Micheál Martin
Cork South-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“At the beginning of April, the Government approved the establishment of the Cork city futures group to guide development of Cork city for the future.”
“We have to have a budget that reflects the need to sustain that level of work in our economy so that people will have access to jobs. The AI issue is causing a lot of concern. I take heart from the investment announced by Intel this week, which will be AI-propelled, actually.”
“Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity, in line with the timelines laid out in the roadmap; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; and accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre throug…”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 30, inclusive, together. This will be a long answer because there is one task group and one futures group.”
“I think Deputy Hayes was being a bit petty, if that is the word I am looking for, in what he said about Spain. Well, using the word "petty" might be a bit uncharitable today. It is more a Spain is more vociferous than us kind of thing. We have worked very well together on the Middle East. It is a very serious issue.”
“A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city’s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference.”
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“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He has been a strong advocate for reform of the reimbursement scheme, particularly insofar as it applies to what we might term orphan drugs. There is a growing issue here in terms of how some of these drugs are coming onto the market, the level of engagement between some companies and the State and, yes, our own system as well. Some companies are more accessible in terms of engaging with than others, but that is of no value to those who need the medicines quickly. I am aware of the cases the Deputy mentioned and the urgency attached to them. I have spoken to the Minister for Health about this issue. There is engagement with the company involved in the case of Friedreich’s ataxia.”
“I am sorry, Deputy, but the ballot was last year and not 18 years ago. There were a lot of discussions and a lot of negotiations and a proposal came to the Government. I have spoken to both Ministers, and my understanding is that NewERA was examining, as a final step, the entirety of the scheme and that the board was going to give it consideration. I hope we can get this issue resolved very quickly now. I have, though, been talking to the Ministers about it.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this case and I commend the people for rallying behind Eímear Byrne, a young teacher, and her family. I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of this case. I am aware of the treatment abroad scheme being confined to the European area. There is some talk of engaging with the European reference network on rare multisystemic vascular diseases, ERN, and similar conditions. I am not clear as to whether this treatment can be done in Europe, but, equally, I take the Deputy’s point. We have had a good relationship with the Johns Hopkins clinic over the decades in respect of other matters. I will talk to the Minister in respect of this case to see if we can get an opportunity here to be of help and assistance to young Eímear and her family.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister of State has been down there, so he is very well aware of the situation. I cannot get into the specifics of the engineering resolution of the problem, but I will talk to the Minister of State and ask him what can be done in the interim.”
“That is very worrying indeed. I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of this issue in terms of whether interim measures can be introduced to provide a service to the parents and children involved, and then on what the longer term solution will be in terms of recruitment.”
“To be fair to the Minister, Deputy Browne, I think he has been very responsive to these issues. The fact is that the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, and the Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, went to visit and saw the situation at first hand. I will talk to the Minister and the Ministers of State in respect of the progression of such a scheme, if that has been committed to, to see what the up-to-date position is.”
“First of all, it is as the Deputy has outlined in terms of the Ballybrack-Loughlinstown primary care centre, which was through the operational lease model. Then the preferred operator encountered difficulties with the economic viability of the proposed project. A service-led review is being conducted. The Department of Health is awaiting an update from HSE primary care in Dublin south on the status of this review. In parallel to this, HSE capital and estates is trying to identify the best location for this primary care centre and the most appropriate of method of delivery for expedience and value for money. The Department is continuing to engage with the HSE on this one in particular and I will come back to the Deputy on it.”
“In the last budget we increased the level of State investment in early learning by about 12%. We cannot do everything in one budget. This is a five-budget Government. Childcare is a key issue; it is in the programme for Government. All three parties in the Government are committed to it. Decisions were taken on the last occasion about disability, for example, which went up dramatically. The income thresholds are increasing from September 2026, which will allow more low- and middle-income families to qualify. We will have the budget in October to see how much further we can progress the commitment in the programme for Government to reduce the costs of childcare to people in line with the objective of the programme for Government.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. I will talk to the Minister for housing in respect of this. We should be trying to streamline the whole system, which we are doing. People are waiting for OT reports and so on and the idea of paying in instalments pending the receipt of the report is a valid option. We would like to see greater simplification of the requirements overall to speed up the whole application process. I will talk to the Minister about that.”
