Results 13,021-13,040 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: To be fair to the Deputy, he has had a consistently negative view about restrictions designed to protect public health. The motivation behind-----
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: I am answering. The motivation behind the recommendation and the public health advice with regard to masks was an honourable one to try to protect children and teachers.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: This was in consultation with all the stakeholders in education. There will be a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET-----
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: -----and there will be advice in relation to this.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: First, we all condemn what was an appalling attack on Tom Niland. It represents a terrible cruelty, viciousness and savagery that we should not tolerate in our society. My understanding is that there are 292 members of An Garda Síochána in the Sligo division. Our numbers might differ; we have to correlate them. I will come back to the Deputy in that regard. There are 189...
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising that specific issue. I will revert to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to make sure that people get what has been allocated, notwithstanding the mechanisms they have in place.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: In short, yes. I spoke to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, with regard to this. In the next while, pending the establishment of an agency, this is a very serious issue. That list is priority urgent needs in certain counties and certain areas. I would like to accelerate the provision of refuge places, using local authorities in the interim,...
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: Again, these are issues with which the Department is dealing on an ongoing basis. There is quite a range of schools at different stages in terms of construction of new schools or extensions and so forth. I will raise the issue with the Minister.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: I do not think it is for the Taoiseach of the day to be allocating SNAs to different schools across the country. I understand the school may have particular concerns with regard to its specific situation. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, advises on these matters. I do not know whether the Deputy has contacted the NCSE.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: There are 3,500 schools in the country. I do not think it is feasible that the Oireachtas is going to have to deal with every individual school application.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: First of all, the retrofitting scheme has not started yet.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: We have the money and it has been allocated. The retrofitting scheme clearly has not affected the current pandemic cycle of inflation.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: I ask the Deputy to calm down. There is no need to be roaring about the issue. The bottom line is that in 2021, the country spent €6.2 billion on imported fuels compared with €3.4 billion in 2020. We spent €6.2 billion on imported fuels in 2021 compared with €3.4 billion in 2020. That is a €2.8 billion increase in the bill for imported fuel, largely...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy cannot deny the global nature of this.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: During budget time, the Deputy is the first in the queue looking for higher investment in roads, rail and projects in his constituency, and greater social protection measures. There has to be a revenue base to pay for all of that.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: That is the reality. The revenue we generate relates to what we can do for society and for the public, more generally.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: We have to be transparent and straight up about this. There is no denying the global nature of this issue. We must take measures to try to help people alleviate the pressure.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: It is my understanding that National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is meeting with the school concerned and that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, is also engaged on the issue. I must say that SNA provision is not in crisis. The expenditure on special needs education has grown dramatically in recent years. We have expanded the number of SNAs in our schools.
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: That should be acknowledged. There needs to be balance in the debate here. Ministers do not allocate to every individual school across the country. We cannot be expected to do that and neither can the Oireachtas. We make representations in respect of different schools. There is a general allocation system and so forth. However, the numbers have never been higher. It is a system I...
- Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Feb 2022)
Micheál Martin: In the first instance, we have already put a 10% stamp duty on the purchase of ten or more houses, as the Deputy knows. Supply is the answer. It is the only answer, ultimately. The Deputy knows that, as does everybody else. We need to ramp up the supply of apartments and houses. We do not want to take steps that will reduce apartment building.