Results 17,961-17,980 of 50,434 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Exactly the way the Deputy is behaving, that is why. I know what he is at.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Are they shovel ready?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: There was an interesting short film in the Cork Film Festival last week on the Dursey Sound cable car. Did the Deputy see it?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: It put west Cork on the map. It is a fabulous film and it was eight to ten minutes long.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: It illustrates the potential of that iconic and landmark cable car, which has far more tourist potential than that for which it was originally intended. It was an extraordinary piece of filming and I recommend it to the Deputy. It also illustrated the artistic creativity that to me is the hallmark of west Cork and that will help to drive the area forward. I asked the Deputy to get those...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy knows the story with task forces. They have been appointed since time began. It is more important to get the projects through. We have county councils and all sorts of bodies that have been created over time so let us work through the existing bodies and get LEADER funding and so on in place.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Every secondary school in west Cork got the grant that everybody else got-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----and that is the first time ever they would have gotten minor work scheme grants twice in the one year. That happened in the context of Covid-19 but that will be significant and there will be school projects, like in every other area around the country.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising a range of issues pertaining to west Cork. He may, at any stage, raise issues with me if he wishes. Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Cairns have come to me with individual projects. When the flooding happened, for example, we were able to respond quickly to some of the issues that arose. The Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, in particular was alert and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I fully appreciate the Deputy's question and his motivations. As I have said, we will engage with different sectors. We are very conscious of the enormous fiscal intervention that the Government, on behalf of the State, has had to make to underpin as many businesses and jobs as we possibly can during levels 3, 4 and 5, because the impact is very severe. It is estimated, for example, that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government took the decision to move to level 3, which had significant implications for hospitality in general and for pubs, then decided to restrict household visits, moved to level 4 in some counties, and then to level 5 across the entire country. What was the motivation behind all of that? The motivation was simply to reduce community...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I congratulate Claire on the birth of Grace O'Leary. I was aware of the pregnancy from my conversations with organisers of the picket over recent months and their concerns for Claire during her pregnancy in what has been a very difficult situation arising from the liquidation of Debenhams and the failure, in my view, to honour the collective agreement Debenhams had entered into with the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I accept the Deputy has consistently raised this. He said that no one ever said it would not be difficult. I beg to differ; the Deputy has always suggested it would be very easy. From the get-go he suggested to the workers and everybody that this is easy and can be solved by Government doing X, Y and Z. Deputy Barry has been suggesting that it is an easy thing to fix. It is not as easy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: In relation to ideology, it was a general point, not specific to this site, but it is an important point. Our party believes in social housing. That is why this year's budget is historic. Very substantial funding is going to public housing. A record sum of €3.3 billion has been allocated for housing, but we need to get projects going. We need to get houses built as well. I ask...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is a general point.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes, by the way, we believe in home ownership as well.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Others do not, but we believe in the concept of home ownership in anchoring communities. In any event, there will be a mix of housing. We developed the concept of mixed developments well over two decades ago on particular sites. People need to engage with a view to getting this issue resolved as reasonably and quickly as they possibly can because an awful lot of people need housing at...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: We are going to do the social housing side of it very strongly in 2021. Much funding has been put aside for that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: First, by way of clarification, my earlier statement was on behalf of the Government. That is very important. It is a matter for the Oireachtas in its own time to decide how it wishes to proceed. That is an important point. My earlier statement in terms of the judicial issue was on behalf of the Government because the Government has a constitutional duty and responsibility relating to the...

Statement by An Taoiseach (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: On behalf of the Government, I want to issue the following statement. The independence and the integrity of the Judiciary is of paramount importance. The Judiciary has played a vital role in supporting the democratic and constitutional traditions of the State since its foundation and has ensured respect for the rule of law which underpins those traditions. The Government notes the informal...