“Rents are too high overall. No-one is arguing about that. There is a lot of pressure on people. Supply is the only way to deal with it. What I would say on the reforms that came in is that the six-year tenancy rule is a very significant enhanced protection for existing tenants. Nothing like it was in place before. We are dealing with new tenancies here in terms of the Daft.ie index, but the vast majority of existing tenancies are not impacted in the same way at all. We need a long-term certain landscape in respect of the rental market. With housing, we are not leaving it to the market. The State is involved in every aspect of housing. Some €9 billion is being invested by the Government - taxpayers' money - to try to get housing going. We are at 36,000 houses and that is not enough. We are going to invest.”
“Fianna Fáil has not abandoned ordinary people. The highest number of social houses built on record was built last year - 9,000 new social houses. That is the way to deal with the housing crisis which has led to the rent increases.”
“Why does she keep on talking about the big boys? It is individual franchisees in any of these chains. She knows that. The bottom line is we have to sustain employment in domestic services sectors as well.”
“I am not clear as to why the cafe has to close for six months, to be frank. I will pursue that with security and so on. I will do that. On the hospitality sector more generally, thousands of people work in the hospitality sector. A lot of young people and students work in the sector and so on. It is a cynical Opposition play to talk about McDonald's. They are all owned by franchisees. The Deputy knows that.”
“Work is ongoing on the cost-of-disability payment. There was a good summit recently. We have to engage with the sector before it is designed. The Deputy should not pretend it can be done at the stroke of a pen. It cannot, and she knows that well.”
“In the most recent budget, we gave the largest ever single year increase in disability services. It went up 20%, which was €628 million. That is what happened with disability services in that budget. In addition to that, there have been significant increases to core payments and domiciliary care increases,. One-off payments for all were removed because they could not continue forever. We cannot do €3 billion in one-off payments on a continuing basis.”
“Groups of over 200 trainees are regularly entering Templemore, which is positive news. Some 201 entered on 4 May, which is good news.”
“I thank the Deputy for her advocacy for Blanchardstown and TU Dublin. I have identified a group that has been established. I think former Secretary General Jim Breslin chairs that group with senior officials representing the Department of justice, An Garda Síochána, the Department of further and higher education, the Office of Public Works and the Higher Education Authority. It first met in January and is continuing its work with a schedule of meetings, including engagement with CEPOL, the European Union police service training agency on international best practice. It will report by the summer. Overall funding to An Garda Siochana has increased by €500 million over the past five years. Total funding now is approximately €2.74 billion. Recruitment is gathering momentum. Just under 800 new recruits entered Templemore in 2025.”
“However, additionality may be required, even though we are breaking record numbers at the moment. There is a high volume going through Templemore and there are 200 more going in. The overall workforce has gone from 15,980 to approximately 18,500 in the past ten years. Covid interrupted what happened in the college. We are committed to recruiting about 5,000 gardaí over the lifetime of the Government and so far it is going positively.”
“I was responsible for getting that campus built in Blanchardstown in double-quick time with the late Brian Lenihan. There was a particular story behind it. I was also in a later life as the Minister for Health involved in expanding the role of the hospital in Blanchardstown. I am already hearing around the country advocacy for any potential additionality to the Garda training centres and we have to be fair to everybody. The overall point, however, is that Templemore will always be the core training college. There are no Tipperary Deputies in the audience, but it is just to keep things straight on that front. It has given great service, and the town and people of Templemore have given great support through the years to the Garda training college.”
