Results 19,041-19,060 of 50,353 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Of course we can do that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I know that the Deputy would like a better answer than Deputy Kelly got but the point is-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate that. The Deputy has made the fair point that the commitment should be communicated to the organisations in the system and it will be. The overall point is that we are talking about multiples of the original amount of money designated for the HSE and services in general because of Covid-19. The issue now is what it will take to restore these services. I have not seen the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy says she is against all foreign travel. Is that what she has said?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Is she? I have been hearing different messages from the Deputy on this for the last week or two.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Regarding the compliance issue, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection carries out compliance inspections at ports and airports throughout the year. My notes state it has been doing so since 2012. The legal basis for the control and compliance checks is section 250(16) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended by section 17 of the Social Welfare and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did not send inspectors out to the airports.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: They have been going out for years and well the Deputy knows it. What she has tried to do in here is to turn an issue which involves 100 or 200 people into some massive political philosophy or ideology that is out to get people when, in fact, that is not what the Government is about. The Government has extended this scheme to the end of April. It currently caters for up to 287,000 people...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this issue. I know he does so in a genuine way and I agree with much of what he has said. I am not happy that there is not a specific timelined roadmap that I have yet seen for the restoration and reopening of disability day services. The Deputy can tell Philip, Leah, Darragh, Stephen, Padraig and Alan that I am working with the Minister for Health, the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy loves throwing accusations about the place and assertions in relation to the Government's overall policy. She is basing her claims, and is trying to throw away the political consensus that has served the country well in dealing with Covid-19 over the past five months, on the fact that as few as 100 people have had their pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, suspended because of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: As Deputy Kelly said, they were there before that as well. They have been there for a long time. The fact that we are extending this payment until the end of next April shows our commitment to helping and supporting people. Alongside that, we have also put together a very substantial job activation programme under the July stimulus to help people secure alternative employment. All we are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: These are the facts and the Deputy must know them. She is being completely disingenuous in her attack on the Government on this issue. As regards her question about reviews, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is there to hear reviews. We are not out to undermine anyone on the PUP or to single them out in any shape or form. I want to make that very clear. On the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: EU Summits (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I provided a detailed report to the House last week on the special meeting of the European Council on 17 to 21 July, where we reached political agreement on a €1.8 trillion budgetary package to drive Europe’s economic recovery and the climate and digital transformations. These were especially challenging negotiations, lasting over four days. With a significant number of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Freedom of Information (29 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Covid-19 has presented a unique set of circumstances to the continuity of work carried out by Government Departments, including in relation to the processing of FOI requests, but officials in my Department continue to make every effort to ensure that all FOI requests received are answered in accordance with the statutory timeframes laid down in the FOI Act. Since the arrival of Covid-19 in...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will start with Deputy Kelly’s comments. It is unfair to single out one and say there was no mention of SNAs. The entire roadmap is about three school settings: primary schools; special schools and special units; and post-primary schools. That is made very clear in the document. The overwhelming idea is a safe school community, embracing all the school staff. That is not just...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The national development plan will be reviewed and obviously there are key agenda items in terms of rail infrastructure generally across the country. In the July stimulus funding is already going into remedial works in our existing railways. Developing fast-track rail between the major cities is one agenda item. There are major projects in and around the Dublin area, including the metro...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on education was established by Government decision on 6 July last. The next meeting will take place in September. It will oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in the area of education. Its membership comprises the Taoiseach; Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: In the first instance, as I outlined, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, will chair the committee. The agenda is clearly set out in the programme for Government. The immediate objectives of the Cabinet committee will be, for example, the climate action (amendment) Bill, which will be introduced to Dáil Éireann within the first 100 days of the Government, the development of a national...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: In response to the comments of Deputy Kelly and others, I do not think there is any surprise that the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government is meeting approximately a month after the Government was formed. I met very quickly after the formation of the Government with the Minister and his Secretary General to discuss a range of issues, including homelessness and...