Results 11,241-11,260 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Small to medium enterprises are the backbone of our economy. My understanding is that there was a task force up to a year ago and that it has completed its work and its recommendations have been implemented by the Ministers of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. LEEF does very valuable work. There is a long-standing issue...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I know but there is an SME component to IBEC too. I know the issues. There is a multiplicity, or really two bodies in the main, in the SME category. Generally on the export side, Enterprise Ireland looks after export companies. I have always thought there should be a continuum from the local enterprise offices, LEOS, or from the microenterprise sector to enable companies to get to the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I was reading a chapter of Mark Henry's book,In Fact: An Optimist's Guide to Ireland at 100the other night. It goes over the progress made in 100 years. Since the 1990s, there has been a transformation and dramatic improvement in wastewater compared with where we were through wastewater treatment plants and so on and a whole range of other issues. I am not clear why the situation is as it...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I think the Deputy must acknowledge that there has been tremendous investment by this Government in Rosslare. It has been unprecedented in recent decades.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, not by the EU, it was by the Government. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform can give it list by list on customs funding and so on as a result of Brexit under the previous Government, as well as new development. Rosslare has been a beneficiary of Brexit, as it turned out, and also now there is also the area of offshore wind coming. I see very good potential for Rosslare. ...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The issue of CDNTs is one of recruitment of the therapists. I have convened meetings with the Ministers for Health and Education, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to prioritise the recruitment of therapists for special needs children. I have had issues on how this has progressed in certain areas with disability where children's access to therapists is not...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: State contracts are issued in accordance with European Union procurement law. There is very little the State can do to cherry-pick who gets or does not get a contract. There are times when local authorities, states or even governments might like to do that, but then you are down a slippery slope. We urge that EROs not be challenged in the manner this one is being challenged. I will come...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this. He has consistently raised this issue. It was a significant initiative by Government to reduce student fees by €1,000 this year and €500 next September. There have been post-Brexit changes, generally speaking, in terms of the grant regime in Scotland vis-á-visIrish students and fees. I will discuss this again with the Minister for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for alerting me to the news that I am sanctioned. It is a new development. I do not think I have ever been sanctioned before. I will have to be updated on that and see what the implications of it are. It is part of a broader propaganda war being waged by Russia. As I said in relation to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae's comments on the challenges around accommodation of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising that. It has been raised by a number of Deputies. Regarding any anomalies of that kind, we do not want to punish people for being on a training course or that they would lose the once-off payment. We will come back to the Deputy to clarify that but my understanding is those anomalies are being dealt with. The Deputy raised issues in terms of pensions, which...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for highlighting the fantastic work the Samaritans do. When I was Minister for Health we had a discrete lottery fund allocation at the time and were able to assist Dublin and Cork Samaritans with new facilities. We should always seek to ensure their facilities are good and any training or whatever is supported. That is theiresprit de corpsand ethos. The Deputy's...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgement that this is a good scheme. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, about the specific issue the Deputy has raised. I presume it is to do with valuations - I am not sure - as to why different rates apply to different counties. I will follow it up. I know it is the Deputy's objective that we would create a scheme that can help people and get...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: The negotiation of trade deals is a Commission function and Parliament here can decide to ratify it, if it wishes, or not. We must have a balanced approach to this. I have not heard compelling arguments against free trade agreements, particularly from a country like Ireland, which is an open economy that exports 90% of its goods and services and creates thousands of jobs. The Canadian deal...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important road safety issue. I will write to the RSA to communicate his views and concerns around the road safety aspect of this. It is complex with regard to the wider issues and how we deal with it. I will not go into the different methodologies and so on. I have been reading a lot of articles on what they do in other jurisdictions, but if we...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I would not be immediately aware of the details of that specific school and the issues there. Suffice it to say, the quality and commitment of Irish teachers are the bedrock of our education system. I will ask the Minister for Education to look at the specifics to see what can be done to help the school more broadly in terms of the curriculum choice that requires the specialist teachers and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: I think I understand fully where the Deputy is coming from. There has been huge pressure on that hospital over recent years. The workforce has increased - I went through that with the Deputy - and the budget went up 20% in one year alone. In 2022, it is €315 million, an increase of 19%. Actually, that is since 2019, so it was not in one year. The new 60-bed module was put in in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes, and we have to work to-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: No. In the south west, it is essentially Cork University Hospital, CUH. There is Mercy University Hospital and so on, but CUH is a tertiary-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: A bigger population. It does not matter. We need to resource and advance Limerick more. We have to. It does need more capacity in terms of personnel, facilities, beds and so forth. The enhanced community care side of it is very important also so that we can reduce the number of people presenting who do not need to go to accident and emergency departments. It is very important they have...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Micheál Martin: There are a range of plans in place, particularly in terms of the cancer control programme and the role of cancer services. I am not sure as to the reason for those particular chemotherapy appointments being cancelled, but in terms of the overall cancer programme, it is extremely important that appointments be kept and that people get their treatments in the manner prescribed by the...