Results 18,321-18,340 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna – Questions: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Was I?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: In response to Deputies Danny and Michael Healy-Rae, nobody in this House wants to close pubs and they need to accept that. Nobody here wants to close pubs. Do the Deputies honestly believe that people wake up in the morning asking how we can close more pubs? No one believes that. No one wants to do that. The real issue is that there was a recommendation that we go to level 5, which...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I agree that we want therapists on the front line dealing with children and people generally who require interventions from therapists. That is why 500 people are being recruited in the community swabbing area. They have gone through the interview process and the first new staff will start on 8 October in community swabbing. On the contact tracing side, the first 400 people are through the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that it will be published in December.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will check out the specifics on that. It seems to be an operational issue on the ground and should be dealt with at that level.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The two letters are published. The NPHET-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No. The NPHET letters are published. That is the situation. It is either a graduated response from level to level or one goes the full hog. The issue on the exponential growth is whether one should close everything down now, with no guarantees at the end of the four weeks, although one would hope that it would come down significantly. The chances are it would come down to some degree but...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will make three points. First, there needs to be a sale to enable a purchase. That is a procurement issue and there is a negotiation issue if such a situation were to materialise. Second, there is a €25 million bridging agreement already in place between the HSE and private hospitals which allows for diagnostics and general services to be provided. This will move into a more...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: All of us have to make sure we are fully informed in terms of the dynamic of this virus and how it affects particular settings. A total of 27,000 tests have been undertaken as part of the serial testing programme in meat plants across 80 plants since 21 August, with 107 positives. There had been a view prior to the serial testing programme that the plants were the origins of source of the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the introduction of specific legislation for specific sectors, the Health and Safety Authority has powers in regard to workplaces and around making sure that companies adhere to the health and safety practices that should apply.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will not give a commitment to introduce legislation of that kind. Obviously, such legislation can be put forward.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The plants are not, as of now-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government is implementing the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. The Deputy knows that since its establishment the Low Pay Commission has been consistently recommending increases to the minimum wage, which Governments have successfully implemented and fulfilled. It is the Government's view and hope that, notwithstanding the dispute between the union side and the employer side...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that the Minister with responsibility for further and higher education, research, innovation and science will be before the education committee on Thursday morning. That should be reasonable, I would have thought.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Minister will be in front of Deputy Mac Lochlainn's spokesperson on Thursday morning at a meeting of the education committee.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. About 200,000 tests have been undertaken in nursing homes for healthcare workers across 565 homes since early July. One would get the impression from certain Deputies in the House that nothing at all is being done, that there has been no expansion of the testing programme and that there is no increased capacity. I describe the reality. There have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is important for me to conclude, if I may. Roughly 5,890 teachers and students have been tested, with 112 positives over and above the index case, which gives 0.19% positivity. I could go on but I obviously do not have time.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I have not been excluding anybody. I rang Deputy Shortall's co-leader, Deputy Catherine Murphy, last evening. I have been in regular contact with leaders-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did ring.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did not interrupt.