Results 12,641-12,660 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is that people are under pressure. There is no doubt about that. It has been caused by Putin's war. There is no doubt about that.

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

Micheál Martin: What happened at the European Council was a European-wide decision. We are not dependent on Russian oil and gas imports. Other countries are and they took much more difficult decisions that we did. We cannot condone the war. I hope the Deputy is not saying we should take no action against Russia. We must keep pressure on Putin's regime to stop this war. We cannot just look after...

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

Micheál Martin: The European Union has correctly decided to put sanctions on the importation of Russian gas and oil. Our task is to alleviate pressure on people in this country. The forthcoming budget will give us an opportunity to do that in a strategic way that does not lead to runaway inflation again. We cannot go back to the 1970s and cause second-round and third-round inflationary impacts. If we...

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

Micheál Martin: -----we would do exactly that.

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the cost of living. There is no doubt that Putin's war on Ukraine has pushed inflation worldwide to its highest level ever. That is the reality. It is affecting prices of imports of energy, food and other commodities. The Government is acutely aware of the enormous pressures on people arising from this round of inflation, which has been imported as a result...

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

Micheál Martin: We have also decreased the excise duty on petrol, diesel and green diesel, saving motorists between €9 and €12 each time they fill their tank. Public transport fares are now down 20% and 50% for young people. We have changed health costs for people with changes to the drugs payment scheme threshold. In education, we took measures on examination fees. We reduced VAT from...

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

Micheál Martin: Right across all areas we will move to help people.

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

Micheál Martin: The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has met with Nursing Homes Ireland, NHI, the representative body, and continues to do so. At the moment the Government is allocating approximately €1 billion for the care of approximately 22,000 residents on an annual basis. The Exchequer contribution as we speak is quite significant and will obviously grow in terms of demographics and of the...

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As it transpires, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is meeting with the CEO of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, Mr. Liam Sloyan, to discuss the issues the Deputy raised and the general issues that face nursing homes and their ongoing relationship with the NTPF. The nursing home representative bodies are also in discussions...

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

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the comments and position adopted by the Deputy in respect of this issue. That is important, and it is important that at European Union level that all of our respective groupings within the European Parliament are apprised of this and briefed on the up-to-date position and on the feeling on the ground in Northern Ireland in respect of the operation of the protocol for the vast...

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

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and the sense of unity across the House in relation to this assault on an international agreement. Fundamentally, that is what is potentially being considered by the British Government. It is producing legislation which represents a breach of an international agreement it freely entered into. The British Prime Minister advocated this protocol and trade...

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

Micheál Martin: Cothaíonn an cinneadh atá déanta ag Rialtas na Breataine easpa muiníne sa Rialtas sin ar fud na hEorpa agus i measc cheannairí na hEorpa. De réir dealraimh, is é an bunteachtaireacht atá ann anois ná go bhfuil sé chun an conradh seo a chur ar leataobh. Fundamentally, and it is with regret I say this, I get the sense that the current British...

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

Micheál Martin: I repeat that it is our long-standing, consistent view that it is only by substantive negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom Government that these issues can be resolved.

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The publication of this legislation yesterday by the British Government and the contributions of various British Government Ministers who have attempted to justify it have amounted to a profoundly dispiriting moment. I was in government when the Good Friday Agreement was sanctioned by our Government. I was there during the early stages of the Good...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The accommodation used by my Department is located in a low-risk area for radon. Radon testing was carried out in the basement of Government Buildings some years ago and it was advised at that time that no further action was necessary.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cross-Border Co-operation (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: On 28 April, I launched and participated in a webinar conference on the Shared Island report referred to, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), on ‘A North – South comparison of Education and training systems: lessons for policy’. This report was commissioned as part of the joint research programme between the ESRI and my Department’s Shared Island...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Government is committed to tackling violence against women in all its forms, and is currently working on a new strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence which will be published shortly. This new plan will have a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported. It will set an overall goal of zero tolerance for domestic, sexual and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Interest Rates (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: The National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO) are both independent offices operating under the aegis of the Department. NESDO have not been charged interest for savings in their deposit account. The CSO do not have a deposit account and charges to the CSO bank account are applied as with all other Government Departments under the...

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

Micheál Martin: No former Secretaries General of my Department are seconded from my Department to another organisation.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ukraine War (14 Jun 2022)

Micheál Martin: Recruitment to my Department and to the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department, is mainly undertaken through the Public Appointments Service both at graduate and non-graduate level. Where necessary, the Public Appointments Service uses the NARIC foreign qualifications comparability service provided by Quality and Qualifications...