“We also said we would consider allowing Garda trainees to undergo parts of their training course in regional or technological universities, using existing resources and capacities, particularly in specialist modules in certain areas. A Garda training review group was established to identify delivery options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education and training and continuing professional development in An Garda Síochána. That will report to the Minister by the summer. Clearly, given the month of May, summer has not arrived yet. The group will consider specifically the case for a second training college and the role the tertiary system could play in the delivery of Garda training. It does not all have to be in Dublin. I will make that point. I know the Deputy has a fondness for Blanchardstown and she referenced TUD.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We should say the first priority of the Government and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is to get more gardaí on our streets. This is manifesting itself, particularly in our larger cities. There has been positive feedback to the numbers coming out of Templemore and there has been greater visibility, particularly last winter, but we need to spread that out across the country. By the end of this year, we should have the highest number of sworn gardaí in the history of the State. We made commitments to continue to support and expand the capacity of the Garda training college in Templemore as part of the programme for Government. We have also committed to considering the establishment of a second Garda training college.”
“I am interested in the Deputy's debate. I am trying to have a sensible debate about it and not one that gets me attacked because we are having the debate. Please allow me to respond. The bottom line is our health and care sectors are significantly dependent on migration. Look at the financial sector and the technology sector.”
“There is no doubt that population growth is a factor. It went up 8.5% between 2020 and 2025. If we go back to 1995, the population has increased by 52%. There are positives in this because we had been declining up to the 1960s and 1970s as a population down to 3 million. I am not clear on what the Deputy is suggesting. It is not easy to unwind that. There is no question a significant proportion of it is migration into the country. If we look at our health sector and the analysis by CSO recently in terms of employment growth-----”
“We will continue to work with Irish Water in respect of wastewater treatment plants in smaller developments. There has been some progress on this in terms of nature-based solutions throughout the country, which have approval and which will enable smaller projects in towns and villages to get off the ground.”
“We have resourced An Coimisiún Pleanála quite substantially and the feedback now is that far more timely decisions are being taken by An Coimisiún Pleanála in respect of planning permissions. There is a much more positive feel about the changes we brought about some years ago to An Coimisiún Pleanála. The Planning and Development Act is having an impact. Reform to judicial review will also have an impact. This is a multifaceted approach to housing. We are focusing on it and prioritising it. We are not interested in slogans or cheap politics. We are interested in a proper analysis of the housing market and what it will take to get a volume of supply into the future. Yes, infrastructure is a key part of this and water infrastructure in particular.”
“If we want to get to 50,000 or 60,000 units per annum we need an investment of about €20 billion. This is the challenge facing the country.”
“The only way to deal with it is to get more houses built and to get more apartments built. We have worked on all aspects of this, from the Critical Infrastructure Bill going through the House now, through the housing activation office, which has been allocated €1 billion to deal with housing enabling infrastructure on the ground to remove barriers and delays to housing, and through the reform of the rental market which simply had to happen and was advised by all concerned. Anybody who examined the market in detail, from the ESRI to the Housing Commission, all said this could not be sustained the way we had it and that we had to change it and create certainty for the long term. It will take time for some of that to yield. The State has already put €9 billion into housing this year alone, which is huge.”
“-----through the reduction of VAT to 9%. That was a significant measure, which was attacked by large elements of the Opposition at the time. We put huge equity into EirGrid and we have put substantial equity into Irish Water, all designed to accelerate infrastructural development. We did that at the very beginning of the Government through the national development plan and through budget allocations. The investment in water is significant. We have also put significant investment into the Land Development Agency, which has up to €10 billion in available capital for the construction and development of housing. We use every lever and mechanism we can use to get more supply, and it is about more supply. We brought in a rental tax credit to try to ease the pressure on renters because rents are too high and we acknowledge that.”
“Just to make the point about research from the RTB. If you compare like with like and apples with apples in respect of the other data reviews that have taken place, it is a far different story in terms of the impact on existing tenancies in particular.”
