Results 15,921-15,940 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (19 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: My Department does not own or rent any office space. All office accommodation is provided by the Office of Public Works and is currently being used.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Working Groups (19 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Department of the Taoiseach has no working groups with industry in place. The Taoiseach has regular engagement with businesses and representative groups. This includes in the context of the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), the forum for dialogue between Government, employers and trade unions. LEEF was established in 2016 and plenary meetings are now chaired by the Taoiseach. In...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: Maybe the Minister can say something similar to what he said at Cabinet.

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

Micheál Martin: It is a matter of grave concern that serial reoffending, and people offending while on bail, causes immense anger to people and the community at large. That is very well put. Again, it is a matter we have to keep under review because many serious cases and issues have arisen while people were out on bail and serious crimes were committed. The general scheme of a criminal legal aid Bill is...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Micheál Martin: The budget introduced by this Government marks a decisive moment when our country moves forward to rebuild and renew after a once-in-a-century pandemic. It is a progressive budget, which will underpin economic recovery and return 400,000 people to work. It will deliver the largest package of income support in more than a decade. In the face of worldwide rises in costs, it provides...

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

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is wrong and he knows it. The only way to deal with the rental situation is to build houses and provide houses for Mairéad and all the people he mentioned. Ultimately, the only way to deal with this is to build far more social houses than we have built before and far more affordable houses than we have built before. The Deputy is not in favour of the affordable housing approach.

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

Micheál Martin: He is not. He has opposed projects left, right and centre because they did not have the right mix for the representatives on the councils and so on.

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

Micheál Martin: That is opposition. Does the Deputy not get that if we do not get supply fast, it could hold up projects for four or five years? That is doing more damage to renters than anything else.

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

Micheál Martin: I can count up to 6,000 units that have been opposed by the people opposite. That is political hypocrisy at the end of the day.

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

Micheál Martin: We need supply in social housing at a scale we have not done going back maybe to the 1930s, 1950s, 1960s or 1970s. We need to go back to that and get substantial social housing built. We also need to get affordable houses built as well. We need private sector development for the building of houses as well so we can reduce the dependency on the rental market on which, unfortunately, so many...

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

Micheál Martin: On the question of rent control, we have been told that a freeze would be unconstitutional. It is easy to keep shouting we should freeze rents for three years but we are being told it cannot be done.

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

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Grealish for raising this matter because it is extremely important for people to have a genuine sense of security and a feeling of safety in their communities and homes. It is a priority for the Government and the Minister for Justice. We are striving to provide that safety by engaging with communities, reducing crime, tackling recidivism and supporting victims. I am...

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

Micheál Martin: The budget does not mean anything to parents and children in situations like this. What matters is that our health service can respond in a proper, timely and effective manner to children with particular conditions that require surgery or other forms of medical treatment. That is the bottom line. Investments have been made. Previous Ministers have allocated increased resources and so on....

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

Micheál Martin: No, it is not the truth. The first point I would make is the overall context of this budget is that as we are emerging, we hope, from the pandemic, and there are still some challenges so we are not out of the woods yet regarding Covid-19, the vaccination programme and the phased reopening of the economy and society have meant a more accelerated economic recovery than anybody anticipated two...

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

Micheál Martin: I put it to the Deputy that she has opposed tax relief for renters in the form of the indexation of tax bands and credits that the Government introduced yesterday. She is resolutely opposed to that. That will give relief to those who are renting at present through reductions in income tax as a result of those measures. The Deputy opposes that, and she has articulated her opposition to it....

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

Micheál Martin: We want to provide social housing for people-----

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

Micheál Martin: -----and that is why the last 12 months have witnessed a transformation in terms of putting the State centre stage in the provision of social and affordable housing. The Housing for All strategy announced by the Government provides for unprecedented resources next year and the year after. Some 11,000 social houses are to be provided next year. That will ultimately turn around the HAP...

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy raising the issue of Adam Terry. Quite frankly, I do not think this is good enough. I do not think any child should have to wait so long to get vital surgery of this type. It is complex surgery, but that is no excuse. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children should not be the answer, although sometimes it is necessary for children to go there. In my view, this...

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

Micheál Martin: I need to correct the disinformation given to the House. The truth matters. Fianna Fáil has been in government for 15 months and we have had a Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the past 15 months. We have not been in government for five years. The Deputy should not continue to articulate an untruth-----]

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

Micheál Martin: Just because the Deputy keeps saying it does not mean it is true. It is untrue and she should stop saying it in the interest of proper honesty in public debate. Let us leave that to one side. The Deputy is also ignoring the fact this budget does deal with many thousands of people who rent, but maybe people on the housing assistance payment, HAP, or on the rental accommodation scheme,...