Results 18,181-18,200 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is a reasonable position. If the Deputy does not accept that, that is his prerogative.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It will take a while to surpass the Deputy in that department.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that the Business Committee is due to meet today, or that it can do so. We have no difficulty in engaging with the Business Committee, as the Chief Whip has made clear, to work out the arrangements that might be optimal for the House to debate all of these issues. I hope Deputy Gannon did not mind that I interrupted him. The reason I did is because the Minister for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Quarantine is not going to happen to the degree people suggest. It is just not. Our geographic location and connectivity makes zero Covid, in my view, not capable of implementation. I believe NPHET share that view. The Chief Medical Officer and deputy CMO have heard this and the people who put this forward are serious people. I am not ridiculing or undermining people but I genuinely do...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: We could give back 15 minutes on Taoiseach's Questions. I am not dodging Taoiseach's Questions.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is wrong. That did not happen.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is wrong. The Deputy cannot say that. That is not on.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am sort of taken aback by the Deputy's enthusiasm for the statist approaches in some Asian countries towards controlling populations but that is another debate. Asian countries are doing well and I think that is because of the experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, and the fact they use their police and a much stronger state apparatus for contact tracing and so on. They...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No, they do not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy knows that New Zealand is not Ireland. Our geographical location, in my view, makes zero Covid not credible and very difficult to implement. We are not in a position to seal the Border, nor would we want to. Second, we have historically a very close relationship with Great Britain. Families travel to and fro. Surely they are not going to seal that border. We are part of the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy spoke about what happened two weeks ago, which was on a Sunday. The previous Thursday evening, the Government received a letter from the same body, NPHET, that did not even recommend moving from level 2 to level 3. These are the facts. This is the prelude to what happened on the Sunday. Suffice it to say, the letter on Sunday took the Government by surprise, and everybody in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No, that is not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not high-risk------

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy misunderstands the social bubble. She has got it wrong. I hate saying that but it is just the reality.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I do not have send the Deputy a note. What is proposed will allow persons living alone, parenting alone or similarly at risk of social isolation to pair with one other household as part of an extended household. This must be an exclusive bubble. For both households, this is their extended household and this will allow for social support beyond the provision of care exemptions already...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: This is not in the context of special categories, it is in the context of ending social isolation. On workers in vulnerable situations, we have dealt with that. We have communicated with those workers on the ground. There is the pandemic illness payment and we have made it very clear to them that they will not lose out on income if they come forward with symptoms, are tested, etc. That...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for her comments. We had an all-party leaders' meeting last Monday week.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I met Deputy Shortall afterwards with Deputy Kelly. The Deputy was on the call and then left which is fair enough as it was a long meeting. People asked for a briefing the previous week. I believe the briefing was useful in dealing with the issues the Deputy has just raised, such as modelling and the Chief Medical Officer's and deputy Chief Medical Officer's perspectives on the issues....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am speaking generally and that is what is said.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will answer the Deputy's questions. I did not interrupt her. I have time to answer her two questions but the Deputy mentioned an all-island approach. It is being tossed about the place that we should have an all-island approach and the Government should sort it. Parties in this House which are on the Northern Executive cannot sort it. We need to get real about it. There are political...