Results 17,861-17,880 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the issue of student nurses, as Deputy Boyd Barrett knows, discussions have been under way for quite some time. The Government's priority is to protect and support the education of all students, including student nurses and midwives. We recognise the impact of Covid-19 on student nurse and midwife placements. The Minister for Health is currently considering proposals to revise the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Hold on a second and listen. The decision was taken to suspend clinical placements for all students and to offer all undergraduate nurses and midwives temporary healthcare assistant contracts. At the same time, the salary level for fourth-year internship students was raised to the healthcare assistant rate. The cost of that was about €41 million. That worked on that occasion. ...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I have hopes for the current discussions. It seems from what I am hearing about the negotiations that people are looking for different rates now than were agreed in April. I want those negotiations to be brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible and to protect the clinical placements for students. Deputy MacDonald referred to behavioural change and the vulnerable. At all levels,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Briefly, I share Deputy Boyd Barrett's condemnation of the attack by Israel and the demolition of the 80 Palestinian homes. I am not aware as of now whether that money has been recovered. The EU provides very significant funding to support housing, education and social services in Palestine and to support the Palestinian people, as does Ireland, and we will continue to do that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Covid-19 was re-established by Government on 29 June to assess the social and economic impacts of the potential spread of Covid-19 and oversee the cross-Government response. The committee, which I chair, meets regularly as required. The committee last met on 19 October. The date of the next...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Deputy McDonald spoke initially on the Brexit issue and the EU trade negotiations more generally and, in particular, on the Mercosur trade proposition. In my view, and I raised this at a recent EU Council meeting where we discussed climate change, there is an incompatibility in the climate change agenda of the European Council and European Commission proposals on climate change. We will...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. I met with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Dublin on 8 October 2020. We discussed the programme of work for the European Council for the period ahead, with a particular focus on the agenda for the meeting of the European Council which took place on 15 and 16 October. This included Brexit, Covid-19,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government has made it clear that access to personal records is there under GDPR. The mother and baby homes report will be published. The Minister is giving it consideration and a comprehensive response to that will accompany the publication of the report. The Government outlined that in its comprehensive statement of two weeks ago on a whole range of issues. We intend to do so when...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The achievements of St. Brigid's are outstanding at national, European and world level. I have a particular interest in boxing and in doing everything I can to support amateur boxing in this country. I have asked the Minister of State with responsibility for sport to give particular attention to this sport. He will liaise with the Deputy if she sends the details of the club on to him and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: IDA Ireland works independently at one level. The Government has given it a regional mandate to work with companies that are investing in Ireland to move outside the cities where possible. Obviously, Dublin will get the lion's share of foreign direct investment because of the attractions of a capital city for inward investors, particularly digital companies and so forth. However, IDA...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Dr. Colm Henry was on the national airwaves this morning explaining and outlining the flu vaccine programme. There has been a substantial uptake of the vaccine this year. The pharmacies concerned should communicate with the HSE on whatever issues they have in terms of the distribution of the vaccine. I have no doubt that pharmacies in general are well aware, as are general practitioners,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Extraordinary and unprecedented resources have been made available for this school academic year for public transport. Even dealing with NPHET's advice in relation to 50% on a bus necessitated €100 million plus from the Government over and above what was provided for in the school transport scheme. Substantial resources have been provided already. I do not know the specifics of the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: That can be done by local authorities. Local authorities should do that.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: They do have the money. They have been given unprecedented resources. This is a national Parliament. I understand Members raising issues and I have no problem with that but that is €550,000 nationally. If that is divided among all the local authorities at €15,000 per facility, that is well within the capacity of local authorities. We have provided additional resources this...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am aware there have been issues in regard to people on the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy schemes making mortgage applications. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have kept in regular contact with banks about their approach to the loans situation in general during Covid-19, particularly during the severe lockdown phase. We have...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government has given approval to the Minister for Finance and he will be bringing forward amendments, as I understand it. He will clarify and confirm this in the Finance Bill. The amendments will deal with that judgment in order to, in the first instance, enable current applications that are delayed to be dealt with expeditiously and quickly. Then, outside of that, he is undertaking a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy might give me the details of the situation. No teacher who is working in a school is on the pandemic unemployment payment.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is a separate issue that relates to teacher allocation in regard to pupil enrolments at the beginning of September. I will engage with the Minister for Education on this. During Covid-19, as much discretion and flexibility as possible should be shown by the Department of Education in regard to DEIS schools in particular, and in regard to enrolment and teacher allocation, particularly...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is not an answer to what I said yesterday. It is not a cogent answer. There is no logic to what Deputy Paul Murphy is saying. Is he saying that, in every liquidation, the State should step aside when there is a dispute?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is what the Deputy is saying. That is part of the problem with this - people presenting it as a very simple thing that can get solved simply if the State just removes itself as a creditor. If we did that in every situation, the State would be broke in double jig time. There would be no need for redundancies, no need for statutory schemes and no need for employers to honour any of...