Results 19,181-19,200 of 50,434 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Lowry for raising with me on Leaders' Questions this issue concerning the Dean Maxwell community nursing unit in Roscrea. As has been said, this is one of a few residential units for the elderly in Tipperary which, as we are all aware, is a very large county covered by two separate HSE areas. Like many community nursing units across the country, the Dean Maxwell unit has a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is no debacle with regard to the travel advisory, as the Deputy suggested. In sharp contrast to the decisions taken in Northern Ireland by the Deputy's party, the decisions taken in the Republic of Ireland have resulted in some of the most restrictive travel guidance globally. The results of this are there for all to see. It must be acknowledged by all that the pandemic...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Census of Population (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Censuses of Population held between 1926 and 1991 inclusive were carried out under the 1926 Statistics Act which did not permit any access to Census records, at any time. However, the 1993 Statistics Act repealed the 1926 and 1946 Statistics Acts and provided for the release of Census forms for these Censuses 100 years after the date of the relevant Census. This retrospective introduction...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Advisers (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 70 together. The persons currently assigned to me to work as Special Advisers are detailed in the table below. As outlined in the Programme for Government, a number of reforms will be implemented in order to ensure openness and constructive cooperation within government. These include the establishment of an Office of the Tánaiste and an Office of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 71 together. On 21 July the European Council agreed an ambitious recovery package, Next Generation EU, and the EU’s next seven year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), comprising €672.5 billion, made up of €360 billion in loans and €312.5 billion in grants, is...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality was established by Government decision on 6 July last. The first meeting will take place on 31 July. It will oversee implementation of Programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, equality and public services, including matters relating to justice and public service reform. It will receive detailed reports on...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Policy Functions (28 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: As set out in the Programme for Government, a new Shared Island Unit will be established within the Department of the Taoiseach which will use the potential of the Good Friday Agreement to deliver sustained progress for all communities. This unit will work towards a consensus on a shared island and will examine the political, social, economic and cultural considerations underpinning a future...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will get specifics on any incidences of infection in a workplace arising as a result of travel. I am not aware of any such incidences. There have been infections resulting from travel that have had a knock-on impact, many involving households. Deputies may be aware of the house party that took place in Killarney, for example. As stated earlier, the bigger threat relates to how people...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I stated last week that there is either a rate for a position, in this case the super junior Ministry, or there is not. The matter will be regularised. There are three super junior Ministers, one of whom is the Chief Whip. The matter will be regularised. Either one is a super junior Minister with a seat at the Cabinet table or one is not. On the points raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: In general, the Government has aligned its decisions with public health advice. People have suggested what they think should happen. Some people did not want schools to close as quickly as they did, but within days of the decision being announced they were calling for them to be closed. There has been ongoing constructive engagement with public health regarding the best thing to do. I...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Similar comments were made regarding the wearing of masks on public transport. The bottom line is that the public did the right thing in that regard. We need to see the matter in perspective as well. We still have one of the most cautious travel regimes in Europe and across the globe.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: In recent days, I attended a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels. The meeting, which was the first physical meeting of European Union leaders since February, began on Friday, 17 July. The meeting continued through the weekend and concluded in the early hours of Tuesday, 21 July. Even leaving aside the duration, it was by no means a normal meeting. We met against the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I will deal first with Deputy Duncan Smith's questions. The reason for the Cabinet meeting delay yesterday was that we had a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on the stimulus plan involving Ministers, the Tánaiste, the leader of the Green Party and me, with a whole host of officials, in coming to the final stages of the preparation of what will be a very comprehensive stimulus plan to...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: There is a need to advise people of what the state is in countries. Some other countries are in a much worse situation. Overall, we are saying that the safest thing to do is to stay at home and take a holiday in Ireland this year. That, to me, is fairly basic and fairly sensible. We have a very restrictive travel regime at the moment in terms of our advice. It is very restrictive and...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: Two Deputies were.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Economic and Social Council (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: I take issue with the Deputy's use of the word "hostile". I am not hostile to keeping rents as low as possible. We supported controls on rents in various areas. The Deputy says that now we all know better than before the election. We do not. Nobody knew about Covid-19 during the election. Covid-19 is what made the rent freezes and a ban on evictions possible in the past three months....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committees (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Government co-ordination Cabinet committee was established by the Government along with nine other Cabinet committees. I am a member of the committee along with the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party. The Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, my chief of staff and the chiefs of staff of the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party also sit in on...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Northern Ireland (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy could raise a hand.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Economic and Social Council (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, is an independent statutory agency operating under the aegis of my Department. The council analyses and reports on strategic policy matters relevant to Ireland's economic, social, environmental and sustainable development. The NESC is a valuable forum where economic, social and environmental issues can be discussed between a variety of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Economic and Social Council (22 Jul 2020)

Micheál Martin: In the first instance it is important to point out that the existing ban is by a statutory instrument and is grounded in the emergency legislation required to deal with the immediate aftermath of the outbreak of Covid-19. The legal advice is very clear. It is not legally sound, it is very open to challenge and it does not offer the protection that people suspect. It must be replaced. The...