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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“The terrible crimes of Bill Kenneally were those of a predator who, for decades, abused young boys in Waterford city and its surrounding areas. Kenneally was ultimately convicted of some of these appalling sexual crimes. He received total sentences of nearly 19 years and died in prison last month, just over half-way through his term. The report of Mr. Justice Michael White arising from the south east commission of investigation has been presented to the Government and the Oireachtas, and published in full. It makes for harrowing reading. It tells a story of betrayal, manipulation, abuse, failure and pain. Kenneally’s criminal trial concerned the period 1979 to 1990.”
“One can only imagine the suffering that family is going through, and then they have had to experience this afterwards. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the appalling and horrific murder of Jamey Carney. It does speak to a very significant crisis in our modern-day society where such violence against women is excessive. I think the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, articulated this in plain language last week. This is something we will again be considering in Government, notwithstanding all the measures that have been taken, legislative and so on, and the establishment of Cuan. This has been compounded and exacerbated by the filthy and horrific material that the Deputy has described on social media. The social media platforms have obligations here and should act very quickly to withdraw such material. It is unacceptable and there has to be a zero-tolerance approach to that type of social media content.”
“The Deputy’s issue is more one of maintaining people within the core funding system and what happens if certain providers pull out.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There has been an increase in funding and so forth, as well as new funding to help services meet the fee management conditions attached to core funding. Most services will see their core funding rise to help to maintain the fee freeze. However, about 10% will be required to reduce their fees. I do not know whether this is the case in the specific experience the Deputy has spoken of but I will raise this issue with the Minister for children and disability. We are anxious to fulfil the Government programme in terms of reducing the costs of childcare very significantly, and we are going to take action in the forthcoming budget to further reduce the cost of childcare for families.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I agree that respite needs to be enhanced. In the last budget, an extra €600 million was given to disability services, which has at least helped to consolidate a lot of the section 38 providers and providers more generally. The Minister for housing has met with the Minister for disability. They have agreed a protocol that local authorities now have to prioritise people with disabilities for housing, that a quota of all social housing would be reserved for people with disabilities and that they would have a priority on housing lists so that from respite to residential, we will see a far more proactive approach. I agree with the Deputy on that.”
“Alongside those legislative changes, a programme of operational and non-legislative reforms is being implemented, including: a new single point of access; a dedicated autism diagnostic assessment panel; the launch of a new autism assessment intervention protocol in May; the removal of the requirement for a professional report to access special classes and school placements; the introduction of 11 new in-reach clinical teams to provide additional clinical guidance and support to assessment staff; and the roll-out of the education therapy service across 45 special schools, with plans to roll out to all schools. The focus is on early identification of need and making sure that children get access to therapy services in the first instance. That is the direction of travel.”
“The Government is taking very strong action on disability generally. Some €600 million extra was allocated in the most recent budget and there have been major increases in expenditure on education. The general scheme of the disability (amendment) Bill 2026 will be published shortly. That deals with the assessment of need process. The proposed amendments will make that process more child-centred, enabling proportionate assessments with more intensive clinical input only where required.”
“This is a hot topic at the moment. Deputy McAuliffe of my party presented a paper on it recently. My understanding is that one route is that it will be a matter for local authorities in the first instance. In other words, we would enable local authorities to raise this tax if they wish or if they feel it is something they want to do. There is a lot of merit in it. In major cities like Dublin, it would provide significant revenue to the city council to allow it to deal with a lot of issues in its jurisdiction. Dublin and other cities may wish to avail of raising this levy and may need to do so.”
“The Minister is aware of the issue. There are moves afoot to accelerate the process as quickly as possible. Deputy Burke's general point that employers may still employ people is worth making. I will contact the Minister for enterprise in terms of a communication campaign.”
“I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this matter. In fairness, he has raised it on a consistent basis. I understand the motivation behind it. Obviously, we undertook tax measures last year in respect of housing. We are anxious that the market has a certain solidity and certainty about it and that we maintain momentum in terms of housebuilding. I have taken note of the Deputy's advocacy.”
“That scheme has been running for a long time. I will revert to the Minister for housing on the matter and come back to the Deputy with a more detailed reply. Schemes cannot go on forever, and there are limits to what the State can do on an ongoing basis. I will come back to Deputy Neville on the matter.”
