Results 15,541-15,560 of 50,294 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: The need for a national maternity hospital is without question. The women of Ireland need a modern national maternity hospital providing the best of care at a tertiary level. The current conditions are simply not good enough or tenable into the future and cannot be sustained. We need a new national maternity hospital. In terms of value for money, the procurement provisions in public...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important issue. I take on board the comments made by Uachtarán na hÉireann on gambling advertising. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to comprehensively reforming the licensing and regulation of gambling activities and the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, is overseeing the reform of that legislation. In...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: As I said, there are two steps involved in this. We need to get a gambling regulator in place. The Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, is determined to do that. He is competent, diligent and committed to it and I have no doubt he will get it done. We will then need to have a wider debate about gambling advertising more generally. It would be useful for an all-party committee to give...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government is a year in office. It has been hit by the Covid pandemic, which resulted in 8,000 or 9,000, if not 10,000, houses not being built due to the two lockdowns. That has set us back somewhat but we are going to try to catch up as quickly as we possibly can. Anyone looking at the figures would have to come back with the conclusion that the focus is on direct builds, both social...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, I take the opportunity to congratulate Deputy Bacik on her election to Dáil Éireann and welcome her warmly to the House.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: She has been a long-standing activist on public and social issues. I think the people of Dublin Bay South recognised that and reflected it in their affirmation of her role. I have no doubt from her previous parliamentary experience that the Deputy will add value to Dáil Éireann. I also pay tribute to her party for its success in the by-election. No doubt we will have the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Reviews (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Cabinet Handbook requires that Memorandums for the Government should indicate clearly the impacts of the proposal under a number of headings, including employment; gender equality; poverty or social exclusion; people with disabilities; and rural communities. In addition, when conducting a Regulatory Impact Analysis, the impact of the legislative proposal, including the costs and benefits...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: My diary for quarter 2 of 2021 has been published and is available on my Department's website.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Department has identified three legal cases which have been brought against my Department during the period in question. All three involve proceedings brought in relation to decisions made by my Department on foot of requests received under the Access to Information on the Environment Regulations. For completeness, the Department has sought confirmation from the Office of the Chief State...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Citizens' Assembly (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: I would be broadly in agreement with the Deputy's point that the world has changed and society has changed. It is not just the church and education and social services; it is also what happens post the church leaving certain sectors of society. I am particularly conscious of the disability sector and section 38 organisations more generally, capacity issues and relationships between the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that what is going on in terms of the discrimination against Palestinians is unacceptable. There is no question about that. Ireland continues to call out Israel in respect of that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: We consistently seek to get an alternative approach.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Citizens' Assembly (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together. The Citizens' Assembly on gender equality was established in January 2020 and submitted its final report to the Oireachtas on 2 June. The assembly agreed 45 priority recommendations covering a wide range of areas set out in its mandate. These include recommendations on politics and leadership, care giving and childcare, domestic,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: I take Deputy Brendan Smith's point on Russia. There was a good meeting and a good discussion including at a prior Council meeting for some time. The point has been made that the five principles that govern the EU's approach in the relationship include the full implementation of the Minsk agreements and strengthening relations with eastern partner countries, which was reiterated at the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: All I see, however, is sloganeering, having a cut and objecting to this, that and the other in the midst of a housing crisis.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: Take Shanganagh. Does Deputy Boyd Barrett not accept any bona fides? The Government has just approved the Shanganagh proposal, which involved social, affordable and cost rental housing. This year we will have the first major cost rental initiatives and scheme. I want to expand that so people can rent quite significantly below the market rate, enhancing affordability in the rental market...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: There were a lot of questions, though. I want to try to do justice to-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: May we have an extra five minutes?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: When I spoke in the Dáil I said - I still hold to this view - that a limited degree of leasing has some importance. That was the exact statement I made, which no one has quoted, for obvious reasons. In the long term it is not great value for money for us not to own the property at the end. That is my view. I have said that to the Minister. The Housing for All strategy will deal...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Jul 2021)

Micheál Martin: Generally speaking, lots of projects have not been developed at all and at the moment show no signs of development.