Results 18,241-18,260 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council Meetings (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputies. They caught me by surprise there. I thought there might be more. Deputy Ó Ríordáin was first regarding the position on Brexit. It was a brief discussion. I met the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the Thursday. It was a very good meeting. She reaffirmed EU support for Ireland on Brexit and emphasised the importance...

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will attend a meeting of the European Council next Thursday and Friday, 15 and 16 October. It is expected that the agenda, which has yet to be finalised, will include Brexit, Covid-19, climate change and EU-Africa relations. Depending on developments, further items may be added in due course. Before addressing the upcoming meeting, it might be helpful for the House for me to report...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council Meetings (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I attended a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 1 and 2 October at which we discussed the health and economic impacts of Covid-19 and agreed the need to strengthen our co-ordination especially as regards the development and distribution of a vaccine at European Union level. The response to Covid-19 also formed part of our consideration of our agenda item on the Single...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, the Department of An Taoiseach is not a huge Department in terms of numbers given the range of co-ordinating work it does across so many other Departments. There is a bit of a myth about this. The Deputy made comments about this earlier. The public service works extremely well and has worked particularly well during Covid-19. Many senior civil...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will address Deputy Boyd Barrett's question on the film industry first. I have not seen that dossier and cannot really comment on its substance without having seen it in the first instance. I do not know whether the Deputy has submitted it to Revenue or to other authorities which may be in a position to investigate it, if there was wrongdoing. I am not clear on the status of the dossier....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Okay. We are hoping the unions will come back and there have been talks with ICTU on this. We understand where it is coming from in that regard. On public service reform and more particularly about the CE scheme supervisors Deputy McDonald mentioned, I will point out that Fianna Fáil have not been in government since 2011 and I certainly have not been in any executive position...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The requirement for specialist policy input and advice is a matter for each individual Minister to consider having regard to the area of responsibility and the support in place in the relevant Departments. I have put in place a range of appropriate advisory supports to support me in my role as Taoiseach and Head of Government. At present there are six special advisers working in my private...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 9, inclusive, together. The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me, as Taoiseach, and the Government, in delivering programme for Government objectives, and public policies and services, which help create a socially inclusive and fair society. Specifically, the division assists the work of the Cabinet...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I do not know the reason those applications were refused. I have spoken to the Minister, Senator Hackett, and we had a good discussion around the need to strengthen the organic sector within agriculture. I appreciate the Deputy embracing that sector as an important area for growth and development into the future. I have a passionate interest in terms of promoting and developing it and,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Many ICU beds across the country are occupied because we want them to be in terms of ongoing non-Covid treatments. That is part of the overall plan in terms of the resumption of non-Covid services in our health system and that will continue. In respect of specific hospital allocation and provision, in the first instance, the allocation and prioritisation of resources is a matter for the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, brought legislation to the Cabinet last week regarding the retention of records pertaining to mother and child homes. I do not believe he brought a report, specifically, to last week's Cabinet meeting. That Bill will be published and, to be fair, the Minister has engaged with all involved and is anxious to work to help survivors and families of all those...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The flu vaccine programme is under way and there are specific categories of people who will receive it. I will talk to the health authorities about the Deputy's suggestion. By and large, the vulnerable sectors of the population are the first priority and there is also a specific programme for children, unlike last year. We are looking for a far more expanded programme and a higher...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government supports microgeneration and will continue to do so. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, will be publishing a groundbreaking climate Bill today which will set far-reaching targets for the country and our society. I believe it will be transformative in its impact. That said, microgeneration on its own will not meet the energy needs of the country into the future. Renewable...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy clearly did not listen to me yesterday. I actually said that we would have to replace the European Union directive with a separate bilateral arrangement between Ireland and the United Kingdom. That is because the cross-border directive is a European Union directive. The Deputy and I know that Britain is leaving the European Union on 1 January so that specific directive could not...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government has great appreciation for the work of the many carers across the country. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform are mindful of that in the context of the forthcoming budget, alongside all the challenges they will face which they have to engage with and try to manage within available resources. There had been continuing provision of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: 1 o’clock The Tánaiste has asked the Company Law Review Group to examine changes to legislation not just along the lines of the Duffy Cahill report but also with regard to stronger parity for collective agreements with others in any liquidations. The bottom line is that this is a liquidation. Incidentally, it is not clear that the application of the recommendations in the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. We reduced the post-primary pupil-teacher ratio to a degree as part of the reopening of the schools package. The Minister for Education and Skills is pursuing a range of issues in the budget and the allocation of Estimates next year. Undoubtedly, she will endeavour to prioritise the needs of both primary and second level education into 2021,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not being ignored, and I accept the Deputy's point regarding the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, which is significant and serious. It could continue as long as the pandemic continues. I am concerned about that. We must be conscious of that in the allocation and utilisation of resources. Significant resources have been allocated to mental health over a number of years-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----but the capacity to recruit clinicians and personnel has proved difficult. That is a problem. The most important provision in mental health is community mental health. Nobody should leave an emergency department in an acute hospital with no follow-up through either a psychiatric nurse or some community-based psychiatric service that would be of help. That is the ideal model.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: When did the Deputy ask me?