“The company is putting that down to AI having a huge impact on the semiconductor sector. There will be gains and potential reductions as well in various sectors of the economy.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Youth unemployment is a seasonal and volatile issue. One of the areas we need to examine more closely is the cost involved for SMEs generally and whether young people are being taken on, even on a part-time. There has been a cumulative increase in costs over quite a while. We will do everything we can to support young people's progression into employment. In June, the youth unemployment rate was 10.8%, up from 9.8% in May and down from 11.6% in June of last year. It is always traditionally higher than the overall unemployment rate. We have to keep an eye on the graduate unemployment issue as well. There are changes occurring. It was interesting yesterday to hear about the additional €5 billion investment by Intel.”
“On the hosepipe ban, there are certain precautions the State and Irish Water should take in light of the unprecedented heat that we have experienced this summer, particularly in the past number of weeks. That would make sense. The hot weather could continue. We have seen what has happened across Europe and the horrific consequences for communities in Spain, France and elsewhere. We have also seen the excess deaths that have occurred on the Continent because of excessive heat. We do need to be cautious in respect of water. That said, I do think we can do far more to conserve water when it is raining. All of us can. I would argue that the amount of rainfall amounts are increasing in volume. We need to capture that water, and conserve and preserve it-----”
“I note the Opposition keeps saying they are for reforming but there comes a time when the Opposition seems to only respond and be reactive in support of every campaign group that develops on any particular issue. Governments will ruffle feathers from time to time as they bid to bring in reform. The Minister has engaged with the Law Society and will continue to engage with it.”
“I am sure the Deputy will agree that for a long time we have been seeking to reform the criminal justice system. There have been many calls for the elimination of inefficiencies. The objective of these reforms is to make the system more effective and efficient. The Minister has introduced a fee of €520 for District Court criminal cases under the criminal legal aid scheme. This figure represents the current fee paid for five appearances in the District Court, plus an 8% increase. The Deputy has said there should be a sensible resolution of this but there has to be reform. We cannot just keep doing the same old thing. In some cases, you can have up to 15 appearances where people are being paid for every separate appearance. That is not on either.”
“Will the Deputy let me answer the question? I will make a point. It is not a good enough response. If someone goes to a Garda station and is told they are not going anything about it because they do not have resources, I do not think that is an adequate response. It just should not be thrown out-----”
“Many Deputies in the House have raised this issue long before two weeks ago. Deputy McAuliffe and others have been active on this front. Laws have been passed, additional gardaí have been recruited and enormous resources are being allocated to An Garda Síochána.”
“I think all of us have met with families and young people who have Friedreich's ataxia as a condition and who are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the drug approval process, and there is a process. It is science led, primarily. It is not politically led, primarily. We had an outcome at the last meeting in respect of another drug. All of us want a positive outcome in terms of the deliberations that are ongoing but I think we need to be mindful of the fact, and I mean this is in the best of ways, that we have to allow the meetings to happen and people to take decisions, and then-----”
“I take the Deputy's point in respect of multiple offences. We will discuss that further, as well as the Deputy's issue of monetary penalties in respect of people's incomes. There has been a general reluctance on that front because you could create unintended consequences for others in the family, including other children in the family who are not breaking the law, but I take the Deputy's point more generally that there have to be consequences for crime, particularly where people are committing multiple offences. I know that the Minister for justice, along with other Ministers, will certainly continue to work on that.”
“Where extra gardaí have been deployed, that has been the experience. Gardaí are also reporting significant progress in respect of certain crimes and criminal activity which also needs to be acknowledged. In certain communities, we need something on the model, which the Minister, Deputy Calleary has now developed in respect of the Department of community and rural development with Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. The whole idea of having particular, co-ordinated resources in certain communities will give a broad-based approach, somewhat like the RAPID programme of a previous era, which can deal on multiple fronts with this phenomenon the Deputy has described.”
“We also now have youth diversion programmes in every part of the country. Children must engage with youth diversion programmes or else they will be dealt with through the criminal justice system. We need a wider societal approach to this. Young people throwing stones at a woman with a buggy is shocking and appalling behaviour, and parents, families and communities in society also have to take responsibility here. However, there are many positive things happening across society, with many volunteers doing extraordinary work with young people, in sporting clubs and in a variety of social and youth clubs and cultural organisations. All that must be equally affirmed and acknowledged, and we resource and support that. It is our view that greater visibility of gardaí on the street will deter actions of the kind the Deputy has outlined.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government is not lax on crime and has allocated significant additional resources this year and last year, and will continue to do so. Fundamentally, we are recruiting more gardaí which is important. In 2026, we funded the recruitment of a further 1,000 new gardaí and 200 more Garda staff and additional Garda reserve this year. At the end of April, the overall Garda workforce was over 18,000, particularly in the Dublin metropolitan region, where it was close to 4,000 gardaí assigned on the same date. We have equipped gardaí in that three divisions are now the site of proof of concept for body-worn cameras and the trial of deployment of conductive energy devices, CEDs, to train front-line gardaí. We are continuing to work on the resourcing of An Garda Síochána.”
