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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“That is not cuts and that is not a reduction in expenditure in education. That is expansion and an increase. Could we at least agree that? The issue then becomes the deployment of those special needs assistants to the children most in need. That is an overall increase. By September of 2026, we will have had an increase of 8,775 special needs assistants in our schools. This is a 54% increase. By any yardstick, that is a fairly dramatic and substantial increase. Of course parallel with that, needs have increased and challenges have increased in our schools. With regard to the deployment, there should be regular reviews to make sure we are targeting the children most in need and that the children most in need get the optimal services.”
“First of all, we need to have some degree of objective assessment of what actually has happened in terms of investment in education. Investment in education has increased dramatically over the past number of years - of that, there is no question. Just go through the number of extra teachers in our education system over the past number of years, which is quite significant. We have had a sustained reduction in pupil-teacher ratios over the past years. We have had record increases in capitation grants to schools, most recently in the last budget. In terms of special needs assistants, in 2020 there were 16,000 SNAs in our schools; in 2021, it went to 18,000; in 2022, it went to 19,000; in 2023, it went to 21,000; in 2024, it was close to 22,000; in 2025, it is 23,000; and by September of the next school year, it will be 25,000.”
“Are we now going to be dictating the optimal clinical situation for someone to have surgery in every individual case? That is not tenable.”
“Fundamentally, there has to be accountability from a clinical perspective. That has to happen. We do have a Medical Council and we do have a framework. I do not want to prejudge anything here but clearly there are issues in relation to that dimension of it. We have to be very careful at the same time. The Deputy mentioned a case there. That is, fundamentally, a clinical decision-making situation. I think it is wrong for Dáil Éireann to attempt to adjudicate and, if you like, ordain what should happen where there are very serious clinical issues at stake, for example in the case of the person the Deputy mentioned. I have read the background note to that case and I do not want to discuss it in public. There needs to be some sense of order here in terms of what lines we cross.”
“The issue spoke to overmedication, a lack of a multidisciplinary approach and a lack of complementary therapies or therapies other than medication and psychiatry, which is a fundamental issue. The HSE serious incident team was established to deal with this. This is absolutely unacceptable. The same approach will be taken with all the families involved, as was taken in terms of south Kerry with an apology from the HSE in the first instance, but also to engage with each family. The more fundamental focus and priority is on the well-being of all involved and that there will be continued supports for them.”
“In addition, after the situation in south Kerry, the Minister commissioned a national audit. The HSE's prescribing audit and the Mental Health Commission did not identify any concerns relating to prescribing practice in services outside of Kerry. Dr. Colette Halpin and about ten consultant psychiatrists undertook this review. It took longer than anticipated, and there will need to be an extended look back in terms of absolute certainty for all cases. I also understand there is a referral to the Medical Council in respect of what has transpired here. I listened this morning to the mother of one of the young people concerned. It was a harrowing account.”
“That has happened, and simultaneous to that, both assessment and proper treatment are being provided to put those young people on a proper pathway. It was important from the perspective of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that in the interests of the children and families, they would be communicated with directly in advance of publication of this report. My understanding is that letters were issued to all the families yesterday to arrive this morning. That was a clear instruction, and I think it was obviously the correct thing to do. The families will continue to have access to a clinical support team and a dedicated open disclosure helpline. The Minister will visit Kerry tomorrow and Friday to meet and engage with families affected by the findings in the report, with CAMHS staff and with the regional health forum.”
“Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom a rá gur uafásach an scéal ar fad é an méid a tharla i gCiarraí thuaidh maidir le cúrsaí leigheas intinne. Is drochscéal é. Is féidir liom a rá go bhfuil sé uafásach. At the outset, the report is not published yet. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, will bring a memorandum to the Government this afternoon and will publish the report in its entirety in the aftermath of the Cabinet meeting later this evening. The first principle in medicine is "Do no harm". Harm has been done here in the treatment of several young people in north Kerry. The Minister was anxious for open disclosure meetings with the families and those affected to be the first priority, in advance of the publication of any report.”
