Results 121-140 of 51,570 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is Carlow County Council made a submission to Irish Water. I do not know how recent that was. The Government and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, have allocated substantial funding to Irish Water in respect of the national development plan. We have engaged with Irish Water on this particular proposal.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: House prices are very high, and too high for many young people. That said, since 2020, notwithstanding Covid, about 148,000 new houses have been delivered in this country. The percentage of first-time buyers has been steadily increasing from about 25% of all purchases in 2015 to just under 40% in July 2025, and the latest data indicate further increases. First-time buyers continue to make...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: That review is going before the emergency development forum, which is imminent. I met with many of the groups after Storm Éowyn. Irish Water, in particular, undertook to immediately procure additional generators for the number of facilities where there had not been generators prior to or during Storm Éowyn. That was one practical step that we could take. We have also undertaken...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: First, I join the Ceann Comhairle in welcoming the active retirement group from Midleton, and Ability West. I have a strong fondness for Midleton women.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I know. In any event, in terms of the bike shed the Deputy referenced earlier, the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is saying the approximate cost for the actual bike shed was €32,000. There is a lot more else going on there. In terms of the IPAS, that report was circulated today and we need to examine it. We have transferred responsibility for migration and IPAS centres from...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: He agreed yesterday.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue for a very significant industry in the country. He spoke eloquently about the west Cork experience. As he will know, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, has been hounding me on this issue, as has the Minister, Deputy Foley, from the Kerry perspective. All the counties where hospitality is particularly strong in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I understand the issue the Deputy is raising. The costs increased significantly for the sector. I acknowledge that. The data we are getting in is not showing any significant decline in employment, but there could be churn. Some people could be in difficulty while other new businesses are established and opened. We want long-term sustainability for the industry and the hospitality sector....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is correct when she says we have choices. Everyone in the House has choices. The estimated cost is around €600 million. We also want to increase domiciliary care allowance and other categories of social protection, which the Minister will bring to the Government in the first instance and then the measures will be announced on budget day. It will all come under an overall...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Cairns for raising a very important issue. We value the work of carers. Michael Woods brought in the carer's allowance quite a number of years ago. He was a Fianna Fáil Minister for social protection and at the time it was a novel concept. It was quite innovative. It started at a very low level, but incrementally things have improved significantly. We committed in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: We need more capacity, both in human resources and physical capacity in terms of ring-fenced surgery and so forth, to enable us to make even further inroads into the waiting lists.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: At that stage there would have been newer members on the board. This is important. It is very easy. This is a challenge. The Government has a responsibility to maintain existing services. In the interim, you just cannot announce new initiatives off the top of your head. I signalled very early on the move that has transpired in respect of CHI coming in under the remit of the HSE. In...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: That may potentially create challenges as well.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue that demands a very profound and comprehensive response. I again express my deepest sympathies to Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison on the very sad passing of their son Harvey. We have to do much better when it comes to healthcare services for our children. I understand the anger and frustrations felt by parents and the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: They wanted a second one as well. They wanted two bike sheds for here. They wrote to the Ceann Comhairle for a bike shed-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----and did not come in condemning the costs. I presume the one in the maternity hospital is for workers to facilitate them if they cycle to work. We need to be careful too. Are we saying workers should not have facilities in an active travel context to reduce traffic congestion and allow people to cycle to work?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I can understand the Minister of State, Deputy Moran's annoyance because the bottom line is the Deputy's assertion-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: She talked to me about being a smart alec. Her assertions today were bogus, flawed and not serious. No one is taking that kind of nonsense seriously. She should take heed of what the Minister of State said. Read the e-tender. Yes, we have spent billions of euro on infrastructure. A lot of the projects we spent on have come in on target. Many schools such as Edmund Rice College, Dublin,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have answered the question. Go and read the e-tender.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2025)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest of respect-----