Results 961-980 of 49,960 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: When I mentioned it last week-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----there was outrage and hyperbole.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: No, this was before the 2016 election.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Do not get tetchy, Alan.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I accept fully that the journey of parents of children with special needs is an extremely challenging, difficult and traumatic one. They simply have to fight too hard and too long for access to services and in some cases, though not all, for education and access to school places. It is my objective as Taoiseach to change this story and it is a key...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: No, sorry. I did not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: More broadly, as I said earlier, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, has been involved in this case and has spoken to the regional executive officer. As I have already said, prior to this being raised, the HSE has acted and has advised the Minister of State. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has also been in touch with the HSE. The family have been advised-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----by the HSE that this matter will be resolved. In this specific case, the intervention has happened and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been advised that it will be resolved. I will discuss the broader issue with the Minister for Health and the chief executive officer of the HSE in terms of cases involved, such as this one, and, more broadly, in terms of the broader dental...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is that the State has intervened very strongly and assertively in the housing market. The State is the main player, I would argue, in the housing market right now in terms of the level of State investment. That is increasing and has increased over the last number of years. As I said yesterday, we are at record levels of social housing new builds compared with the last three...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I agree with the Deputy that it is absolutely unacceptable that a young child in these circumstances, Tiernan Power Murphy, should be denied urgent oral healthcare and dental healthcare in terms of the extraction of teeth. The fact that we are dealing with the condition of autism as well exacerbates the unacceptable nature of this. The Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, has been in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Government has established 12 Cabinet Committees as set out in the table below. The membership of each Committee is also listed. Cabinet Committees are established by the Government to assist it in carrying out the responsibilities of Government in the areas indicated by their titles. They meet as appropriate according to their work schedules. Other Ministers or Ministers of State may...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Please, I did not interrupt the Deputy. I am just making my point. I am talking about other European countries, and many do. President Trump's involvement in that phase was critical. From an Irish, European and global perspective, we must keep focusing on a step-by-step approach and consolidating getting the second stage of the ceasefire over the line and then ensuring there is a massive...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Our embassy and consular staff in Cairo have been extremely helpful to many people. If the Deputy sends on the details, I will follow this matter up and come back to her. To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, there have been different perspectives across the European Union, to put it mildly, in respect of the Middle East. Germany, because of its history and the Shoah, the Holocaust, has...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I know, but I am just saying to the Deputy that the realities, in terms of German politics, are such that there has always been that sense I already referred to. Former Chancellor Scholz said that the raison d'être of the modern Germany, post-war Germany, was to ensure the survival of Israel. That is what Chancellor Scholz said time and again, and he is not the first German politician...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I only say that by way of enlightenment. That is how people see it from their perspective. Deputy Martin Daly made a key point. First of all, I would not say the US has disengaged quite yet. Different things are happening and things are getting said. I do not think we should do a running commentary given the changes occurring. President Macron's visit yesterday was interesting....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank all the Deputies who have raised issues in respect of this committee about to be established. Ireland has taken a very consistent approach in terms of the Middle East, believing in a two-state solution. Deputy McDonald, I think, raised the question. She is not here yet, but I will just make the point that our fundamental view is that Palestinians are entitled to their homeland....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank all the Deputies who have raised issues in the context of the heath committee. Deputy McDonald raised the issue of access to general practice and primary care services in Dublin 1. Deputy McGrath raised it in respect of Cork and Deputy Moynihan in respect of Dublin Mid-West. The outgoing Minister increased significantly the number of places for the training of GPs. My...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: If we go forward to the budget for 2025, the initial allocation has been set at €25.75 billion. That is an increase of approximately €1.2 billion on last year. These are huge sums of money. That is why I am surprised by strike action in that context.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There is absolutely no moratorium on staff. There will be an increase in staff of over 3,500 whole-time equivalents in the health service. We have to also look at innovative ways of getting value for that money. People spoke earlier about scanners and so on in an art gallery and created a huge stir - rightly so - over a figure of about €100,000. We are talking about €25.5...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There absolutely is not. There is an issue, either in terms of the management of all of this or getting value for money for all of this. There is a role for the Oireachtas as well because people will condemn, give out and criticise but, equally, people then also look for more money. There are a number of strands to this. Deputy Bacik raised the shortage of public health nurses. Again,...