Results 13,621-13,640 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: The point is that we have a crisis in housing.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: The fallback position of the Deputy's party is to say everything is Government policy. It is more than just a question of the Government.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: It is more than just the Government. The Deputy did not ask a question so I respectfully ask him to respect the norms of the House. I am answering Deputy Boyd Barrett-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: -----who did raise a question about homelessness.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Family homelessness is down 34%. I am simply saying there are too many objections to too many housing projects.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: It is about time people got real about the housing crisis.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I make no apology for saying that. The Deputy has form in this matter. I am making a general point because I believe we are in a housing crisis. Twenty thousand houses per year is not good enough. Covid was an issue last year. We want to get the number up but will not do so if we do not have more supply, get more planning permissions through and get the houses built in this country.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: We need to do that. We are aiming to have 12,000 provided this year. Again, we have given the local authorities and approved social housing bodies the resources to build social houses. On family homelessness and Housing First, we are 34% below the peak recorded in July 2018. However, we need to do much more. We want all children housed. That is my objective.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: We are not going to do that, however, if we do not ramp up housing supply. We need to prioritise what we want as politicians and as a society. People want more housing, particularly for younger people, who need access to affordable rent and affordable houses. We are not going to give them that access if we object collectively, and if various parties object at council level, to various...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Urban Development (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: The whole thing really should be about changing the cycle.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 13, inclusive, together. Since taking office, I have issued one formal apology in the Dáil, on behalf of the State, for the hurt experienced by many former residents of mother and baby institutions and county homes. I apologised for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a mother and baby...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Official Apology (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: First, Deputy Tóibín raised the Grace case. That commission has completed its work and there have been interim reports. It is a shocking case and I want to await the outcome of the full, compete report. I have not seen the Alice report. From what the Deputy has just said to the House, it represents a shocking situation. I will engage with the Deputy again on the issues and see...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Urban Development (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputies for their comments. The national centre will involve a collaborative spirit. I will come back to that later. In terms of the review of the north east inner city initiative that Deputy McDonald has asked for, I have not gone cool on it but we wanted to work through it. We did the progress report, which in a way is a review of its own. I think the Deputy is looking for...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Both Deputies McDonald and Bacik raised the expulsion of four senior officials in the Russian Federation embassy because their behaviour was not in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour. We are doing this under Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. I do not want to divulge the security briefing we received in respect of these individuals...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Paul Murphy raised the issue of the bonus for healthcare workers. Again, the Government has given the resources to do this to the Department of Health and HSE. These are major employers but I am anxious that the front-line workers are suitably provided for with the €1,000 payment we have agreed. The Government decided this and the implementation is about to begin. There has...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Urban Development (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, together. The Mulvey report, Dublin North East Inner City - Creating a Brighter Future, was commissioned by the Government and published in February 2017. It contained recommendations for the social and economic regeneration of Dublin's north-east inner city. This report has been supplemented by the publishing of the North East Inner...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. My Department's annual report for 2021 will be finalised and published in the coming months and will set out the work of my Department in 2021 to deliver on the strategic priorities set out in the Departments three-year statement of strategy. My Department continues to work at the centre to ensure that policies developed...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will follow that up with the Minister. I have noted that if you stay in here long enough, you will get a good geography lesson across every county and town in Ireland. I take the point the Deputy makes seriously and will follow through on it. The Healy-Rae syndrome is beginning to-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. The key issue with housing is supply. We simply need to get more houses built more quickly. That is key to dealing with the housing crisis. Regarding HAP, there are different rates across the country. They are not all uniform and the cities have much higher levels of rent, unfortunately, which have necessitated more flexibility around HAP payments. I will talk to the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2022)

Micheál Martin: I will talk to the Minister on enforcement. Enforcement is being increased across wildlife and habitat protection. I agree we have to have a stronger focus on protecting habitat and biodiversity. There is no question about that. It is under enormous threat across the country and it cannot be business as usual.