“The Deputy knows. Let us talk about the savings and investment scheme that they put forward. How would that bring rents down next year? How would it bring rents down the year after? It would not add one additional supply of housing-----”
“I do not think the Social Democrats' proposals are credible. They are so sparse. They are so lacking in detail. They are not fleshed out. I genuinely do not think the Social Democrats' policies on housing are credible. They talk about a savings and investment scheme.”
“Therefore certainty had to be given to the market, and also additional protections. In terms of existing tenancies, they have not been impacted in any shape or form by this to the same extent. Again-----”
“The bottom line is what was happening over the past four to five years prior to the change was not sustainable. The Deputy knows that. The Housing Commission said it was not sustainable. The ESRI said it was not sustainable. Everybody accepted it was not sustainable.”
“The RTB data shows we have about 246,000 tenancies, the highest on record. In terms of daft.ie data, it indicates asking prices but it is not comprehensive. The RTB does a more comprehensive dataset in terms of the entirety of the market. One has to take these figures with some degree of care, as the author himself acknowledges that the report has to be examined with care. That has to be said. The bottom line here is we want rents to moderate. We want to get them down.”
“I have seen nothing from anywhere across the House outlining how people propose to get there in terms of alternative proposals to what the Government is proposing. We have activated the local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and, yes, the private sector. The Deputy is totally opposed to the private sector having any role in housing. That is her party's position.”
“I have not interrupted anybody here. I am going to make this point, and it is a fair point. I have looked at the Deputy's proposals. There is nothing in her proposals that would increase supply over the next three years anything over and above what the Government is doing. In fact, it would be less. I have looked at her State construction company idea. It would be three or four years down the line before anything would come out of that. We already have a Land Development Agency, which has 14,000 in the pipeline. It is time people got real here. It is all very well doing the sloganeering. We all know the crisis out there in housing. The Government is taking decisions in respect of it that have substance behind them. We need to get to 50,000 per annum.”
“First of all, again, rents have been too high for far too long. Any economist will say there is only one way to deal with this and it is supply. We need more supply and we need it more rapidly. The Government is taking decisions that will ensure over time we get more supply. It is going to take time and that was said at the time.”
“There is a broader issue of education and awareness and there are some good programmes, with the GAA and Ruhama, for example, in respect of aspects of this. Operation Encompass, which is a police-led, school-based early intervention approach designed to support children and young people who experience domestic abuse, is in development for Drogheda, County Louth.”
“That reform is under way and is continuing. We have been fairly open to any constructive amendments in respect of the various legislative mechanisms that have been introduced. The Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 will restrict the disclosure of counselling records in sexual offence trials and criminalise the exploitative practice of sex in lieu of rent. The criminal justice Bill of this year will set up a domestic violence register of judgments, which will ensure that convictions for serious domestic violence offences are made public as part of the conviction process. Each Garda division now has a protective services unit focused on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Early intervention is key.”
“That is real, tangible progress across funding, legislation, prevention and victim support, but we will continue to strengthen those supports for victims and survivors. The domestic violence travel supplement will, I understand, be introduced by the Minister for Social Protection this month, providing free travel when referred by a Cuan-registered agency. I will ask both Ministers to work with the Deputy in terms of any additional funding or ring-fencing funding for any specific purposes. We are open to any constructive proposals on that. We have modernised the legal framework to better protect victims. The engagement of the Family Courts Act 2024, the Criminal Justice Act 2020-----”
“As the Deputy, in fairness, acknowledged, over the past three or four years, there has been a sea-change in how the Government has approached this issue in terms of the establishment of Cuan, for which funding now is approximately €80 million, sustaining support for front-line services and accelerating delivery of safe accommodation, with a commitment to provide 280 safe spaces by the end of 2026. Legislatively, the Minister is continuing to introduce various legislation, for example, Jennie's law for a domestic violence register; Valerie's law for the removal of guardianship rights of those convicted of killing partners; and laws to restrict the disclosure of counselling notes in sexual assault court cases. The Minister is pushing the outer limits of legislation to give protection to women and to deal with this.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist phráinneach seo a ardú. Aontaím léi go bhfuil an méid foréigean i gcoinne ban sa tír seo uafásach. I thank the Deputy for raising this extremely important issue. What we witnessed yesterday in terms of the revelations in the court case involving Paul Moody was quite shocking and horrendous and the level of abuse evident in that case made for extremely difficult hearing and reading. Equally shocking are the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's reports on the use of its national helpline. It was contacted 24,000 times, a 5.5% increase on the previous year, and its annual report outlines unprecedented levels of demand.”
