Results 13,501-13,520 of 50,151 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising a very important issue. I understand the concern of parents and the need for recognition of Irish citizens born through surrogacy and the rights of parents in that situation. Legislation is being developed by the Minister for Health to come before the House and it will be published shortly. The special Oireachtas committee will be established...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I agree with the need for reform of the leaving certificate. It has been reformed incrementally over the years, long before 2016. There are the leaving certificate vocational and applied programmes. The Deputy is right that we need more continuous assessment and more project-based work to be assessed. Covid has taught us that assessment, along with other forms of written exams and so on,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: The directive became redundant because the UK left the European Union and the Government, through the Minister of Health, then initiated a process whereby we would fund and support operations through a North-South arrangement in lieu of the directive. I will check the specifics of the cost and so on, but my understanding was there was a relationship between the HSE and the hospitals...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will follow that up with the Minister in respect of funding for the home supports.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have sympathy for what the Deputy said. The Sláintecare report identified three elective hospitals in Galway, Dublin and Cork. There is merit in an elective-only facility in the mid-west to free up the hospital for trauma and other tertiary treatments. It is the way to go.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: Two rounds of discussions have been held with the Irish Dental Association, the most recent of which was on 17 December, when the Department and the HSE outlined provisional proposals to invest additional resources to the scheme, including €10 million provided in the budget, on top of the 2022 Estimate allocation of €56 million. The Department is anxious to move the process on...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----and we established a range of policy committees.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I have regular contacts-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: The bottom line is that we are briefed on national security issues but there is a need for broader debate.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this important issue. As part of the first phase of the review, information and evidence on the operation of the Act will be collected from women who used the services and from health professionals who provide them. The views of the public will also be sought. There will be three elements to the first phase of the review, including public consultation, and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I fully accept what the Deputy is saying about orthopaedic waiting lists, particularly for children who require surgery, be that for spina bifida or scoliosis. Very substantial funding has been provided. Covid-19 unfortunately had an impact on waiting lists in 2020 and 2021 but there are plans to increase capacity in the existing orthopaedic centres and at Cappagh, the national orthopaedic...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communication, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Government as a whole, are very conscious of the extraordinary impact offshore wind can have on the economy of the west and in meeting our energy needs into the future. We could become a net exporter of electricity and energy into the future, with the use of hydrogen as well. There is very significant...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I do not have the specific details about the Ballydehob post office but it is the Government's objective to do everything we possibly can to support post offices across rural Ireland, and also to bring more Government activity and services to rural Ireland. That is manifest in the huge investment in hubs to facilitate remote working, SMEs, entrepreneurs, start-ups and so on. There are...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Harkin for raising this issue. I am deeply saddened by the announcement from B. Braun that it will be closing the manufacturing side of its Sligo facility. Our hearts and minds are with the employees and their families at this very difficult time for them. B. Braun has provided enormous employment opportunities for Sligo and this will be devastating for the community. The...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising question. I had a good meeting yesterday with the Women of Honour group. I am also open to meeting with other stakeholders and other groups with whom the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, would have met in relation to this. They have been through a lot of trauma. There is no question about that. They are clear that they want cultural change within our...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: A statutory inquiry has not been ruled out. I have made that clear. We have had examples in the past where scoping reviews proved effective. Eventually, if the Government takes a decision to go down that particular route, this work will be important.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I hope the report will be brought to the Government shortly. That will be an important report for the broader defence and security debate that we need in this House in respect of the modern threats to any country that are not just military but, as the Deputy said, are in the realms of cybersecurity, terrorism and so on. There are significant issues on which we have to deliver. I did not...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: Yes. I will arrange it with the Whip.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: I said that we are not revisiting the issue as far as I am concerned.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2022)

Micheál Martin: The report stands.