Results 12,241-12,260 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: That is the point. That is the very point that I am making. The Deputy’s proposal is vague, it is not costed and it is one-dimensional. It does not have the breadth or depth of what the Government is considering in alleviating and reducing pressures on households, protecting jobs, helping out schools with capitation grants, and helping out various State entities that provide...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----because we are going to intervene. We are going to reduce the burden of electricity prices on people. However, we are going to do more in the budget and in pay. We have concluded the public service pay talks. We will have tax proposals in the budget as well. We will be reducing costs more broadly.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: In the first instance, on behalf of the Government and on my own behalf, I again would like to convey my deepest sympathy to King Charles, the royal household, the United Kingdom Government and the British people on the loss of their beloved monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. There are many on this island who saw Queen Elizabeth as their queen. We sympathise with them on this very sad...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: It is one that will always endure in the folklore of our city and, indeed, the country at large. In respect of the energy and cost of living crisis, we are facing the worst global energy crisis since the 1970s at least, and probably worse than that of the 1970s because it also applies to gas and other fuel types, not just oil. Clearly, it emanates from a deadly war-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----in terms of Putin's war on the people of Ukraine and his weaponisation of war. We need to be very clear about that at all times in assessing and in how we respond to this issue. It is having massive consequences for the entirety of Europe, so it makes sense that Ireland respond as part of the wider European Union framework. We are not just relying on EU measures alone, as the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Staff (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: The expenses paid to advisers in my Department in the years 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022 are set out in the table below. Year Expenses 2020 €1,678.53 2021 €2,557.18 2022 (to date) €757.55 Total €4,993.26

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Local Authorities (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: My Department has not allocated any grant-aid or subsidies to any local authorities in the years in question.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Advertising (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: In 2021 and to date in 2022 my Department incurred expenditure of €727,162.88 on social media advertising. €708,325.33 of this spend was on 26 COVID-19 public information campaigns as part of the Government’s coordinated approach to COVID-19 public health communications. All expenditure related to advertising campaigns on a range of social media platforms - Twitter,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Constitutional Amendments (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 54 together. Constitutional Reform takes account of priorities identified in the Programme for Government and from the Citizens Assemblies and it is viewed as an ongoing process.   In relation to a constitutional amendment with regard to the declarations required to be taken by the President, members of the Judiciary and Council of State on...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Local Authorities (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Louth County Council received €10,000 in 2016 under the Local Diaspora Strategy Development Fund (LDSDF) which made up to €10,000 available for each Local Authority to invest in developing strategies for diaspora engagement at local and community level. A total of 24 Local Authorities received funding under this programme in 2016. Diaspora funding was transferred to the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commissions of Investigation (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Certain information relating to matters in the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation on Mother and Baby Homes were disclosed in a newspaper report prior to the consideration of that report by the Government. In that context, I requested that an investigation be carried out. A senior official in my Department is carrying out the investigation and it is being done in the context of a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of the staff in my Department have been working from home since March 2020 with some business units maintaining a continuous on site presence throughout due to the nature of their work supporting the essential operation of Government Buildings to support the work of the Taoiseach and Government. A phased return to the workplace has been...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commemorative Events (14 Sep 2022)

Micheál Martin: As part of the programme of events for the Decade of Centenaries, a cultural event will take place on Saturday, 17 September to reflect on the Centenary of the Civil War and to remember those whose lives were lost. The event will take place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin and it will include a variety of musical and spoken-word performances, involving the National Symphony Orchestra and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Strategies (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: We now have the highest number of commencements on record. We have the highest number of planning permissions in over a decade. We have the highest number of completions in over a decade. We have established a high-level housing delivery group. Unfortunately, in the past two years we have been hit by Covid first, with two lockdowns, and now by a war on Ukraine, which is affecting...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Strategies (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: This does not apply just to education but to anybody living and working in Dublin or in the major cities in respect of any profession. One cannot single out just one profession. There is no doubt but there are challenges and that people will opt for a lower rent situation that would meet their personal requirements if they can get it. Until we get supply to a really significant level, we...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 23 June, and Friday, 24 June, in Brussels. The meeting was preceded by a meeting of European Union and western Balkans leaders, in which I also participated, and was followed by a meeting of the Euro summit, at which leaders were joined by the President of the ECB and the President of the Eurogroup. It was the fifth meeting of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has a rent pressure zone, RPZ, rate of 2%, and that is a fact. Looking at the data-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: They are working for existing houses and the Deputy knows that. By the way, I did speak to Prime Minister Mark Rutte about housing. The Dutch have huge challenges in housing and they have to build on an even greater scale than us. There is not a country that does not have issues with housing, particularly in cities.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Dutch are not in as benign a situation as the Deputy suggests.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jul 2022)

Micheál Martin: I dealt with most of what Deputy Murphy raised. The overall story is that Ukraine's application to join the European Union opens the door for substantial funding by the European Union and the world more generally for Ukraine. Other countries have come together, especially during the Lugano conference, and committed to supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine given the extraordinary...