Results 16,661-16,680 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: First of all, the purpose and objective of the scheme was to preserve employment and the viability of companies. Without the scheme, a lot of jobs would have been lost and, more importantly, the capacity of companies to re-emerge after Covid, or as we emerge out of Covid, would have been impaired very considerably. Jobs would have been lost if these schemes were not put in place in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with the performance of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly good-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I am just answering the questions because the Deputy has asked that they be answered. Quite frankly, I wonder what the his agenda is. He should be supporting the vaccination programme-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----and not trying to undermine it and to have his moments. We have just heard the Taoiseach say X and Y. I am not interested in that kind of-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----infantile and juvenile politics. What I am more interested in is giving the people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----up-to-date information.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: NIAC will meet tomorrow and the Deputy knows the form. It will adjudicate as it is the clinical adviser to Government and to all of us in respect of the safe use of vaccines. The Deputy is aware of this as am I. Let us not try to create an issue out of that. The group that we have established, which the Deputy has asked about, is nothing to be concerned about. It is a very simple...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: That to me is a simple and positive thing to do. Likewise, the task force feeds into that as well because it is dealing with the supply side, the delivery schedules, and working with the pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, when decisions are made, there is full knowledge all round as to the vaccination programme. There is ongoing informal contact between all of the key decision-makers in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I regard religious worship as a very fundamental right in any democratic society. We should acknowledge that the application of very stringent public health emergency legislation imposes many restrictions on personal and civil liberties. We rarely in ordinary times would apply such restrictions more generally on people. A global...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I will put straight questions to Deputy McDonald. Why does she continue to oppose housing projects? Why does she continue to oppose schemes and initiatives that would give young people an opportunity to own their own homes? You keep on opposing such initiatives and undermining them all the time. There is complete incoherence and inconsistency in the Deputy's approach to housing. She...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: First, we should acknowledge that the vaccine programme has been very effective. The only qualification we ever put in terms of the roll out of the vaccination programme was one of supply. It is well-known that we have had difficulties, in particular with AstraZeneca, in terms of supply and consistency in matching commitments to deliver with the delivery schedule and the actual supply of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I have to disagree with the Deputy's presentation of the issue. Fianna Fáil has been in a coalition Government with the Fine Gael Party and the Green Party for ten months, having been out of government for ten years. We have made housing a major priority of Government, with our colleagues. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has applied...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Citizens' Assembly (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The current Citizens' Assembly on gender equality was established in January 2020 and, following delays caused by Covid-19, resumed its work with on-line meetings in October last year. The Assembly adapted its methods to comply with Public Health Guidelines. It held its final deliberative meeting online last weekend (17th-18thApril) including voting. The results of the members’ voting...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 27 together. As a consequence of the Covid19 pandemic, this year’s programme of events to mark St. Patrick’s Day took place online. On 17 March, I had meetings with President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, and with members of the Friends of Ireland caucus. My discussions with President Biden and Vice President Harris...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: UN Security Council (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: Ireland took its seat on the UN Security Council on 1 January 2021. It is a great honour for Ireland to have been elected to serve on the Council. We believe it has a vital role to play in preventing and resolving conflict throughout the world, and that Ireland can make a real contribution to that work. We will use our term to work with partners to strengthen conflict prevention, support...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Table 1: Department of the Taoiseach Staff by Grade and Gender - 21 April 2021 Grade Total Male Female Assistant Secretary 6 3 3 Principal Officer 18 9 9 Assistant Principal Officer 38 ...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: General Data Protection Regulation (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: My Department has received a total of 17 Data Subject Access requests from members of the public since the GDPR came into force in May, 2018. All of the requests have been accepted and no related complaints have been received. YEAR Number of GDPR Data Subject Access Requests Received Accepted/ Refused Status 2021 6 All...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Vaccination Programme (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government has regular and ongoing engagement with companies involved in supplying vaccines for Covid-19, as well as with the European Commission and others involved in the procurement and production of vaccines. I myself have had a number of direct engagements with companies involved in the development and supply of vaccines. This has included meetings with AstraZeneca, Johnson and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commissions of Investigation (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: The NAMA Commission of Investigation, whose sole member is Judge John Cooke, was established in June 2017 following consultations by the then Government with Opposition parties to investigate the sale by NAMA of its Northern Ireland portfolio, known as Project Eagle. The Commission’s original deadline for reporting was 31 June 2018 but following several requests from the Commission,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Shared Island Unit (21 Apr 2021)

Micheál Martin: As part of the Shared Island initiative, the Shared Island unit in my Department is progressing a comprehensive research programme, working with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and the Irish Research Council (IRC). Strengthening social, economic and political links on the island and the promotion of all-island approaches to...