed Taoiseach earlier in the year, I committed that this would be a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cross-Border Co-operation (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: On 10 April, I announced the new phase of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative in a keynote address to the 4th Shared Island Forum. Our Programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for building a shared island, backed by a further €1 billion commitment to the Shared Island Fund out to 2035. On 25 February, the Government announced over €50 million from...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: National Security (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments relating to our national security and defence, and work to give effect to these is already underway. The Government is committed to the delivery of a revised National Security Strategy and work is ongoing in drawing up the strategy, co-ordinated by the National Security Secretariat in my...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Cabinet Committee on Disability last met on 28th April and is due to meet again on the 5th of June.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Weather Events (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Department of the Taoiseach follows the guidance of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group in the case of a severe weather event. Depending on the severity of the weather event, employees of the Department may be advised to work from home for a period of time in the interests of their safety - in particular when it may be unsafe to travel during, and in the immediate aftermath of, a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Anti-Racism Measures (20 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: In March 2023, Ireland published its National Action Plan against Racism (NAPAR), which was developed by an Anti-Racism Committee, that was fully independent of Government and Government Ministries. Ireland was of the opinion that a single comprehensive plan, considering all facets of racism, is the best approach in an Irish societal context, and this is reflected in our NAPAR. The NAPAR...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (14 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: I am just saying what the reality is.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (14 May 2025)

Micheál Martin: We are all familiar with it. We have all enjoyed a pint in a pub.