Results 17,041-17,060 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: With respect, the Deputy is a very late convert to zero Covid. The Deputy has been see-sawing around the place from the Opposition side.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: It is true, and I can point to some of the Deputy's contributions on that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy certainly did not oppose the lifting of the measures at the beginning of December. The Deputy certainly did not oppose them in the Dáil-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I want to say, if I am allowed to speak, that people have adhered-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The vast majority of people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The people have adhered, by and large, to the restrictions. When one makes something illegal and a penal provision is made, it has an impact in people's behaviour. It has had an impact on people's behaviour. Consider mask wearing, for example. I pushed very hard to make mask wearing compulsory in public-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: -----but we were told it would not be enforceable. If we brought it in for public transport, we were asked who would enforce it. Would it be the bus drivers or the gardaí and all of that kind of stuff? I heard all the problems about it. It was enforced from day one by the people. The people themselves adhered to it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Likewise, this measure will have an impact.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I said in respect of the bedroom that it was not enforceable and the Deputy deliberately twisted it in her response. Home quarantining can be-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: Home quarantining can be more readily enforceable than just swinging into somebody's bedroom, and the Deputy knows this.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I dispute the Deputy's assertion that the Government has not engaged on this issue. It has. I was very clear and honest in our presentation to the workers from the get go. Politically, others created expectations that were never going to be realised within the legal framework available to the Government. The Government is not responsible for the actions of the company. The company has...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I accept that the Deputy's thinking has evolved significantly regarding the issue of travel, and I think that would be true for most Members of the House. The Deputy, as early as last November, was clear that the return of people to Ireland to meet their families was something which should be welcomed and facilitated. I think she used the phrase "For them, coming home this Christmas is an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: There are compelling legal reasons it is not possible to do what Deputy McDonald is suggesting. That is particularly the case in respect of Irish citizens coming into the country. Regarding having the capacity to home quarantine or, indeed, to self-isolate, those people must be facilitated in that context as well. There are legal issues in this regard as well. We have our Constitution,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: That is an important input. Having said that, we are willing to work with other Members of the House in getting procedures which are as robust as possible, because I believe in prolonged suppression of the virus and in getting the numbers down to the lowest level possible and keeping them there. I will work with people in achieving that objective.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I disagree with the Deputy's assessments of the Government's responses to the pandemic. We are in an unprecedented era of the most draconian measures regarding people's movements and personal liberties that we have ever experienced. We are in this situation because of a global pandemic. That is in respect of the level 5 restrictions which we now have in operation regarding people's...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: I had phone calls with First Minister, Arlene Foster MLA, and the deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill MLA on 25 January. We discussed the latest situation on Covid-19 and the measures being taken in response, including in relation to travel. We discussed the similarity of approach across many of the actions we are each taking in response to Covid. We also discussed the issue of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Citizens' Assembly (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The work of the current Citizens’ Assembly on gender equality was interrupted in 2020 and delayed by the impact of Covid-19. The Assembly has adapted its methods to comply with Public Health guidelines and resumed its work with online meetings in October 2020 with the aim of reporting by June 2021. The experience of the current Assembly of operating on an online basis will inform the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The Government has established the following Cabinet Committees - - COVID-19 - Economic Recovery and Investment - Housing - Health - Environment and Climate Change - Social Affairs and Equality - Education - Europe - Brexit and Northern Ireland, and - Government Co-ordination The Committee on Government Co-ordination meets in advance of Government meetings and last met on Monday of this...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Functions (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The role of my Department is to assist my work as Taoiseach and the effective operation of Government. My Department is currently structured around six main divisions: - International, EU and Northern Ireland Division; - Economic Division; - Social Policy and Public Service Reform Division; - Government Secretariat; - Protocol and Civic Policy; and - Corporate Affairs Division. The remainder...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: National Economic and Social Council (3 Feb 2021)

Micheál Martin: The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) advises the Taoiseach on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The Council published 6 reports during 2020: - Climate-Change Policy: Getting the Process Right (NESC Report No.147) - Transport-Orientated Development: Assessing the Opportunity for Ireland (NESC Report No.148) ...