Results 18,341-18,360 of 50,453 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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...

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

Micheál Martin: I have. If the Deputy asks the First Minister and deputy First Minister, they will say that. I understand the pressures they are under.

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

Micheál Martin: I will do everything I can them to support them in having to deal with what is a very serious situation for them and the people of Northern Ireland, as it is for the Republic. On the issue of no visitors allowed to homes, that is the whole idea of the bubble. I am answering the question. The idea is that we do not have a person on his or her own who cannot have a connection with another...

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

Micheál Martin: I will engage with Deputy Kelly, the Minister for Health and others on Deputy Kelly's ideas about the bubble and with other Members of the House on how it can be, in the Deputy's words, simplified, particularly in respect of subsequent adherence and enforcement. However, it is not really a measure that one would enforce; rather, it is a measure one would want to make sure is useful for the...

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

Micheál Martin: -----there is no shortage of resources being given to the health service and the HSE right now to expand numbers and deliver over 1,200 acute hospital beds for next year in community, rehabilitation, acute - right across the board. The recruitment will continue. Another challenge, as we recruit into the HSE system, is to make sure that nursing homes and so on do not come under pressure as a...