Results 11,321-11,340 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: What may have happened ten years ago may not inform what could happen today in terms of the rigour of a Garda investigation. We have been told it would be about six weeks. Given all that has happened, we are prepared, obviously, to give the Garda that six weeks. However, I am not dismissing, ultimately, what the Deputy is suggesting and will give that very careful consideration in terms of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this important and very serious issue. As he says, the HSE commissioned the National Independent Review Panel, NIRP, to carry out a review into very serious incidents of concern which took place between 2003 and 2016. That resulted in the publication in December of the National Independent Review Panel - Brandon Report for Publication. Prior to the NIRP...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Again, I would not as dismissive as the Deputy on what I said about our referendum, our Constitution and the separation of powers. It goes to the very heart of what happened in the United States. Above everything else, we should avoid the politicisation of the Judiciary; that is the basic point I make because that is what led to the decision on Roe v. Wade. Likewise, on the protection of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. It is fair to say that the decision on Roe v. Wade was quite shocking in many respects but fundamentally because it overturns 50 years of jurisprudence. In other words, what was judicial precedent over a 50-year period was overturned. However, we are different here in this society and our constitutional framework is different. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the offer of constructive engagement with the Government in terms of coming forward with ideas or viewpoints to tackle this issue. It is something the Government would welcome and it would respond to any constructive ideas brought forward on this issue. I come back to the fundamental point that we cannot chase inflation from month to month. The political will is there. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: As I have said, the Government has responded. There seems to be a complete brushing aside of the fact that €2.5 billion has been allocated to cost-of-living measures. We are going to do more but we will do it in a comprehensive way, embracing pay. In the private sector, the latest Central Statistics Office, CSO, data on wages are showing that the average weekly earnings in the first...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Sinn Féin's motion does say what the Deputy says it does not say. It "condemns...the hardship, anxiety and desperation being felt by households across the country, as a direct result of the Government's refusal to introduce measures to support workers and families".

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is what Sinn Féin's motion states. Deputy McDonald knows that that is not true. People are feeling anxiety and pressure, correctly, because of Putin's war.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: There is no "come on" about it. The Deputy needs to call this out consistently and not, for electoral and political reasons, replace Putin with the Irish Government, because that is what the Deputy is doing. The Deputy may not want to do it, but that is what she is doing.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Because the motion states that. The Deputy ignores the €2.4 billion in measures the Government has allocated already. You just ignore it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: There has been a 55% increase in the fuel allowance and the €200 to every single household. The point I am making is that the Deputy has wrongly-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is interrupting again because she interrupts when she is on the back foot. The bottom line is that that is what Sinn Féin's motion states. What we want to do is something comprehensive that matters to people not just this month but right throughout the winter period. It will be a very difficult winter-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----and we need a comprehensive set of measures to help people get through that because we understand fully. It is not good enough for the Deputy to say people on this side of the House are being dismissive. We are not. We share as much of the pain and concern people out there have and we are as concerned about people out there as Sinn Féin or anybody else is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: I join in welcoming and congratulating our boxing heroes, Amy, Dearbhla and Evelyn. Boxing has brought great honour to Irish sport throughout the decades and continues to do so. We pay tribute to the coaching fraternity and our boxing community. Well done to Jim O'Neill and his team. It is fantastic the degree to which young people are encouraged and nurtured through the great sport of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Bodies (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Economic Policy Unit is part of the Economic Division of my Department. The Unit supports me, as Taoiseach, in delivering sustainable and balanced economic growth and in advancing the Government’s economic priorities, including through supporting the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment, and related Senior Officials Groups, and the Cabinet Committee Sub-Group on...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: On 23 May, I welcomed a delegation from the US House of Representatives, led by Congressman Richard E. Neal, for a meeting at Government Buildings. The bipartisan delegation comprised nine members of Congress. The majority of the delegation sit on the House Ways and Means Committee, including Chairman Neal, and ranking minority member Kevin Brady. Our meeting in Government Buildings was...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: No staff of my Department are currently seconded to the university or third-level sector.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Bodies (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Taoiseach appoints members to two state boards – the NESDO and the National Statistics Board. The role of the National Statistics Board is to guide the broad strategic direction of the Central Statistics Office and to establish priorities for the development of official statistics in Ireland. The NESDO board is responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Flexible Work Practices (28 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: There are currently 218.9 whole-time equivalent staff employed in my Department. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of the staff of my Department have been working from home since March 2020. A phased return to the workplace has been underway since the easing of restrictive measures on 21 January 2022. The current working arrangements require staff to attend on site at least 2...