“If it was not in the planning condition, the developer could do what the developer might want to do if it came upon human remains. That is one of the issues here. We are dealing with a 60-acre site here. I know the site very well. I have known it all my life. Buildings have been put on that site over the years. There are services on that site, funded by the State, in new buildings and so on. I mean social services and so forth. Certainly, I will engage with the Deputy and I will take on board some of the suggestions that she made in her contribution, but we also have to examine the possibility that there are no burials in that site at all. What if there is none?”
“That has now been endorsed by An Bord Pleanála. Therefore, a CPO is not a straightforward, simplistic thing the Government can do by just pressing a button. That also needs to be acknowledged. This matter does need reflection and examination. I fully accept the disquiet that is out there. We have done everything we possibly can over the last number of years in fulfilling the action plan that was outlined by the last Government in all of the areas that were covered at that time, in relation, as I said, to access to records, in terms of a redress scheme and much more than just that. We passed the Institutional Burials Act, which is now operational in Tuam and yielding an outcome there. Up to now, to be blunt about it, there was no real push or pressure to excavate the entire 60 acres at Bessborough.”
“However, there are significant and meaningful planning protections in respect of the specific application at Bessborough, namely: a forensic archaeological monitoring strategy is mandatory; a forensic archaeologist must be present throughout excavation works; and, as the Deputy said, all works must cease immediately if human remains are discovered. That is obviously designed to ensure dignity, protection and accountability. CPOs just do not happen automatically even if people apply for them. There are huge legal thresholds to be overcome in respect of a CPO of a site like this, particularly given that the council has designated it as appropriate for housing in its city development plan and, in the context of its executive functions, gave planning permission to the development of housing there.”
“It is not just on this specific one that An Coimisiún Pleanála has made an adjudication. One of the difficulties is, I am advised, that excavation without evidence of location is neither feasible nor lawful. That is a problem. Under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, the Government can only appoint a director of authorised intervention where it is satisfied that burials have taken place and there is evidence that those burials are manifestly inappropriate. In the case of Bessborough, I am advised that the legal threshold cannot currently be met because the location of many burials remains unknown.”
“I appreciate the constructive manner in which the Deputy has raised the questions, particularly in the context of her question as to how she can work with us. I appreciate that response. She has not attempted to name-call anybody or misrepresent people. I appreciate that. What I was endeavouring to say is that the commission did examine the site extensively, including in the context of cartographic and archival research and site surveys. It concluded that while it is likely that some children are buried on the grounds, that is, somewhere within the 60 acres, it found no physical or documentary evidence locating burial sites. When I spoke to survivors early on - not this year but, certainly, two to three years ago - there were differing perspectives in terms of how we deal with the 60 acres and with the site itself.”
“By the way, while I have not had the opportunity to go through this, the Deputy knows that because of the planning protections in the laws we have passed, if any human remains are found there, work has to stop immediately. There has to be a forensic archaeological strategy involved. That is mandatory. A forensic archaeologist must be present throughout the entirety of the excavation works. All works must cease immediately if human remains are discovered.”
“There have been State buildings, buildings that provide services to the State, on the Bessborough site for quite a long time. There has been lots of activity on that site for a long time, since long before the commission of inquiry. The commission of inquiry examined the Bessborough site extensively. This included cartographic and archival research, site surveys and public appeals for information. I apologise. I do not have time to go through this. I will come back in on it.”
“It is independent of the Government and the Oireachtas. People may describe its actions as disgusting and so on, but it is independent in its planning functions. If we ever reached a day when politicians felt they could intervene in various issues on an ongoing basis, that would become problematic for society over time. In respect of the Bessborough site and the decision, there is no evidence yet that there were any burials on the specific site on which an application has been made to build housing. The Bessborough site was originally 200 acres. It is now 60 acres. An element of the land was bought. I am on record as saying that I would have preferred for the State to have bought that land back in 2018 or 2019 via the local authority. That did not happen. It is my understanding that it was bought in different lots.”
“That is what happened then. During the term of office of the previous Government, there was a huge campaign to try to block the legislation. If that legislation had not been passed by he Houses, the archives would have been destroyed. It was a dishonest and outrageous campaign that was organised by people who should have known better. Thanks be to God the then Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, brought the legislation through because it has protected the archives. As the Deputy will be aware, we will have a national archive centre for all material relating to all industrial schools, mother and baby homes and other institutions, for its preservation, conservation and, ultimately, to allow people who wish to do so to access it. In respect of Bessborough, it must be stated that An Coimisiún Pleanála is independent. I hope the Deputy accepts that.”