“I have been pressing the Minister in that regard. I said earlier that unit in that Department has a lot on, but the rural house guidelines are very important. I will look at the development levies issue. The more important thing is to get the guidelines to enable people to build on their land. There is a lot better technology nowadays in terms of how to deal with wastewater, etc. Deputy Ó Murchú also raised the cost of disability. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is working on that and he will have proposals for the next budget in that respect. A lot of detailed work has to happen on this; it is not simple.”
“Deputy McCormack said Offaly is leading the way. It is a powerful set of statistics. Everybody in the House is probably not aware of the degree to which Offaly is becoming a powerhouse. Bord na Móna is a big factor here. We will have further developments on that front, and investments. It is time that foreign direct investment and IDA Ireland looked at what Offaly has to offer. Contrary to what Deputy Paul Murphy is saying, there is real potential for energy parks and an alternative new economy with Bord na Móna as a catalyst and, as a significant State agency, to leverage its land assets and what it has to try to generate a new economy and new jobs for Offaly more generally. This is something that is potentially very positive and we should keep at it. Deputy O'Meara raised the rural house guidelines.”
“Yes. We are also progressing that. The Deputy also asked about communities generating and sharing themselves. That is something we have to progress better. Deputy Heneghan raised the same. There are issues there. The private wires legislation is moving fast. I cannot get into leaflet dropping by a State agency, but it should do it properly and it should look after the public and make sure they are well sorted.”
“The procurement started with the Departments of social and community affairs. On the European system and the grid system-----”
“Some days it can be 50% of electricity generation in this country. The Deputy knows that too but that is a figure that he will never reference. Deputy Quaide raised the transition to EVs. He has left the House. Members keep going around in circles because on another day, they support proposals where people do not even have cars outside houses at this stage. This is a challenge. There is no easy answer. In some new developments that I have seen in cities, the presumption is that people will not need a car at all. No car parking is provided for in the planning. It is a challenge we need to revisit in terms of people's lives and decisions that people make. In response to Deputy Malcolm Byrne, we are providing generators to communities, and to community hubs in particular.”
“We cannot miss out. We have to manage it. We have to harness it. We have to develop it and we are. We are investing up to €18 billion in PR6 to increase grid capacity. We are investing in interconnectors as well and seeking further grid connections, with the Continent as well as with the United Kingdom, to try to support what we are doing. Renewables are making a very sizeable contribution.”
“On Deputy Paul Murphy's questions, again, there were great sound bites that the Government is sort of swallowed up by big tech and we are doing this for big tech. Whether he likes it or not, the digital economy will require data centres into the future. I do not know how we are going to do it otherwise. Equally, when the Deputy casually talks about big tech, they employ. That is not why we are doing, by the way. Our fundamental agenda is always to support workers and to support good quality jobs in this country. The Deputy dismisses it all of the time. He really could not care less about how many thousands of people are working in technology companies in this country. In my own city of Cork, Apple employs 6,000 people. Is the Deputy dismissing them as big tech?”
“-----which is quite substantial and effective. The bottom line anyway is that we are targeting the resources at those who need it most. I accept there is pressure on energy. Of that, there is not doubt, but to keep doing €2 billion to €3 billion in one-off payments is not sustainable. One third of our revenue is corporate tax. That may not last forever. We need to embed measures into the permanent budget, which is what we did beginning in the budget. There is huge investment in infrastructure and investment in the retrofitting programme - the biggest budget ever. We are supporting fuel poverty and investing in other areas as well to try to reduce the pressure on people, and in terms of other income disregards for microgeneration, etc.”
“Deputy Boyd Barrett was first into the fray in terms of the winter payment and so forth. The Government took a lot of measures on energy in the budget, for example, reducing the VAT rate to 9% and keeping it there until 2030, including the working family payment in the fuel allowance and increasing the fuel allowance by €5 so that there are a very substantial number of people now benefiting. There are approximately 450,000 recipients of the fuel allowance now. The Deputy seems to support the energy credit as well. He is supporting millionaires getting the energy credit.”
“In 2026, a record capital allocation of €640 million, including €550 million from carbon tax receipts, will support the SEAI's residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the solar PV scheme. This means that more funding than ever will be available to make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat. Analysis carried out by DCEE and the SEAI indicates that a household can save between €750 and €1,120 per year by installing a deep package of measures.”
