Results 18,101-18,120 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his comments. I recall that in the summer when we introduced restrictions that were equivalent to level 3 in counties Laois, Offaly and Kildare, which people may forget as things are moving so quickly, there was anger at the time, and understandably so. Those level 3 restrictions had an impact on that occasion, in terms of reducing the spread of the virus in those...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: We have a lot of agencies and we are recruiting a lot of people.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is a very fast-moving situation with a pandemic. For example, Deputy Kelly made a valid point on antigen testing.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will just make this one point. I asked the Chief Medical Officer and his team, through the oversight committee this morning, if we can get a quicker response on this. It is currently being clinically validated on the ground. That could be a very important supplemental resource to our testing regime by the time the lockdown is over.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I believe that measures like this should be announced publicly and in advance by agencies. I have always been of that view. People are working under pressure and they advised of this measure. There was nothing secretive about it. When people get a message from the HSE it will be quite transparent. It is interesting that Deputy Kelly has suggested that we separate out the process from...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: We are where we are in terms of the recruitment processes. There will be close to 800 people recruited for contact tracing. Testing and contact tracing are connected. We are testing more than we ever tested.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: We missed a lot of cases in the first phase of the pandemic when people were not tested because we did not have a testing system to the same degree we have now. People were positive and were walking around not having been tested, and they were infecting others. We know that this happened.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: When there are higher volumes of testing and much higher community transmission-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----by definition, there will be huge pressure on the contact tracing system. That said, I do not think we can now start separating out processes and so on.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: People are being recruited. We are creating a permanent workforce as opposed to what happened in the first phase when staff were taken out of physical therapy and occupational therapy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I do not believe that was a good utilisation of personnel. It had to be done, however, in the emergency we had at the time.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did not get the text from the HSE.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The only guaranteed way of preventing lockdowns in the future is human behaviour. The virus spreads when people congregate. That is, unfortunately, the truth of this virus. It is very challenging for people generally because we all have to do things we would not normally do. It has upended our lives when it comes to the normal practices of daily life. That is the unfortunate reality of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I outlined the very significant increase in capacity in testing to put it on the record of the House and it needs to be acknowledged. Things need to be viewed with balance and perspective. I am not happy and I am disappointed that because of the extraordinary demand over the weekend given the level of community transmission we currently have, there is not a test-and-tracing system in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I got a text last evening which included The Irish Timesarticle. That was when I first knew. I was not informed of the operational measure the HSE undertook in response to the extraordinary demands it was under over the weekend with community tracing. The HSE has reconfigured the call structure to deal with 1,500 positive cases per day this week. All the cases yesterday were dealt with....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy McDonald for her remarks and for raising this issue. Since the new Government was formed and came into office at the end of June, we have been determined to build up our testing and tracing capacity. That is what has happened. Without question, the contact tracing dimension has come under extreme pressure in recent days, in particular over the weekend. I recall the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: State Legal Services (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Fees paid 2014 – 2020:

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: State Legal Services (21 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The number of both junior and senior counsel that submitted applications to the Office of the Attorney General to be nominated as counsel for State work in each of the years 2014 to 2019 are detailed below. - 2014: 10 applicants - 9 BL and 1 SC - 2015: 35 applicants - 33 BL and 2 SC - 2016: 34 applicants - 33 BL and 1 SC - 2017: 70 applicants - 65 BL and 5 SC - 2018: 33 applicants - 31 BL...

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I attended a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday last, 15 and 16 October. We discussed a wide range of pressing and strategic issues over the course of two days. Our meeting opened on Thursday with a presentation by the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli. He set out the Parliament’s thinking on the European Union's seven-year budget...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Programme for Government (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes, if it is possible. The issue in terms of the application of level 5 is clear. Essential work is listed as to what is exempt and what is allowed. What we are discussing here is a very difficult situation. It involves a liquidation. The Government provides ordinary statutory redundancy. The capacity to go over and above this opens up a whole new chapter in terms of how the State will...