“The Deputy's presentation as to archives being sealed is somewhat disingenuous and totally inaccurate. My understanding is that the action the State took - well I know, because it was dealt with by means of legislation introduced by the previous Government - was to protect those archives. If we had not introduced that legislation, they would not be extant now. They would have been destroyed by the commission. We need honesty in this debate, and we need to stop name-calling everyone and saying people are doing this and sealing that. We are not. The actions of the previous Government in respect of this issue were comprehensive. For the first time, we overcame certain constitutional issues in order to ensure that everyone who was adopted had access to their full birth records. That was always the most consistent demand made by people.”
“The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Canney, will be back to the House in terms of regulations for e-scooters or a ban on e-scooters, which I must say I am leaning towards myself.”
“I am talking about generally. The idea that gardaí do not pursue criminals or activities is wrong. Yes, there have been cases, unfortunately, taken against gardaí. That is why the Ministers are bringing in additional legislation to protect gardaí while in pursuit. Even with that legislation, we all know judgment has to applied in given situations because pursuits are dangerous in themselves. It could be potentially dangerous to innocent bystanders or pedestrians. We had similar situations in different times which ultimately we got control of. It was not scramblers then; it was joyriding and all of that. We got control of that through various mechanisms working together. We have to do the same now in pursuing this issue.”
“Irrespective of new laws, gardaí obviously have to weigh up and balance their interventions at given times in terms of the pursuit of some of these people, particularly those on scramblers. People are fed are up of it, however, and people have had enough of this. We are determined, with An Garda Síochána, to do everything we possibly can to rid scramblers from public places. If that does not transpire in terms of their continued frequency, we may have to look more at what would ordinarily be seen as extreme action in respect of scramblers more generally and what they are purported to be originally used for. I think we will have to look at every option in respect of this issue.”
“The Minister for justice and the Garda Commissioner are continuing to examine any further actions they can do to clamp down on the illegal use of scramblers and e-scooters. There has been some progress in terms of Operation Meacán and operations of that kind. The Commissioner will give a presentation today to the committee in this regard. Operation Meacán looks, in particular, at the use of electric vehicles for criminal activity across the Dublin metropolitan area. Significant days of action have been carried out as a result of that, with e-scooters and e-bikes seized during the operation of Operation Meacán. I refer to the resources, the equipment and the legislation. It is not just about legislation. It is now about enforcement and it is also about ensuring that gardaí are protected as they enforce this law and this regulation.”
“The Minister for Transport will be working with the Minister for justice to bring in legislation to ensure that gardaí are protected while in pursuit of anyone on a scrambler or e-scooter. The Minister for Health has sought a full and comprehensive report from CHI in respect of injuries to children as a result of e-scooter accidents. The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Seán Canney, is looking at all options in respect of e-scooters, including a full ban if necessary. There are options open to the House in terms of regulation or a full ban. The expectation is that the report from CHI will be of profound consequence in terms of what will be detailed in respect of the impact of e-scooters. In respect of scramblers, they are now explicitly banned for any use in any public place.”
“What the Deputy has described is horrific for Sandra - I did not get her surname - and her son Jayden. It is something that we are going to deal with very robustly. The legislation in terms of Grace’s law was enacted on 3 April. We are now in the middle of July. I know the Garda Commissioner is speaking to the Oireachtas committee as well. There has been very proactive seizure of scramblers and, indeed, of e-scooters. About 2,000 e-scooters have been seized since 2024 and about 418 scramblers have been seized since 2024. The impact of these scramblers is horrific, as we know in the context of the appalling killing of Grace Lynch. I met Siobhán and Martin and I know how committed and dedicated they are to ridding society of this scourge. We will use every lever at our disposal to do this.”
“This is a unique opportunity for Ireland to lead on the world stage and to copper-fasten our reputation as bridge builders, rooted in our commitment to effective multilateralism and universal democratic values. This requires a collective effort, and I know that we rely on the support of this House as we endeavour to deliver an ambitious agenda for the people of Europe over the next six months.”
“The demands for expenditure are many, with a need to support long-standing priorities, such as CAP and cohesion, while also investing in our future competitiveness and economic prosperity, as well as our security. There is still much work to be done in these negotiations and the Government will make every effort during its Presidency to secure a fair and balanced outcome. The European Council had a busy agenda to work through in June, with a focus on many areas that we will be seeking to advance in the coming months during our Presidency of the European Union. I look forward to continuing our discussions in this House on these matters. A successful European Union Presidency is a strategic priority, as a stronger European Union means a stronger Ireland.”