“In addition, the Government has extended the €400 income tax disregard for households involved in microgeneration for a further three years to the end of 2028. It is important to note that the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the additional needs payment to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulties with fuel bills. The Government is working at speed to roll out more renewable energy infrastructure, onshore and offshore wind and solar panels. This is already helping to bring down the cost of electricity and is the long term solution to high energy bills. The Government is also making it easier for people to improve their energy efficiency and produce their own energy with a range of grants to install solar PV panels on homes, businesses and farms.”
“We are making it easier for people to improve their energy efficiency and produce their own energy, with a range of grants to install solar PV panels on homes, businesses and farms, with budget 2026 providing a record capital allocation of €558 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes. The Government has already acted on that commitment through measures introduced in budget 2026, including the extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to electricity and gas, to the end of 2030 and an increase in the fuel allowance payment by €5 to €38 per week, equating to a 15% increase from January 2026. This will provide an additional €140 to over 460,000 recipients during the annual fuel allowance season. The payment has also been expanded to include those in receipt of the working family payment.”
“In the report, NESC outlines five areas of action: energy affordability; energy poverty; monitoring and targeting; scaling energy efficiency and clean heat; helping households reap electricity benefits; place-based energy resilience and local production; and strengthening energy connections. The council concludes that households and communities can potentially play a very significant and immediate role in making energy savings, generating renewable energy and building energy resilience if they are enabled to do so. The Government is committed to building Ireland's energy resilience and ending energy poverty. We are working at speed to roll out more renewable energy infrastructure, onshore and offshore wind and solar panels. This is already helping to bring down the cost of electricity and is a long term solution to high energy bills.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 39, inclusive, together. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable, economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The last two significant NESC reports published and submitted to Government were council report No.170, Connecting People to the Energy Transition, and NESC report No.171, Building a Virtuous Demographic Cycle. The NESC report No. 170 was submitted to the Government last August. It examines how households can share in the economic, environmental and well-being benefits of the energy transition, while protecting the most vulnerable from negative impacts.”
“Energy prices are not just an Irish issue but are European one as well. In fact, we discussed it at the informal competitiveness council last week and it will be discussed at the March European Council and the President of the Commission will be bringing some ideas around that. We tackled that a number of years ago. The problem is the connection to the price of gas. Renewables should decrease. Renewables are the cheapest form of energy - of that, there is no question - and fossil fuels are the most expensive. Nuclear is between the two.”
“I would think Deputy Tóibín would pay tribute what the former Deputy and Minister, Noel Dempsey, did for road safety. He was a singularly impactful Minister in that regard. He saved a lot of lives, even though many in the House at the time disagreed with him on the measures he took. Deputy O'Hara spoke about wind energy guidelines. I will engage with the Minister. I am hoping he will have those by the end of the year. I will come back to him. There is a lot of pressure on that unit in the Department in respect of the exemptions from planning guidelines, rural housing guidelines and onshore wind guidelines. I do not have the specifics for Deputy Ó Murchú. I know he has raised the communal heating system.”
“In fairness, that project is progressing and will happen because of this Government and the previous one, in particular, and because we are in the position to allocate money to it and get it going. That is an important point as well in terms of the scale of the investment that will be required.”
“We will keep pursuing that. Obviously, those projects are ones the Deputy is going to see through to the end and I appreciate that. I will say to Deputy Tóibín that it is not the norm to be derogatory about former Ministers and people who have served in the House.”
“I have asked the Department in terms of coastal protection, and I discussed this recently with local authorities, OPW and the various Government Departments, to make sure we have a lead in that and get working on it. I appreciate Deputy Cleere's positive commentary in relation to the roads programme for Carlow and Kilkenny, including the N25, N24, the Callan bypass, the quay in Thomastown and the south Kilkenny upgrade as well. The Deputy raised the issue of the flooding and the impact of that. I have spoken to the Minister for Transport and the officials in that Department, saying that a lot of roads have been damaged by the floods and asking them to tell the local authorities to get on with it and start repairing them. There are estimates coming in but there are roads needing immediate repairs to make them traversable and so on.”
