Results 181-200 of 51,299 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Taking the pharmaceutical sector, for example, Ireland is not isolated in that.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Up to ten EU countries have joined together in respect of the pharmaceutical sector.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Are there significant issues? Yes, especially with access to some primary care services, mental health services and, above all, therapies, but we are allocating. There have been issues in the HSE with recruitment and retention in some areas and those are being worked on.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Apart from the last sentence, I found that a fairly bizarre presentation. Deputy Tóibín is blaming the European Union. Europe did not impose any tariffs.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: I am not missing it at all. His entire three minutes was about how the European Union is doing this, the European Union is doing that, the French have-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: -----have more influence than the Irish. It is absolute nonsense, if you do not mind me saying so. It is the US that has imposed the tariffs, not Europe. We do not want tariffs. Europe does want tariffs. They are bad for the economy, people, patients, industry and businesses.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: They are just bad news and they will damage the world economy if this continues. There is terrible uncertainty and volatility, and the result of all that is a pause on investment decisions, which is also a critical outcome so far of what has transpired over the last six months. To be fair, I disagree further with the Deputy. The Irish position, until now, has been to avoid any escalatory...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: First of all, Deputy, we have had the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State, which the Deputy did not reference in his presentation on primary care services. It is the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history the State. Some 2.3 million people are now eligible in this country for free GP care. I would ask the Deputy to forward me the...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: That is a separate question,-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: -----but the Deputy never asks it because he does not want to fall out with anybody, which is understandable coming from the Opposition. There are issues in terms of how we deal with therapists. We have set up a new in-school therapy service for children in special schools that will start in September. We have already allocated money for that additional to the Estimate that was provided....
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: We will continue the work to recruit. We have been recruiting. There has been an increase of €6.71 billion in expenditure in health. This is a 35% increase in health spending since 2020, so do not say we are cutting back or are not allocating. The Deputy cannot say that with credibility.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: We have allocated, which is a fundamental point. By the way, we have made huge impacts across a lot of areas in health in the last five years, to such an extent - though this would be over a longer period - that our mortality rate fell by 11% over the decade from 2014 to 2024. We now have the second lowest mortality rate among the European 27, so the investment is having impacts of a...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Can I say very resolutely there has been no delay in the evacuation of children who require hospital treatment or medical treatment?
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Absolutely no delay, and I think it is important that we get truth on that. I am happy for the Deputy to meet the Minister for Health and the Minister for justice who will apprise her of the details of this.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: In fact, relative to other European countries, Ireland is well up. We are placed fifth overall in terms of the number of patients who have been evacuated to European countries, after Italy, Romania, Spain and Norway. We will do everything we possibly can. There is a further 18 to come, bringing us to 30. The issues are logistical. We are working with the WHO through the Egypt crossing.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Sorry, Deputy. This is Deputy Bacik’s moment. We will work but it has to be with the WHO. It simply has to be in terms of protocols, looking after the children and making sure everything is done properly. Today, we have formalised what is already happening; more family members can come in with the children because there can be issues.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: There will be total family unification, and there has been in respect of that, and there will be for the next 18, but there is no delay on our side in terms of those 18. There are others-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: On the GAA, I am perplexed by this. No appeal has gone in. There was no pre-engagement with anyone here on the Government side. I am not clear if there even was with the Gaelic Athletic Association formally. There is a bit of a-----
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: I will say no more other than I am not comfortable with how this has been handled overall.
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Jul 2025)
Micheál Martin: Not on our side but on the side of those organising it. We have to be fully conscious of our obligations to child welfare and child well-being in how we handle all of this.