Results 14,481-14,500 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government's main focus is on drawing up a scheme to comprehensively deal with issues for householders who have been affected by mica. Parallel with that, we are looking at accountability and at which legal mechanisms may be available. The Deputy refers to a public inquiry. That would take a minimum of five or six years and would not deal with the immediate issue, knowing how things happen.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The HSE has conducted an incredible number of PCR tests. There were 207,000 PCR tests in the last seven days. That indicates the pressure on the system and the level of infection. If people are symptomatic, they should simply stay at home. The HSE is doing everything it can to increase capacity further. It has brought in additional private sector capacity to add further to the HSE's core...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: Yes, it can. We do everything that we can to support University Hospital Limerick. It is acknowledged that the hospital is under much pressure. There are high numbers with Covid in Limerick, which manifest in hospitalisation rates, especially in the intensive care unit. The high numbers are getting attention from the HSE. We are looking at what resources and innovation we can provide to...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I understand that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been alerted about this and about issues with a number of defective units other than those affected by mica. It is a general concern for the State. I cannot yet give a timeline on the working group but I believe it is close to finality. The Minister will publish that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I will come back to the Deputy about the exact timelines. I do not want to pre-empt it.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: How many evictions have there been?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: If we could get an indication of the number of evictions, that would help us to work on the issue. There should be no excuse for not bringing vacant houses back into use because unprecedented funding has been allocated to local authorities to bring the voids back into use quickly. The Residential Tenancies Board should be used by those who are being threatened with eviction to make sure...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I take the point that the Deputy has made. Legislation was passed in the Oireachtas some time ago, by a previous Dáil, stating that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, can recommend that the Minister mandatorily instruct a school to have an ASD class. That should be more streamlined and simplified. The Minister should not have to tell a school that it needs to have an...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government has decided to keep everything under review but I will make a point in respect of pandemic unemployment payments. Taking the hospitality sector, for example, there has been a consistent response from that sector, as well as from retail, that it is finding it difficult to fill vacancies. One would like to think that notwithstanding the impact of the measures we took last week...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I did not say that. I ask the Deputy not to put words in my mouth and to let me finish. I am just talking about hospitality workers for the hospitality sector, in that there should be an absorption capacity within the totality of hospitality to deal with anybody in that sector who may be looking for work. In terms of bespoke areas, we have provided supports for the entertainment and music...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, it is not unlawful. It is within the parameters of state aid. Generally, the State airports - and they are State airports - are important to the country's connectivity. They are not just specific to one local area. Dublin and Cork airports are part of the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA. Shannon Airport has its own governance structures but it has a reach to the entire west. Knock...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: There have been a number of issues with Waterford for quite some time, to be fair, which predated this Government. Previous Governments provided supports to Waterford.-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is not fair to juxtapose one against the other. The reason it was the fastest runway project was the management there took a decision, rather than spending years and trying to do it while business was open----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----it decided to close the airport and get it done in three months. That worked and it is worth it for other people to watch them in terms of getting projects done quickly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is worth bearing in mind that the total economic supports provided by the Government to date are in excess of €20 billion. This does not include in excess of €2.8 billion in tax debt warehousing or the €1.5 billion in loans supported through Government schemes, such as the credit guarantee scheme. The employment wage subsidy scheme has, to date, granted payments of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: Yes, but it has to be done in a routine way and not in reaction to symptoms. That is the key point. The concern of the Chief Medical Officer is around the use and overuse of antigen testing. When people are symptomatic, they should get PCR tests straight away. By the end of September, more than 100,000 antigen tests were used in agriculture, for example, in food premises and so on. The...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. A number of Deputies on all sides of the House have also raised it with me. I will certainly have the matter examined and will engage in getting some resolution to this. I take the points that have been raised as fair.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I understand that Deputies may have criticisms and so on but some of the language being used is out of order. I respectfully suggest that there needs to be a greater sense of giving a positive message to the public about what is being achieved as well. It is all very well to talk about putting the tin hat on it and attempting to ridicule what is going on. It is not right of Deputy McDonald...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The impression from the contributions of the Opposition is that nobody is getting tested and no one can get tested. We already had a good discussion on testing during Leaders' Questions. I gave information on testing and I said that the HSE is doing everything it possibly can to expand PCR testing. I remember Deputy McDonald saying well over a year ago that 100,000 tests per week was the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I regret that some game-playing is going on.