Results 18,781-18,800 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Last week's announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on the urban regeneration and development fund allocation of €80.6 million, involving a total package of €110 million, with €30 million committed by the Department of Transport, is a major shot in the arm to the south east. It is essentially a game changer for the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: First of all, I have taken questions on this issue as Taoiseach. I took them yesterday and I am taking questions right now. The Deputy is asking questions and I am going to take them. The Deputy's question was very interesting. At the outset, I must say that her assertion that there was horse trading involved in the appointment of Paul Gallagher as Attorney General and some connection to...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Social Media Monitoring (18 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: As part of the normal operation of the Department’s press office, traditional, print and social media are monitored for content of relevance to the work of the Department. In all cases, this involves only published content that is publically available - whether traditional media, print media or social media.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (18 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government’s medium-term approach to managing COVID-19 is set out in Resilience & Recovery 2020-2021 - Plan for Living with COVID-19 which contains a Framework for Restrictive Measures across five levels. Each of the five levels contains a “basket” of measures which are intended, collectively, to contribute to lowering risk of transmission in alignment with...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Interdepartmental Committees (18 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Ireland is implementing the new EU ‘traffic lights’ approach to travel. A cross-Departmental Senior Officials Group meets regularly to review the position in relation to international travel, covering issues such as public health advice around travel, approaches to pre-departure and post-arrival testing, and operational issues arising. Membership of the group includes senior...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Regarding the questions from Deputy McDonald, I too commend the HSE on its analysis and study of a very worrying and deeply troubling female suicide cluster in Ballyfermot and in other areas the Deputy identified, and the multiple factors that gave rise to the issues there. I will engage with the chief executive and board of the HSE to ensure that this issue gets priority attention. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry. We will come back to this issue again next week. There was also Deputy Boyd Barrett's question.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes. Again, the HSE was under a lot of pressure in this House concerning the need to recruit contact tracing staff and have a separate workforce as quickly as possible. The agency is being called on from all fronts in the House to do this, that and the other. I presume that is why it did what it did in respect of how it procured the services of CPL. I can get that checked, but I presume...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 11, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health was established by Government decision on 6 July and it last met on 12 November. The committee is due to meet again next month. The Cabinet committee oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I pay tribute to Deputy Alan Kelly's daughter. That is the kind of intergenerational solidarity that enables us, as communities-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I have an Aoibhe myself. It is the kind of intergenerational solidarity that will get us through the pandemic. What comes across is the importance of faith to many in our community, which Deputy Tóibín also mentioned. It is good for people's mental health to get out and about and to get to church. The support that is there is important. The meeting really focused on level 3...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Data Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: In regard to Deputy Boyd Barrett's point, they were met at the time. I was Minister for Education and Science during that period and became Minister for Health and Children in 2000. I established the inquiries in question and was the first Minister to open up the dark chapter in our history relating to industrial schools. We put historians into the Department of Education and Science and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Data Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am not aware that this was an issue.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Data Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Tánaiste has often said to me that he does not believe he has breached the restrictions in regard to Covid-19 regulations, as they have applied from time to time.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, together. On 28 October, I met with leaders of the Catholic Church, namely, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly and Bishop Dermot Farrell.  Discussion focused mainly on the effect the current Covid-19 restrictions are having on the health and well-being...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Data Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. My Department is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals in accordance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, which came into force on 25 May 2018. The Minister for Justice was responsible for the enacting legislation in Ireland and the Data Protection Act 2018 took effect on...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: In the context of the pandemic, I am not quite sure how people can be deported, given the various restrictions and rules that govern it. On Deputy Gannon's point about those working in the healthcare service, I do not know the individual cases, but Ireland does not deport too many people in any given year. The Catherine Day report reveals that. There are policy issues that emanate from...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: The powers are separated.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes, I do. I must reiterate some key points. Regarding the previous appointment mentioned by Deputy McDonald, that was not through the JAAB process. That said, I never sought the presence of the Minister of Justice to go through a selection process, in terms of giving weight to one person's qualities as opposed to another's.