Results 12,641-12,660 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I do not agree with the Deputy's moral equivalence.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: The one country in the world that has wreaked terrible war on a people is Russia. The Deputy keeps trying to qualify and dilute it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Let us keep a singular focus now on Russia and what it is doing - killing women and children.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Stop coming in here every day trying to qualify it and having an each-way bet.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: What I am witnessing is appalling. I want to say this much: I have no truck with any despot or any dictatorship regime.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I know that the European Union is the most peaceful organisation on the international geopolitical landscape right now. Europe is the biggest donor to Ukraine right now. Europe is the biggest donor to Africa right now. Europe has been the biggest donor of vaccines across the globe. Europe is playing its part, and all I hear here are attempts to try to undermine Europe's role. The next...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: My view, in terms of what everybody has said here, is that the fundamental change and the lesson from this war, which is as clear as night follows day, is that we must double down on renewables. That is the ultimate way out of this, so that countries do not have leverage to shield and protect their despotic regimes. That is the lesson. Germany has worked very hard for decades to reach out...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: There are realities here.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I believe Europe needs to work very hard on renewables. The idea of a super, pan-European renewable grid is something that will take time to develop, but it is something on which Europe should focus. I will raise it with the European Commission and others. By the way, the European Commission has said that when it looks at the energy map of Europe, the only way out is more renewables.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 21, inclusive, together. Like public representatives generally, I meet church leaders informally from time to time in the course of attending official functions. The most recent formal meeting I had took place on 15 April 2021 when I met with the leaders of the all-island Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 15, inclusive, together. I visited Berlin for a one-day programme of events on 22 February. I met the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. We discussed the extremely concerning situation in Ukraine which has deteriorated significantly since our meeting. Ireland stands with our EU partners in making clear that there can be no compromise on Ukraine's...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Civil Service (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: In the first instance, Deputy McDonald raised the issue of the accountability board. It has not met since 2016. In fact, two Governments have now passed and we need to reflect on what are the best accountability mechanisms in terms of civil servants more generally and otherwise. There are internal accountability mechanisms, of course, within the various pieces of legislation, such as the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Civil Service (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Again, it does not exist and has not met since 2016, so the de factoanswer is "Yes". I will come back to-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Civil Service (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: No, I do not think it was. It just happened around 2016. I will have to check that out again and come back to the Deputy on it. In relation to the point raised by Deputy Tóibín, I do not have a figure here in terms of how many people within the public service are working remotely. There was during the pandemic a general view that if we could facilitate off-site working,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Civil Service (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Well, the Government press secretary is there and always has been, and there is the Government Information Service, GIS, because communications are important. I can recall right throughout the pandemic the clarion call was for more communications on issues of vital importance to employers, employees, the general public and various sectors of the economy. Communications are important in that...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: First of all, I wish to make the point that, already, very significant supports have been offered by Ireland as a member of the EU in the waiving of visa requirements and through the temporary protection directive, which gives residency to all Ukrainian women fleeing to Ireland with their children and assists them in accessing social protection payments, education, childcare and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Civil Service (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The Civil Service Management Board provides collective leadership to the Civil Service renewal programme. The board is chaired by the Secretary General to the Government and its membership consists of all Secretaries General of Departments and heads of major offices. The board meets, in general, once a month and the minutes of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: We are all very conscious of the impact of the war in Ukraine and various issues on fuel prices, the cost of home heating and, in particular, the cost of getting to work that is incurred at the petrol pump. The Government is keeping this under very active consideration, as I said earlier, and will continue to do so. On Racheal's journey from a war zone, it is good to witness the progress...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I would have to give that some thought. Some equity release schemes are not the best sometimes for senior citizens. I would like to explore these issues further with the Deputy.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Justice and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have published the audit on refuge spaces for women who are victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The work will commence very quickly on that. Of course, it will take time to design facilities and work with groups on the ground in given locations to bring about the construction and...