“As we have made clear in setting out the Irish Presidency programme, the European Union's ambitious agenda for the coming years will need a budget that is appropriate to this ambition. Ireland is ready to play a key role in advancing the negotiations and presenting workable compromises for a new EU budget that is both strong and sustainable. I understand that many countries have different priorities and pressures when discussing the creation and funding of EU programmes, but we also need to collectively bridge the gap between what we expect the EU budget to deliver and the funding we are willing to provide. We remain committed to agreeing the overarching MFF package by the end of 2026. We know that this will not be easy. Difficult decisions and compromises will need to be made by all member states.”
“I look forward to reporting to my fellow EU leaders on the progress the Irish Presidency is making on the implementation of the roadmap at our meetings in the autumn. Our goal should be nothing less than making Europe the best place in the world to start and grow a business, including through a significantly modernised digital environment and significantly strengthened research and innovation system. This will be the foundation for future prosperity that must underpin our shared values and wider political objectives. The June European Council discussed the EU's next long-term budget, also known as the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, based on the negotiation box, with figures presented by the Cyprus Presidency. Leaders called on the incoming Irish Presidency to advance work by the October European Council meeting.”
“With many of the files falling for implementation by the end of 2026, this comprehensive agenda provides Ireland’s Presidency programme with a very strong strategic focus. We will work to make decisive progress across the five strategic building blocks of the One Europe, One Market roadmap: promoting simplification; deepening the single market; championing fair and open trade; reducing energy prices while decarbonising our economies; and driving the digital and AI transformation. We will work closely and cooperatively with member states, the European Parliament and the Commission to make as much progress as we possibly can. Leaders have also committed to keeping up the momentum for implementation through regular stocktaking at each of our European Council meetings.”
“Leaders also held a strategic debate on global macroeconomic imbalances. I have made clear my very strong support for the clear political agreement that has now been established on the need for urgent action to enhance Europe’s competitiveness and productivity. We must secure an economic future that meets the needs and expectations of Europe’s citizens, while advancing our commitment to global economic co-operation. At the informal European Council meeting in Cyprus in April, the European institutions collectively agreed a One Europe, One Market roadmap, which sets out the priority work to be undertaken over the months ahead. The roadmap includes targets for legislative proposals and agreement by the co-legislators, quarterly reviews to monitor progress and clear responsibilities for all EU institutions.”
“It is over three years since this terrible conflict began, causing untold suffering, with almost 14 million people displaced and the biggest humanitarian crisis facing the world today. The European Union is supporting efforts to bring this devastating conflict to an end, including through the international Sudan conference held in Berlin in April. It has called on all sides to respect international law, to protect civilians and to guarantee the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. At the Berlin conference, the EU and its member states pledged €812 million in aid. Ireland has donated nearly €16 million in 2025 and 2026 in humanitarian assistance and supports. The June European Council reviewed progress in strengthening the EU’s competitiveness and called for decisive progress on the One Europe, One Market agenda.”
“Our long-standing position remains that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended, or at a minimum that the trade elements should be suspended. While we all agree that more action is needed, it is also important to acknowledge the positive role the EU is playing in supporting a viable two-state solution. The EU is the single largest donor to the Palestinian Authority and to the people of Palestine. A key focus of Ireland’s Presidency will be to reaffirm the European Union's commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution. I would also like to take this opportunity to address the situation in Sudan, tragically the forgotten war.”
“While these statements are important, I was clear with my colleagues that action by the European Union is required. It is therefore important that the European Council acknowledged the Commission’s intention to present options on action against illegal Israeli settlements to the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 13 July. I called for this to include a proposal on banning trade with the settlements. I also raised this with President von der Leyen during our meeting in Cork last week and I look forward to seeing the Commission’s proposed options. While the passing of the occupied territories Bill by this House yesterday is a significant step, it has always been my view that action at EU level is also required and would be more effective, if we are to have the desired impact.”
“As the House will recall, I wrote to President Costa ahead of this meeting of the European Council setting out Ireland’s deep concerns and our position on the need to examine the EU’s relationship with Israel, given its ongoing actions in both Gaza and the West Bank, and called for an urgent discussion among leaders. Importantly, at our meeting in June, European Union leaders expressed concern about the lack of progress by all actors in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and again called on Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza. We also condemned Israel’s unilateral actions in aiming to expand its illegal settlements in the West Bank. These actions, among others, are posing an existential threat to the two-state solution.”