Results 14,181-14,200 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Every school is different. There are technical teams available to talk to schools in respect of what will work best for them. There is emergency works funding as well. We have already delivered 35,500 CO2 monitors to 4,000 schools across the country. They are an important aspect following the advice the Minister received. The advice also is that HEPA filters may be appropriate in...
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy has consistently sought throughout the pandemic to paint a dismal picture of employment in this country and that the Government is somehow negligent. He needs to acknowledge that our economy is the fastest recovering economy in the European Union. We had the fastest jobs growth in quarter 3 of any EU member state. I never hear the Deputy say that in this House, because he cannot.
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I expect you to acknowledge the fact that hundreds of thousands of people have gone back to work in the past number of months because of sound economic policies. Through the PUP, EWSS and other initiatives, we kept businesses and employment intact, but all I get from the Deputy every day is one tale of misery after the other. One would imagine there were thousands of people out of work all...
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Are we agreeing the Order of Business?
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: That is like a query we take after we agree. I think we can keep it under review. It is open to us to review anything at any time but the public health advice has given a timeline into mid-February, if I am not mistaken, on the wearing of masks in schools. The Chief Medical Officer will review that advice and communicate to the Government.
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I do not deny that. We are in the middle of a pandemic and hopefully the childhood vaccination programme will begin in earnest early in the new year. That will have an impact. We will consult the Chief Medical Officer. I fully take on board the concerns of the Ombudsman for Children. We all have those concerns.
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: The Deputy will recall that at the time the contracts were signed I was standing where she now stands. We had a robust debate around broadband more generally. The memo she referenced was published at the time in The Irish Times, if I am not mistaken, and that generated a lot of debate in this House. I may have asked questions about it at the time, so intrigued was I by that memo.
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I am just pointing out that what the Deputy is revealing is not new. In terms of the memo and so on, these are not new developments. In terms of broadband, the contract is signed and the Government's focus is on rolling out broadband and getting it as widely distributed across the country as we can.
- Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: That is a matter for parliamentary questions.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue for people and it is part of a wider agenda within Government to reduce costs for people in their ordinary lives. Insurance is a significant cost, whether one is in a household, motoring or in a business. The Deputy was correct to point to the reduction in motor insurance. This morning, the Government again adopted a significant...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his query. I noted his comments regarding the cardiac situation in Waterford, which we will continue to pursue vigorously. I am conscious another Waterford Deputy and Minister is sitting adjacent to me, who is also advocating strongly for that. I take the Deputy's point on the issue. On insurance inform, I have a lot of sympathy with the Deputy's comments on the...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I do not think the Deputy is listening to me. We are not against HEPA filters. We are for them and will provide resources for them. I have said this three times today already. There are 50,000 classrooms across the country, between primary and post-primary schools. The Department and the Minister are adopting a targeted approach to address ventilation issues, which may include air...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: These will not be the domestic-standard ones some people are talking about it. They must be of sufficient quality and grade. The funding is there. Funding will be provided for it.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Again, where it is necessary. It may not be necessary in every classroom. That is the point. I have just noticed-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: I am sorry but we have given unprecedented resources to hospitals, to the economy and to sector after sector.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Deputy Boyd Barrett must acknowledge that. He never has, but he should.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Yes, but-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: The Government acts on science all the time in respect of anything we do with regard to Covid-19. The Minister for Education acted on expert advice. A working group was formed and advice was given to the Minister for Education on schools. There is expert guidance regarding workplaces which was issued in the early stages of the pandemic. Public health officials have been arguing about good...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Journalists should continue to contact the HSE or the Department of Health to request interviews with public health officials.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Dec 2021)
Micheál Martin: Then they should notify the grid and make sure that everyone knows who is appearing on what show at a given time.