Results 14,661-14,680 of 50,213 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: They just keep knocking everything and making it out to be ridiculous.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for the question. I accept there is an issue around substitution and that there are very significant challenges. Various measures have been taken by the Minister to date to try to improve the situation in terms of additional teachers being added, and in terms of supply panels and existing new areas where significant challenges have been demonstrated in substitution, and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I agree with the Deputy. In order to guarantee the security of energy supply into the future, we need accelerated investment in infrastructure. We also need to work collectively across the House and on councils to try to create a culture of prioritising security of energy supply and electricity supply, with a view to saying that we cannot be putting obstacles along the route every time...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I have no tolerance for voids or for hanging around. Voids should be brought back into use very quickly where houses are vacated. When I came into office, I asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to focus on this with the July stimulus. The report related to prior to the pandemic. Since then, and by the end of this year, my understanding is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I stated earlier in response to other questions that the rent situation is hugely challenging for renters. We need more supply. If anything, the report shows the scarcity of units available now to rent. That is what it really illustrates, the absolute scarcity of apartments and houses. We need to build more, and we need to get them built as quickly as we possibly can. Everybody needs to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. He correctly pointed out the enormous resources that are there – 19,000 SNAs and 14,000 special education teachers. The National Council for Special Education makes the decisions in respect of the various schools and the assessments that are carried out through the special educational needs organisers, SENOs. I will bring the issue the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Collins's analysis is wrong. We are the last country in Europe to bring in such a regime. We have delayed and prevaricated and that has not helped our cause in Europe. It will not help our cause if Deputy Collins's view is to persist in terms of future negotiations of the Common Fisheries Policy. We need a broader view in terms of how to deal with the fishing industry in the future.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I genuinely think this approach is wrong. That is why I want to facilitate engagement with fishing interests and have a proper national dialogue in terms of the bigger challenges they face in respect of Brexit. At the time, we avoided a no-deal Brexit, which would have been horrendous and catastrophic for the fishing industry.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is because under the Common Fisheries Policy we had access to UK waters. There needs to be a collective strategic approach on fishing, not one based on attacking on issues that are not going to help the overall situation at the end of the day.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I will come back to Deputy Connolly with a specific time and date on the publication of the plan. As I stated earlier, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, are working together to develop a comprehensive strategy to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the issues the Deputy raises. First, there has been an unprecedented resourcing of home care packages. The one major constraint at the moment is securing the necessary number of people to work in home care. That is the only constraint; it is not resources. That is a challenge in terms of making sure that we can get enough workers into the sector from a variety of sources....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and assure her that the essence of the national development plan is to address the regional imbalance in economic development in the country. She mentioned the citywide strategy. That is a good thing because it will help all regions in terms of that imbalance. If the Deputy looks at key sectors such as education, for example, there is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I accept the Deputy's point about the need for accountability and metrics and measurements to ensure the objectives of the plan materialise. There are always different metrics used by different bodies and groups to analyse and reach conclusions. For me, one of the essential ingredients of the NDP is human capital. Maybe all of us focus too much on the big, mega-project. What drives...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I assure the Deputy that this is receiving the active and ongoing engagement of the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman, Darragh O'Brien and McEntee. The latter has returned as Minister; before that, it was Deputy Humphreys. Additional resources were provided in the budget. The working through and the consultations with key stakeholders on the strategy continue. We want to arrive at a situation...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: The booster campaign is important in this phase of the pandemic in reducing severe illness. The evidence is strong now. Evidence is emerging that administration of the booster vaccine to the over-80s is having an impact on reducing severe illness in that age cohort. I am aware of the interaction and the proper level of engagement with the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, NPHET and NIAC. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I acknowledge there are significant challenges in fully implementing the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, which provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the Health Service Executive. I know the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy. I will talk to the Minister for Health about the publication of the report on orthodontic care. These are negotiations and discussions that involve contractors seeking a better contract, which will involve additional resources from the taxpayer to provide care for those who have medical cards. We want to provide free dental care for those with medical cards. As always,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, the wrong impression is being put entirely on the National Transport Authority, NTA, report on the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. I will first deal with the issue of emissions. The strategy was published yesterday and it is a statutory requirement to review the strategy it had published in 2016. Under that strategy, greenhouse gases linked to public transport will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, I am not. I am genuinely not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Nov 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, BusConnects is a huge priority. There have been comprehensive and extensive consultations with communities about BusConnects. The investment has been put into the NDP to make that happen. Likewise, with MetroLink, that is going to happen. I understand all of the frustrations and I accept the point-----