“All I see from the Opposition, Sinn Féin in particular, is empty rhetoric, no solutions and the usual sloganeering. That will not build houses. I have a document here with all the objections of those parties' representatives. They objected to housing project after housing project.”
“There is no doubt that, with the change, there was going to be an impact on the market. There was no question about that. It was actually said at the time by various agencies. The bottom line is that there had to be certainty given to the landscape because we are spending about €9 billion of State money. The direct State intervention in the housing market is around €9 billion. The Central Bank says we need about €20 billion. We need a combination of public sector and private sector investment in housing. That means a long-term certainty in terms of the rental market. I looked at all the Opposition parties' proposals before the election and all their manifestos. They are very poor in terms of analysis.”
“Daft.ie data is asking prices. It is not the complete data set for the entire rental market in the country. Deputies should know that. That is the bottom line. The asking prices are usually greater than usual. The Central Statistics Office, in its monthly change analysis, showed a figure of 0.3% in quarter 1 of 2026. The Residential Tenancies Board covers the entire population of tenancies, which is about 246,000. With daft.ie , it could be as low as 2,300 tenancies. We have to treat the daft.ie data with care in terms of any proper, comprehensive analysis of the rental market. The latest RTB data shows continued growth in quarter 1 of 2026, with 246,000 tenancies. That is the highest on record. There are more tenancies and properties available.”
“-----which will destroy supply. Any international organisation analysing the rental market or any property market has said time and again that rent controls or the freezing of rents just reduces supply, kills the market for the long term and will keep prices at too high a level. The Housing Commission recommended that we had to change the rental situation in terms of the rent pressure zones.”
“I did respond. I do not think it is a privatisation issue alone. I get frustrated with the regulatory frameworks at times but the more important issue is that being overly dependent on imported fossil fuels is driving up prices in Ireland and across Europe. The Minister is looking afresh at the climate action plan in terms of having a more objective-based approach. Instead of an annual 40, 50 or 100 actions, we will be asking what are the big-ticket items that can deliver emissions reduction in this country. His approach is a better one and it will be published soon. I have dealt with the affordability issue raised by Deputy Conway-Walsh.”
“In response to Deputy Ahern, I think people still need aeroplanes. The issue is fuel efficiency and the type of fuels used, but people want to fly around the world. That is the reality. However, I take the Deputy's overall point. It is about balance. Our population has increased by 52% since 1995 and we have had record economic growth over that period, yet emissions are going down. Ireland is a very good example of an island that basically has decoupled economic growth from environmental degradation and rising emissions. In other words, we have achieved economic growth while also reducing emissions. We need to reduce them more but I think the direction of travel is very positive.”
“We have a national development plan that has the resources that are needed. The Critical Infrastructure Bill will be coming through the House. I hope Deputy Tóibín will support it to ensure we are able to get projects through more quickly.”
“The Midleton rail line was the first part of that and it was Fianna Fáil that put it back into use. The late Séamus Brennan made the point that it was the first railway sanctioned in approximately 50 years. He did that, we have progressed it and the Kent Station reforms have happened. However, I hear Deputy Quaide loud and clear in respect of Youghal. CIÉ is constantly reviewing the situation but it has to get done what it has planned to do in the next number of years. The upgrade of the N25 is vital and Deputy O'Connor has done a lot of good work on that. It must be acknowledged that it has to happen. Deputy Tóibín spoke about Navan. I think he is being a bit unfair to Deputy Dempsey, Shane Cassells, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and others who have done a lot of work in terms of where we are now.”