Results 19,641-19,660 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am trying to give my political views on this and respond to the question. I am simply saying that these things are deliberately misleading, and are deliberately said in order to be misleading and misrepresent people's positions for the electoral base and electoral advantage. We have had too much of that in the politics of the island, particularly insofar as they relate to a fundamental...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I am an enthusiastic supporter of the Good Friday Agreement.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I only wish Deputy McDonald and Sinn Féin were consistent on the agreement since it was signed. There is provision in the Good Friday Agreement for a referendum. Of course there is. Equally, I have made the point that I believe it would be very divisive to have one in the next number of years because we need to bring people together. I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett's points on...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is no longer about whether one is the purest on the national question.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is about doing something pragmatic and significant on issues such as health, education and work.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: The North needs an economic transformation. I have said consistently that the disadvantaged areas in the North, both loyalist and nationalist, need a Marshall plan for school completion and access to third level education. The levels are too low in some communities in the North and have been so for too long. I want the shared unit to delve into those areas because that is ultimately how we...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: First, I have not personally spoken to Electric Ireland. I told the Deputy that I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. We have been in touch with Electric Ireland, and when we get a response, I will revert to the Deputy. I also told the Deputy that there was a reduction in utility prices earlier this year and that the presentation she made on the previous occasion in the Dáil was...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: We are not going to produce optimal solutions left, right and centre.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It is an option and some people avail of it. The third option is some other model to be developed which has to be fleshed out.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: It has to be fleshed out. It is not as simple as just calling for it. It has to be developed-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: -----and worked through. In terms of mental health supports, additional psychologists have been recruited under the roadmap to the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. In addition, there is full provision for school guidance counsellors. That is something to which I committed during the confidence and supply arrangement and it is now 100% restored because of my commitment...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes. Everything that has been done so far in the reopening of schools has been done in partnership. It is important that the inspections take place and that they are done as a way of ensuring improvement and constructive compliance. I surmise, and I will seek further information on this from the Department, that it wants to bring schools with it and that it does not wish to be naming and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: The planning for that starts now. The chief inspector was adamant that this is the plan and the commitment. In terms of higher education and the enhanced protection measures that NPHET has asked the universities and institutes of technology to take, each college is adapting various measures suitable to the campus and location. A number of them are online for many courses. One is...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: That is why NPHET has advised. The Minister with responsibility for higher and further education is engaging with the various institutes and universities with a view to enhancing their measures further.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Bodies (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: The programme for Government sets out the Government's commitment to working with all communities and traditions on the island to build consensus on a shared future. This work will be underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement and respect for the principle of consent. I wish to see a renewed push to use the potential of the Good Friday Agreement to deliver sustained progress for all...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on education was established by Government decision on 6 July last and the first meeting will take place in the coming weeks. It will oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in the area of education. In addition to the meetings of full Cabinet and Cabinet committees, I meet with...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: I dealt with that earlier.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: No.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Sep 2020)

Micheál Martin: On the national alcohol and drugs strategy and the issue of community participation, I will discuss the matter again with the HSE. On the ground, the HSE clearly has a view and the Deputy is saying that there is a divergence of opinion between the executive and the Department of Health. My own view is that programmes work best when they have strong engagement with the community on the...