Results 17,481-17,500 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: They were in a process with the then Government at the time. That is what happened with that particular campaign at that particular time. Some of it was resolved at the higher level in terms of the larger organisations but there was engagement between the unions and the HSE at the WRC. We would seek to have these issues resolved through the proper forums. Of course section 39 workers are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: Again, organisations and regulatory bodies across the country manage and regulate their membership, including for registration purposes. It is not the function of Government to get involved in every single one at this point. The Government has put unprecedented resources in under the economy. The sums are extraordinary. The Government, through the taxpayer, is providing €1 billion...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not satisfactory that the report has not been published, notwithstanding the pandemic. Much has happened since March and a lot of normal activity in terms of the way Departments operate has been put on hold but that in itself is not an excuse for the failure to publish this very important report. I will follow up on that, find out why the report has not been published and seek to get...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: As part of the European pre-purchase agreements, the companies have been indemnified.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is no set amount. The bottom line here is that we either want a vaccine in the middle of a global pandemic or we do not. Now, get real. This is unprecedented in terms of the progress around getting this vaccine done and without pre-purchase agreements, it simply could not and would not have happened. The bottom line-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: This was very clear from the outset to those following the European debate on this. The European Commission, on behalf of the member states, entered into pre-purchase agreements with companies with a view to getting vaccines to deal with a virus that is crippling economies all over the world. If one looks at the trillions of euro that have been spent globally on trying to save economies,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: The balance is correct in this context. It is the right balance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is mandatory to correctly complete the passenger locator form and we are looking at further potential mandatory obligations. As far back as the summer I spoke to the Northern Ireland Executive about the dangers of travel. We did not have the same exponential increase in the Republic as they did in the North after the summer because we were very slow in reopening travel in this country....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter, which relates to significant employment throughout the country. It was inherited by the Government and has been brought about by massive serial objections to forestry licences all over the country, which created paralysis in the system. As the Deputy said, he supported a forestry Bill that was enacted in October, which brings the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is an important issue. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and ask him to engage with the Deputy on the primer grant aid for smaller growers. The wider matter of small growers must be addressed proactively and positively by the Government. I will engage with the Minister in that regard.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is the reason I established a task force.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: There has to be proper line accountability, right to the Minister for Health in the first instance in terms of supervision.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I set up the task force and it will report to me. It will report on 11 December. Generally speaking, I prefer to let it get the job done, get it sorted and dot the i's and cross the t's. The task force can present the plan and we will then operationalise it. The HSE will be a key driver of the operationalisation of it and the Department of Health will have oversight of that, as will the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: This is of a different scale. That is why we have brought in external expertise and those people are represented on the task force. It is important to draw on those strands that are then clearly accountable to a Minister. It is easy to nominate someone and put him or her in charge but he or she would not necessarily have the line accountability or authorisation over officials or agencies....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----will have a significant role to play on the communications side to make sure that there is a good national collective take-up of the vaccine.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: As a general point, I do not accept that the public health messaging is weak right now. I think people fully understand what is required between now and 18 December. I have seen increased mask wearing on the streets, which indicates that people are taking on board the messaging. After 18 December, people are fully aware of the communications. There will be a very comprehensive two-pronged...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----which has also been problematic in terms of the spread of the virus on both sides of the Border but in particular close to the Border itself.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am not saying that people who need affordable housing have massive savings. That is why we are supporting them. That is the reason we put €150 million into the help-to-buy scheme which the Deputy refuses to support and which she attacks whenever she gets a chance. We want to give people support to enable them to buy homes. Approximately €760 million was provided in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: I set up the task force. This is an issue of national priority that goes to the top of the Government and I will stay on top of this until everything is resolved. To be clear, much of the experience and expertise resides in the Department of Health and the HSE. They have been involved in a range of previous vaccination programmes with the national immunisation advisory committee and so...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Martin: First of all, the Deputy is incorrect and is wrong. We know that Covid-19 has had a very significant impact on the housing situation in 2020. It is true that Rebuilding Ireland home loan approvals have been down this year because of Covid-19 and significantly so in quarters 1 and 2. The pandemic impacted significantly on the building sector because of the first lockdown, and that has...