Results 15,961-15,980 of 50,294 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy's point is valid that the defective blocks do not respect county boundaries. The Minister is also disposed to that view and is minded to be inclusive when amending the scheme.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: In fairness to the Deputy, she has never been slow to speak up and advocate for Carlow. I will engage with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of this matter, particularly in terms of the equalisation fund and what the Deputy says has been a consistent underfunding of Carlow for quite a number of years in the amount of €2.7 million per year. I will...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy has moved fast on aviation from a position where he wanted nobody travelling in or out of here after Christmas and was urging me to bring in mandatory hotel quarantining in double quick time, to suddenly turning around and saying it is all the Government's fault. Covid-19 has decimated travel. The Government has provided a range of services and in particular, we want to get...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be responding to the Labour Party's legislation in a constructive way tomorrow. That is one issue that is in the overall mix and the Minister is preparing a broad housing strategy, namely, Housing For All. Our objective is to get as many houses built as quickly as we possibly can using every available mechanism to do that. That...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: As I said, the Minister will be responding in a constructive way to the legislation. The Government has assessed this and it will be constructive in response to the Deputy's legislation.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: Again, that is a distortion of what the Government's position is. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, particularly in relation to the testimonies that were given to the confidential committee, wants the voices of survivors to be given proper status in all of this.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: Yes. On the guillotine, as it has been described, of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, we are on Report Stage of this comprehensive, groundbreaking legislation. As a former Minister responsible for climate action, Deputy Naughten knows better than most the enormous challenges facing society in meeting our climate targets. Four hours have been allowed for...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: We have a huge agenda ahead of us and that is the basis upon which we are trying to impose time limits.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: I welcome the fact we are having a debate on fisheries. In fairness, Deputy Christy O'Sullivan has been pushing this for some time. It is good we have 200 minutes allocated for the debate, which others have also sought, and we should have it. On the Common Agricultural Policy, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is in talks on that today and on an ongoing basis. We will...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: A debate is scheduled this week and we will come back to it again. In other words, this will continue for a bit in terms of the Common Agricultural Policy. On the fisheries issue, I have beefed up the social dialogue process within my Department because of the significant issues arising for the fishing industry, not just in the context of the control plan but also in the context of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, it is not. We had similar structured dialogue prior to Brexit. We need a structured approach with the fishing industry to deal with the issues in a frank and realistic way and to deal with how we can best help the industry to deal with the significant challenges before it. Unfortunately, distortions that we were against having a debate on the fishing industry were put about the place....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Order of Business is agreed by the Business Committee and sometimes people vote for the Business Committee's Order of Business. It does not mean they are against holding a debate on something else. It is unfair to cast that aspersion on Members. When Members vote for an Order of Business that has been agreed by the Business Committee, that suddenly gets translated as these Deputies...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: Put your hand on the windowsill and it crumbles. To me, that does need to be pursued. That is what I meant.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: When I visited Donegal last week, it was not a covert visit. The key focus of that was not only to visit a home, meet the Loftus family and see the appalling condition of their home but also to meet the action group, Donegal County Council and the chairperson of the mica action committee on Donegal County Council, Councillor Martin McDermott, who was in the group, to have a long and thorough...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: It was a good, substantive meeting. Analysis can happen already from the applications that have now come in because many of these are individual homes, as well as local authority homes, as the Deputy will be aware, that have to be rectified.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: That is the intention. This has gone on too long. I have looked at the timeline as well. I was not in government for the past ten years but this thing has gone on too long. Homeowners have raised legitimate issues. They have got to be dealt with. I referenced the Attorney General last week. I have an issue with certain people walking away from this. That is my issue. Who supplied...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: That is a separate question, which is more general to the health service. I have consistently said the Government wishes to recognise not only front-line healthcare workers but front-line workers, and is continuing to examine the optimal way of doing this. However, we are not out of the pandemic yet and all our attention and focus are on making sure we continue with progress on the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: No, I did not say that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: I never said that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jun 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Naughten for raising the issue. As society begins to reopen we will be able to reduce our reliance on many different supports that the Government has provided throughout the pandemic. The Covid-19 temporary assistance payment scheme was established as part of a comprehensive package of support measures for nursing homes at the start of the pandemic. It was originally...