Results 10,701-10,720 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Housing Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Did the Deputy say the person he referred to was not on the social housing list?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Housing Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have spoken to the Minister on this and work is under way on increasing the income thresholds. I agree with Deputy Durkan. We should accelerate the use of modular homes and system-built housing. We need different types of housing, including increased use of timber-framed housing. Only 20% of housing here uses timber-frame construction, while it is 80% in Scotland. We need faster and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cross-Border Co-operation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Regarding Deputy Durkan's question, the whole idea of the shared island unit is to be without prejudice to the constitutional position. That is why I think it has gained such traction, so we need to be careful. That is all I would say to Deputies who, in good faith, have put forward various perspectives. The reason it has gained such traction among civil society in Northern Ireland is...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: The supports cover not just those areas the Deputy has identified. Much more support has been provided in the budget over and above the specific payments that the Deputy referenced.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cross-Border Co-operation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 17, inclusive, together. Through the Government's shared island initiative, we are engaging with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future and delivering tangible benefits for the whole island, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. In the budget last week, the Government confirmed an allocation of €100...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Tóibín as he was first to speak. In respect of the Navan hospital review, I have not seen it yet so I cannot confirm his perspectives on it as regards his view that it has many shortcomings. I will engage with the Minister for Health on the review. The issues are not simple either. Clinicians on all sides have different perspectives on this in County Meath and elsewhere....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is good. There are also a number of other recommendations we are continuing to work on. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of the expansion of GP care. This year, the Government took the decision to expand through income quite substantially thresholds the number of GP care medical cards for access to GPs. That will be quite substantial, with hundreds of thousands more. We are not...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: No. Questions on Policy and Legislation are over.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: On the issue raised by Deputy MacSharry, the Building Momentum pay agreement will certainly be allocated to defence staff and the broader Commission on the Defence Forces report is about making sure that we both retain staff and attract new recruits in, over and above the number of people who may leave. That will be tangible. There have been changes to some of the allowances in respect of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I know that, but I am repeatedly told that the entire project is stuck in planning, more on the Northern side than in the Republic.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will follow up on the matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments relating to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers the implementation of health reforms, including Sláintecare. The Cabinet committee last met on Thursday, 9 June, and is expected to meet...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: We need to be careful about such a fundamental change. There are major issues with forestry licensing. We knew that when the Government came in. We made legislative changes and there has been a huge investment, for example, in resources in the Department. Ecologists are key to this. Therefore, we have more ecologists and forestry inspectors, in addition to administrative staff, assigned...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I want to acknowledge that there are issues here that need to be addressed. The Minister and Tusla’s CEO have met and discussed the issues of supports to foster carers. The Minister recognises that foster carers, like many others, are experiencing cost-of-living pressures now. Both the Minister and Tusla want to respond to this in a positive and meaningful way. There is interaction...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Minister will no doubt add more details to the design of the scheme. This has to go through the commission as well. The commission has already created a temporary state aid crisis framework. As we work through this scheme, obviously issues like this will arise and we will respond. This scheme will be responsive, basically. We want to have some degree of flexibility to cover...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I apologise. What is the key point?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: That will work its way through the courts.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: I was just trying to get the point that the Deputy was asking about, to be fair. I appreciate the clarity.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: We will take legal advice on all of that, as the Government ordinarily does.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Oct 2022)

Micheál Martin: To be fair, if the money has already been allocated, there is a planning issue. I am not aware of the background detail in terms of the planning process, why the planning permission has expired or what bureaucratic issues gave rise to this.