Results 9,841-9,860 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Bacik expressed her concern regarding the consolidated planning and development Bill, which the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will bring to Government on 13 December. I have repeatedly stated that we will publish the Bill before the end of the year but that it will go into the pre-legislative scrutiny process because it is a major legislative measure and will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: As for fisheries, as the Deputy knows, Brexit was the key factor there. We have brought in funding from the Brexit adjustment fund, which will help in that regard.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: There has been a 50% increase in LEADER funding for west Cork and Cork county in general. The Deputy knows about the Bandon flood relief scheme, which has received huge public funding, and €5 million has gone into the Bandon public realm project. The Clonakilty and Skibbereen flood relief schemes have been funded. Significant public money is going into west Cork and the Deputy knows...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes, Global Shares. When Mr. Dimon arrived, he could not get over the productivity of the workers in Clonakilty. An international financial services company based in west Cork is doing outstanding work. The Deputy should be careful. I do not mind him raising issues but he should not paint a picture of one long tale of misery. One thing west Cork is not is miserable.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising those issues. The country has enjoyed full employment for the past two years, having come out of Covid. West Cork has not been immune from this. Agricultural incomes have gone up over recent years, despite what the Deputy said. They went up significantly last year. I was in Ringaskiddy at the weekend, on Saturday. The Mayor of the County of Cork was...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy should talk to the Mayor of the County of Cork. He is opening a lot of developments. The urban relief road in Carrigaline has been transformative in addressing the congestion there. It gives very quick access to Minane and places further along. We will seek further improvements to the LEADER and CLÁR programmes, but the Deputy must surely acknowledge the additional...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Minister is committed to this and there is a recommendation to come from the Housing Commission.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: There is no doubt but that water will remain in public ownership in this country. I know of no political party in this Dáil or this Oireachtas which wants to privatise water.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: No they do not. I have not seen anyone say that. No one has articulated that in a long, long time. We need to stop the scaremongering but that said, we are committed to a referendum. But let us stop the scaremongering. The public wants a smooth, efficient delivery of water services. We need to expand wastewater treatment plants. That is the focus on the Government. It is to get more...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: A workplace framework agreement was agreed with the unions through the WRC and so on. There has been a lot of consultation and a lot of engagement on this. Moreover, as I said originally, it is voluntary.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is devastated.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. Transfers to Irish Water of water services workers under the framework for future delivery of water services, which was identified, as the Deputy will know, at the Workplace Relations Commission on 24 June of this year, are voluntary. Every worker will have the option of staying with his or her local authority, and transfers will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: Again, the Deputies opposite keep talking about the word "emergency", but why did they oppose the Land Development Agency Act? Why did they oppose the Affordable Housing Act? Is it really an emergency when Deputies indulge in the luxury of opposing legislation that provides additional supply on public land? That is the problem. I feel that people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: People articulate a lot of rhetoric in the House about "emergency" and "urgency" and so on.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I suggest this rhetoric sometimes is not matched. The homeless issue is a very serious issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: We need more supply to deal with that. That is why we have ramped up social housing supply very significantly - to deal with the issue of homelessness and the waiting lists for people who are trying to get social housing. This is why we have ramped it up, and it is up significantly. Consider the numbers of workers who are working in construction. There are 40,000 more people working in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is that it has to compete with other, bigger banks that operate in financial services in this country and which employ thousands of people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----and with technology companies that can offer far higher rates of pay. There is a fundamental issue there as well.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin went for direct action in its time.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, I do not. Some very fundamental decisions have been taken that have changed the momentum in respect of housing for the next decade. We are already on track to exceed this year's target of 24,600 under Housing for All. We need to consider that we had two significant lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, which dominated the first year and a half to two years of this Government. Despite...