Results 18,741-18,760 of 50,297 for speaker:Micheál Martin

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: No, I did not say that at all. I said we have to increase capacity in the Cork centre, which is the biggest in Munster in terms of cataracts and many other procedures. We should be doing it in Dublin and across the country. We should actually be sparing people the necessity to travel long distances for cataract operations.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Hold on. This is outrageous. I have told the Deputy but how can there be a cross-border directive in those circumstances? We will deal with that. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is taking a different approach to this in terms of making sure that people-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Hear me out. We have arrangements with Belfast and with Altnagelvin in respect of a whole range of health services. We would like to expand that with the North, and we would like to enter into contracts and procurement with them where necessary to provide treatment, and vice versaas well, given the North wants to avail of health services in the Republic. That is the way we should proceed.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes, I will. Obviously, the winter initiative funding that was announced today is an additional €600 million, with €200 million on top of existing resources to the end of this year and €400 million for the early part of 2021. That is available now to deal with both with the human resources requirements for the hospital system, particularly on the emergency side, and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I answered questions last week or the week before on the citizens' assemblies and the timelines for them. One of the big problems we have is that Covid-19 is impacting on the capacity to do citizens' assemblies. We have one at the moment on gender but it has been limited to one or two online engagements, and we are limited in terms of what we can do. I will revert back to the Deputy in...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Did I hear the Deputy correctly? Did he say the minister granted permission-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----or did it go through the planning process in the North?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Is the Deputy's party not a member of that Executive?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Thomas Byrne, spoke with his Greek counterpart on 9 September, immediately after the fire and offered Ireland's full solidarity and support. The Greek Government has requested assistance from its European partners in dealing with the immediate humanitarian need. Without...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Four.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Sometimes proposals are presented as if they are simple to do but the idea of increasing social insurance contributions from all employers in order to cover the failings of some raises its own questions. There is also the issue of retrospection in terms of how one could apply any funding that would be raised in the future on foot of legislation passed here. These issues are being examined...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: We can cherry pick and pit one activity against another-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: The provisions in levels one to five of the plan are informed by public health advice, particularly with regard to controlled and uncontrolled environments. Essentially we are talking about a combination of measures designed to reduce social contacts and limit congregation as much as possible while allowing for a reasonable quality of life in the context of sports, arts and so on. That is...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is open to new applicants to the end of December. Given the trajectory of the virus and what happened in Laois, Offaly and Kildare recently, local restrictions could be put in place which could necessitate a reduction in economic activity, resulting in people being out of work. Therefore, we felt that such people should be entitled to apply for the PUP in respect of measures mandated by...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I said that the Deputy had not acknowledge it in her speech.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is the function of Opposition sometimes to run with the hare and hunt with the hound but I do not know what they want at the end of the day. Sinn Féin's position was that socioeconomic profiling should be dropped but that there should be a standardisation process. I take it-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: My point is that it cannot have each-way bets on this. 3 o’clock Standardisation is important. It is very difficult for individual students in their individual circumstances, and I acknowledge that. We do not have an ideal situation in that we did not have a written exam and we did not have the normal leaving certificate, which always has standardisation, although it is not as...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: As I said earlier, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, met with the representatives of the taxi drivers last week and he has indicated that he will continue that engagement with them. I also made it clear that there is no question of taxi drivers not having access to new bus lanes. The Minister was very clear on that to me this morning. In my replies earlier to Deputy Boyd Barrett, who had...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: At the outset there was a delay in terms of the vaccine and production of it. I will come back to the Deputy with a substantive response on the issue he has raised.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is very constructive.