Results 18,281-18,300 of 50,453 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: In terms of mortgages, the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform will engage with the banks on this issue. On the first occasion, good work was done. That is not acknowledged in this House, of course, but the payment breaks worked effectively.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Deputy McDonald knows the reason. It is not that we ended them. Once we came out of lockdown, there was a time limit to it with the European Banking Authority. It did not add to the number of non-performing loans.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: This scheme did not create difficulties for borrowers either.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Indefinite payment breaks forever are not, on their own, the ideal solution either in terms of those who are borrowers or lenders. I refer here not just to mortgages but also personal loans, business loans and so on.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did not interrupt the Deputy. I would appreciate being given the opportunity to answer the questions asked by Deputies in this House.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the ban on evictions issue raised by Deputy Kelly-----

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----the bottom line is that there is a constitutional issue as well. Let us not pretend there is not. The ban came in during lockdown because a lockdown restricts movement. It gives a basis to prevent evictions because of the constraint on people's movement and then the danger of becoming homeless if evicted and so on. The Minister, therefore, will bring in legislation that will be...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: We did not let it slide. The Deputy deliberately misreads the situation. She knows that is not the case.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: If the Deputy is so certain, I am amazed improvements have not happened in the North with regard to it. The Deputy is in government in the North. I do not understand.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: If the Deputy is so certain that is the case, why does she not do it in the North where she is in power and has the influence and decision-making power to do so? I presumes it is because of similar reasons.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No, it is not. It is just an important point. Deputy Boyd Barrett also raised the issue of the mortgage break and the lockdowns. We do not want people in a long-term overloading of debt. Of course, we do not. The evictions issues will be dealt with. The Ministers will see what we can do to make sure people with mortgages are not put under stress and anxiety and those people's situations...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Hyperbole and polemic are some of the Deputy's great strengths but there comes a time to stop. No one can say that we are doing "Covid on the cheap". The health service received a €4 billion allocation in the budget, that is, €2 billion for Covid-19 and €2 billion to permanently embed improvements into the service. That is not Covid on the cheap. We have built the...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not cheap labour. The health service is not using cheap labour.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not. Look at the entirety of the workforce. It is not cheap labour. That is another myth and fallacy to put forward.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Equally, our objective is to learn lessons from Covid-19 and accelerate improvements and reforms in our health service delivery in the context of community delivery, rehab, home care-based provision and community diagnosing, keeping people out of hospital as long as we possibly can and moving more into prevention, primary care and community care sides. That is the objective of Government...

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

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. Notwithstanding the impact of Covid-19 on all aspects of the social and economic life of our country, we have been working hard to implement commitments in the programme for Government across a wide range of issues in all Departments. A structure comprising ten Cabinet committees with specific responsibility for a range of issues has...

Ceisteanna – Questions: National Economic and Social Council (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the climate Bill and a just transition, the Bill is transformative. It should be welcomed by the Opposition and Deputy McDonald's party, Sinn Féin, although I know they have issues with the climate change agenda, have taken a negative stance on the matter and are somewhat in denial about it in reality. As for the just transition, we moved in respect of the midlands. The Government...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 28 September and will meet again shortly. The committee oversees the implementation of the programme for Government commitments in respect of housing and related matters. Significant work is under way on the delivery of these commitments through Departments, agencies and...

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

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the point Deputy McGrath has made. Again, the difficulty with lockdowns is that they are crude and blunt instruments designed to reduce congregation and people gathering. Recommendations come from NPHET on the variety of measures that are required. We try to be as judicious, effective and compassionate as we can. One can always go through each individual setting. If we...

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

Micheál Martin: Thank you for that lead-in, a Cheann Comhairle. First, level 5 is difficult and very challenging. It is a lockdown. Everyone says it did not happen in their place. I do not know where the virus starts. If one was to add up the list of all the places where it did not happen, one would be hard pressed to find where the virus begins. The virus spreads from people to people. Public health...