Results 1,861-1,880 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: Last month the Government established the Cabinet Committee on Climate Action, Environment and Energy to oversee implementation of Programme for Government commitments in relation to the environment, climate action, energy and emergency planning. Its membership shall comprise of the Taoiseach; the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence; the Minister for Finance;...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (4 Mar 2025)

Micheál Martin: Procedures and processes relating to the dismissal, promotion or demotion of permanent civil servants within the Department of the Taoiseach are governed by the Civil Service Regulation Acts, the Public Service Management Acts and relevant disciplinary codes. Any appointments made outside of the requirements of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 are...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There are enormous investments in greenways, walkways and cycleways across the country. Biodiversity and wildlife must be protected as well but the two are mutually exclusive. The specifications on some of the greenways are sometimes a bit higher than people would have anticipated. These issues should be resolved, and they can be resolved with a bit of imagination and creativity and not...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: People allocated a medical card are allocated a GP. That is the basic position. Now, there is an issue with access to GPs more generally. That is acknowledged. Part of the response has been to significantly increase the number of people in training in general practice. There are different figures in this regard, but my understanding is that for every one retired doctor, there are at...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There are limits to what any Taoiseach should have to deal with and parking arrangements for first responders should be dealt with by the HSE and the local office. Let us call a spade a spade. There could be insurance issues, etc. I do not know, neither am I going to arbitrate on it. I hear what the Deputy is saying. There should be proper parking arrangements for first responders, but...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that the review of the zone radius was done, but I will talk to the Minister and ask him if he will engage with the NTA in respect of the issue the Deputy raised.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In an earlier time, I was, as an educator, involved with hard-of-hearing children. There has been a movement towards integration, and that is perhaps why the two special classes are available at primary level in Kerry. I will talk to the Minister for Education with a view to discovering why special arrangements cannot be progressed at second...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: There is a lot of hedge cutting going and clearing being done by local authorities and contractors at the moment. That is evident across the country. On the other side of the coin and as the Deputy knows, issues around biodiversity, etc., have given rise to this. Those issues are significant. I will talk to the Minister in terms of his assessment of the matter.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that this Bill is a priority for drafting.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. What is frustrating here is that the money has been allocated it seems to me. The officials on both sides, those in the local authorities and Uisce Éireann, should apply common sense and pragmatism and get this sorted. I ask that this would happen and I will ask the Minister. I met with Uisce Éireann some time back. The Government has...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: In terms of lay-offs, our thoughts have to be with the workers in the company or those who may be laid off - from our perspective, in Ireland - and we have to do everything we possibly can to make sure they can secure alternative employment. We have a strong industrial relations framework and strong employee protection rights in Ireland, along with legislation. We will do everything to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I have noticed, since the Government was formed, there has been a deliberate attempt at trying to present the Government as somehow rowing back on climate change and this is going to be the narrative now, whether it is true or not. The Deputy is articulating that idea, even though the Government and the programme for Government commits very strongly to the legal framework governing climate...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: I am. The Deputy-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----prefaced his remarks-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: Thank you. There has been no resiling by Government from the climate change objectives of this country and the climate plan will be published - my understanding is that it will be in the next number of weeks. We did not deliberately not publish it. The outgoing Government and the Green Party did try to railroad a whole load of things through before the interregnum period; that would not...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: -----is something for the entire Oireachtas to give due consideration to and have a genuine debate about it, not something that is rammed through at the death of a Government.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: We have not. There has been good, constructive engagement with the Scottish Government, to be fair, over the last number of years on this issue. Actually, it was the last British Government that did not facilitate an agreement on research and so forth that had been arrived at between the Scottish Government and the Irish Government. We have reactivated that with the new British...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: That is a very good idea from the Deputy and there are issues, as he has described, in Glanmire this week. Across the country, we have had appalling conditions of animal cruelty, particularly in respect of horses and that needs to stop and the agencies need to get stronger and be more effective. The idea of appointing an equine officer in every local authority makes absolute sense to me....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: That is a very good idea also. The methodology for the appointment of State boards changed some years ago; there is a greater reliance on the PAS system and I am not sure that has been ideal either. We need to look more broadly at experiences and expertise that would add a certain competence or discipline to a board, such as cost control or accountancy. There was an article written this...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Feb 2025)

Micheál Martin: You have it right throughout every debate. There is not enough examination of how the existing resources are properly spent or allocated. I agree with the Deputy's broader point.