Results 19,141-19,160 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: If the Deputy is so certain, I am amazed improvements have not happened in the North with regard to it. The Deputy is in government in the North. I do not understand.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: If the Deputy is so certain that is the case, why does she not do it in the North where she is in power and has the influence and decision-making power to do so? I presumes it is because of similar reasons.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: No, it is not. It is just an important point. Deputy Boyd Barrett also raised the issue of the mortgage break and the lockdowns. We do not want people in a long-term overloading of debt. Of course, we do not. The evictions issues will be dealt with. The Ministers will see what we can do to make sure people with mortgages are not put under stress and anxiety and those people's situations...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Hyperbole and polemic are some of the Deputy's great strengths but there comes a time to stop. No one can say that we are doing "Covid on the cheap". The health service received a €4 billion allocation in the budget, that is, €2 billion for Covid-19 and €2 billion to permanently embed improvements into the service. That is not Covid on the cheap. We have built the...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not cheap labour. The health service is not using cheap labour.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is not. Look at the entirety of the workforce. It is not cheap labour. That is another myth and fallacy to put forward.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Equally, our objective is to learn lessons from Covid-19 and accelerate improvements and reforms in our health service delivery in the context of community delivery, rehab, home care-based provision and community diagnosing, keeping people out of hospital as long as we possibly can and moving more into prevention, primary care and community care sides. That is the objective of Government...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Programme for Government (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. Notwithstanding the impact of Covid-19 on all aspects of the social and economic life of our country, we have been working hard to implement commitments in the programme for Government across a wide range of issues in all Departments. A structure comprising ten Cabinet committees with specific responsibility for a range of issues has...

Ceisteanna – Questions: National Economic and Social Council (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the climate Bill and a just transition, the Bill is transformative. It should be welcomed by the Opposition and Deputy McDonald's party, Sinn Féin, although I know they have issues with the climate change agenda, have taken a negative stance on the matter and are somewhat in denial about it in reality. As for the just transition, we moved in respect of the midlands. The Government...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 28 September and will meet again shortly. The committee oversees the implementation of the programme for Government commitments in respect of housing and related matters. Significant work is under way on the delivery of these commitments through Departments, agencies and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the point Deputy McGrath has made. Again, the difficulty with lockdowns is that they are crude and blunt instruments designed to reduce congregation and people gathering. Recommendations come from NPHET on the variety of measures that are required. We try to be as judicious, effective and compassionate as we can. One can always go through each individual setting. If we...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Thank you for that lead-in, a Cheann Comhairle. First, level 5 is difficult and very challenging. It is a lockdown. Everyone says it did not happen in their place. I do not know where the virus starts. If one was to add up the list of all the places where it did not happen, one would be hard pressed to find where the virus begins. The virus spreads from people to people. Public health...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I have no doubt. I am not casting any aspersions on the people who ran them, in fairness.

Ceisteanna – Questions: National Economic and Social Council (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The National Economic and Social Council is an independent statutory agency operating under the aegis of my Department. The NESC is a valuable forum where strategic policy matters relevant to Ireland's economic social, environmental and sustainable development can be analysed and discussed between a variety of actors and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: My understanding is that the review will be completed soon and that the Minister will publish it. Co-living has not developed or taken off as was originally feared. There have been a lot of planning applications passed, but as a percentage of overall development, it is very low. In my view, of course it has the potential to become glorified tenement living given the nature of some of the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will make two points. The Government did consider this issue earlier. I am desperately disappointed and sorry for all of the traders involved. At this critical time as they face into a lockdown, this is the last thing they needed. There are a number of schemes that we will activate to assist the traders and others in difficulty. Obviously, applications will need to be made. I cannot...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: Whatever the demand is in terms of what qualifies will be made available. Deputy Christy O'Sullivan raised with me that there has been some flooding in Bantry as well and that will need to be taken on board. There will be a further incorporeal meeting today to make sure that the measures for Cork and Bantry are included in that. The long-term plan is the OPW plan.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: The timeline has been thwarted because there is a judicial review of the plan. It has planning permission. I would have thought a lot of modifications have happened. There was engagement. In my view, there were a lot of changes made. It is a good plan and it should be allowed to proceed.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I was a member of the Government that led the opening up of all the secrets to do with the industrial schools and gave the survivors of those industrial schools their voice.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2020)

Micheál Martin: I did that. As chairman of the interdepartmental committee that led-----