Results 10,001-10,020 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Policies (7 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department's policy is that all personnel be accorded equality of opportunity and treatment. The statutory provisions relating to the use of words importing gender are set out in section 18(b) of the Interpretation Act 2005. This provides that a word importing the masculine gender shall be read as importing the feminine gender and vice-versa. Primary legislation relating to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I disagree with the Deputy saying that if the area was more affluent, this would not be acceptable.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: This Government is committed to prioritising schools that have bigger challenges than others.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Full stop. I do not know the circumstances of this school.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Regarding what the ask should have been, I do not know if the school has applied. I presume it has.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: That is the key point.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry; I just wish to make this point. The Deputy spoke about the prefabs.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Of course they should be replaced. The issue is where is the application, when did it come in, what is its status, if the design team is finished and if it is progressing.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Is the scheme being progressed now? That is all I need to know.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue with me. I will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, regarding it and see what we can do to get the situation resolved.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: We are primarily dealing with the energy and cost-of-living crises with existing resources. It has not been dependent on the windfall tax that we announced we would be bringing in. This must be legislated for. It was announced last November and must go through the legislative process.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: In the meantime, however, we must sort out this situation. Since January 2022, we have allocated more than €9.5 billion to households. I am not referring to businesses. The temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS, for businesses is additional. This €9.5 billion is a substantial intervention to try to help people to meet what undoubtedly are severe challenges with...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I discussed this earlier with Deputy Fitzmaurice and I thank Deputy Tully for raising it again. I think the progressing disability services for children and young people programme was initiated around 2013. I had issues with it at the time. I believe multidisciplinary teams in special schools are the optimal way to help children, but that does not cover all children. That is the point the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. He has had a long-standing commitment to these issues over the years as a public representative. I agree with him on the Windsor Agreement. We must allow people to read the detail of it. It is a very detailed, comprehensive response to legitimate issues that were raised by political parties in Northern Ireland in particular and by unionist parties in respect of some...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am not fully aware of the details behind or the range of cases that might have given rise to the comments the Deputy has made. I will discuss this with the Minister for Justice and alert him to the Deputy's raising the issue on the floor of the House and how he feels there are serious matters of public interest that need to be reflected upon.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Senator McGreehan raised the same issue at our parliamentary party meeting yesterday evening. I will revert to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, as the Deputy has raised it here, but to be fair to him he has, over his term, responded consistently to different issues as they have arisen in particular sectors of the food production system. Clearly, sheep farmers are finding the going...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am not too sure that is the issue because we have had fairly rapid developments in special education in the past two and a half years. New schools have been established for the first time in over a decade. We have had two to three new special schools and new ASD units. The Department of Education was given the green light to spend a lot of capital moneys in the last year and it did. It...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister and the HSE have already announced the programme and response in terms of dealing with the issue and accelerating the times for people to get their results.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Government spends far more than €1 billion, as the Deputy knows, and we will draw that down. The Deputy is underestimating what has happened already under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, BAR. The level of investment in piers and harbours across the country is because of the BAR and the allocations are multiples of what we used to annually provide. There is no comparison. There...