Results 18,361-18,380 of 50,453 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his comments and support for the Government's decision. On the metrics, NPHET has been clear that we have to get consistently below R=1. Ideally NPHET would want us to get it to 0.5, although it would be very challenging to do so in six weeks. There are other measures that we need to get consistently going on a downward trajectory. Other factors would have to be...

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

Micheál Martin: The Deputy continues to play the populist card. The first thing she could do is talk to her party colleagues in the North and get them to do much better in terms of mortgage breaks. They are offering only three-month payment breaks that can be extended after assessment, unlike the Irish payment break, which was for six months in total without assessment.

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

Micheál Martin: Deputy McDonald needs to get her own house in order. She continues to lecture people in here all the time about what we should be doing, but her party does not deliver where it has power and is in government. It is always somebody else's responsibility but never the Deputy's. That is always her story in terms of any issue. The Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform do...

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

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is again being deliberately distortive in her assessments and assertions.

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

Micheál Martin: It is somebody else's turn to talk now, Deputy.

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

Micheál Martin: I accept that moving to level 5 creates a lot of anxiety, difficulties and challenges for people, particularly people in employment who will now lose their jobs and enterprises that have struggled through the pandemic and since reopening have been endeavouring through hard work and putting in place safe protocols to save their enterprises and keep them going which, to a large extent, many...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Data (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My Department's gross 2021 Estimate is €51.094 million which represents a decrease of 6.9% or €3.774 million on the 2020 Further Revised Estimate for my Department. The allocation is divided between administration and programme expenditure. The 2021 administration budget for my Department amounts to €23.477 million. This allocation covers the running cost of my...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, Section 2 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 explicitly provides that the Director of Public Prosecution shall be independent in the performance of her functions. One of the ways effect is given to this independence is that funding for the Director’s Office is provided through a separate Vote; Vote 5 – Office of the Director of Public...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government has established ten Cabinet Committees with membership as set out in the table below. The Cabinet Committees on COVID-19; Economic Recovery and Investment; Housing; Health; Environment and Climate Change; Europe; and Government Co-ordination have all held meetings. The Committees on Social Affairs and Equality; Education; and Brexit and Northern Ireland are expected to hold...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Regional Aid (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No grants were made under the EU Regional Aid Guidelines by my Department, or agencies under the remit of my Department, in the years in question.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Appointments to State Boards (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Future of Media Commission has been constituted as an independent body whose members have been appointed on the basis of their expertise in broadcast, print and online media. The composition of the Commission represents a balanced mix of experts in public service media, independent journalism, social media, new technology platforms, media economics, culture, language, creative content,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My Department takes active steps to support staff returning to the workplace from maternity leave. In line with Circular 31/06 Implementation of the Regulations of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004, staff returning to my Department from maternity leave who are breastfeeding are entitled to paid breaks from work (one hour per day), or reduced daily working time (one hour per...

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The statistics are there.

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: They are independently done.

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Three and a half months ago, the new Government was formed at a unique moment in our history. The general election in February delivered the most diverse Dáil ever. It also demonstrated clearly the urgency of a range of critical social and economic issues. Little more than a month later, a pandemic began which has so far led to the deaths of 2,425 people on this island. The impact of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy agus aontaím léi. Níl aon amhras ach gurb í géarchéim na tithíochta an ghéarchéim is mó atá againn lasmuigh den choróinvíreas, mar gheall ar an easpa tithíochta do ghnáthmhuintir na tíre, agus go háirithe na daoine nach bhfuil aon tithe acu in aon chor. Bhí béim sa...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Just because Deputy Connolly says we did not does not mean we did not. We did. I do not use language lightly. I have not been in Government for ten years. The housing assistance payment has been in place for about that length of time, maybe less. Dismantling HAP now, as the Deputy seems to be advocating, would immediately create homelessness. The housing assistance payment is a very...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his question and raising the matters relating to Waterford in particular. Any previous Government with which I was involved put much investment into Waterford. As a former Minister with responsibility for education, I know the land we purchased for Waterford Institute of Technology was essential to its growth. It has developed into a very fine institute of technology...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Fairness is a valid ask. The programme for Government identifies and recognises Waterford as a regional city and investment must follow that designation. The recovery fund in the budget of €3.4 billion is over and above the Covid-19 contingency fund and it will provide opportunities for infrastructural development, reskilling and retraining, as well as supporting investment in jobs....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am interested in a resolution of this and I am not going to pretend that there will be an optimal solution. I do not want to take people up a hill and bring them back down again empty-handed. My assessment of this is that of course the workers have been treated very badly by the company. The company has gone into liquidation. It is in difficulty in the UK. As the Deputy knows, the UK...