Results 17,921-17,940 of 50,353 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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...

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

Micheál Martin: It is a target and objective of the Government to reduce gender pay inequality. There should not be that level of inequality in terms of payments in public and private sector employment. We will continue to work to reduce that differential. It should not be there. In terms of student nurses, negotiations have been ongoing for some time. They were successfully concluded in the first...

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

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the issues involved and Mr. Wall has raised them on a consistent basis. We should publish the report. The HSE's clinical advisory group was reconstituted in 2019. The Deputy is correct that it has given certain advices. The Government will act on those advices. Some of them are long-term and others are medium-term in nature. In the interim, the Government will honour what...

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

Micheál Martin: The issue is receiving the urgent attention and ongoing engagement of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Health. The Chief Medical Officer has been consulted with regard to any risks that may or may not be there in terms of mink farms in Ireland and Covid-19. My understanding is that a policy position was adopted by the previous Oireachtas to phase out...

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

Micheál Martin: Sorry, the HSE deals with this issue. I do not know whether the Deputy has contacted the HSE or not about it but he might give me the details and I will follow it up for him. There are many contract tracers out there now and there has not been an issue to date in terms of people being paid.