“Solar is really driving now. Solar generation is really progressing very fast and is now becoming quite a significant factor in terms of renewable energy in the country and what Deputy Heneghan is suggesting is even more of that. On Deputy Lawless's point, I supported the nature-based solutions. On the 40,000 tonnes of seaweed, I believe we should protect, in so far as we can, our resources in that regard. I think the Deputy still supports the harvesting of seaweed but more for the local community as opposed to anybody else. It is a local economic approach as opposed to a climate approach. That is fair enough. That seems to be the view. I will check where the coastal management strategy is.”
“The optimal position is the hard engineering projects but complemented and supplemented by nature-based measures. We need to rewet a lot more of our uplands. We need to engage with our agricultural community in that regard because what I saw in Aughrim the other day was quite frightening in terms of what came down from the mountains, taking roads with it and putting people in difficult positions in terms of life and limb. As a society, we have not fully grasped the importance of adaptation. We, in government, have more to do in that regard. I will be honest about that. I think we need to do more on the adaptation side. Deputy Heneghan asked about the plug-in solar. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in respect of that. Anything we can do that makes it more affordable and better for people we will do.”
“I agree with Deputy Conway-Walsh on the Skillnet project. Bord na Móna is a transformative State agency. It is a great example of how to go from being a contributor to probably making one of the better contributions among State agencies to the climate change agenda and to addressing climate change. There will be further economic dividends arising out of the transformation Bord na Móna has undertaken and been part of. Bord na Móna is a good story. On public transport, the NDP allocation is 2:1 in favour of public transport. That is important. Deputy Quaide asked about the urbanisation of floodplains. The Government supports the nature-based approach to flooding and to dealing with these issues. I accept the Deputy's point that it is not a silver bullet. It is not an either-or.”
“Some 240,000 houses have been retrofitted as a result of that programme over the past number of years. We have transformed retrofitting, we have transformed ACRES and environmental farming supports compared to what was there. Some 40% comes from the European Union and Sinn Féin has had an on-off relationship with Europe as well.”
“On Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh's question, what is interesting is all the areas she is urging us to act on - environmental, farming, retrofitting and so on. We spend about €1.5 billion on the ACRES programme, which is good for environmental farming. Of that, 60% is from the Exchequer. Does the Deputy know what helps to fund that? It is the carbon tax, which every now and again Sinn Féin opposes.”
“There is an issue there. We have been warned about it. We have to act on that warning. We have an obligation to people, jobs, the economy and society to heed that and that is why that is going ahead. We have made a lot of progress. The population has increased by 50%. We have grown our economy very substantially over the past two or three decades and our emissions are coming down. We have successfully proven that you can decouple economic growth from climate and population growth. Even though people are giving out that we may not reach our target, it is quite a remarkable achievement in many respects because we are one of the few countries that is growing exponentially in population relative to where we were.”
“We are not going to build interconnection just like that. We have interconnection but there is a problem with it. There are threats to it. Guess who is a threat to it? Russia. I know Deputy Murphy probably does not believe that. There is a naivety in his approach to Russia. He always sees the US as the aggressor. Anyway, we will not go into that.”
“Ireland felt that if there was any time we should attend COP, it was last year, to make sure that momentum and critical mass were maintained internationally and globally. The emergency reserve capacity for LNG is a security issue. It is wrong of Deputy Murphy to say that it flies in the face of the climate change agenda. We simply have to have security. If anything were to happen to the gas interconnectors, our economy would not sustain a week or two. I do not know whether Deputy Murphy believes that or not, or whether he believes they are in-----”
“In fairness, a lot of people did a lot of good work during the last storm. A lot of local authority officials were out in the middle of the night helping families get through it. The local authority in Carlow, for example, saved the day for a big housing estate. There are positives and negatives. The issue is that it is not pulling together. The toxicity and the impact on public health is very serious and I will come back to Deputy Boyd Barrett on the evaluation of that. I disagree fundamentally with Deputy Murphy in that I do not think there is a huge disparity or contrast with what we said in COP. It is very important that we went to Belém. Other countries did not go at all.”
“I will check with the national emergency co-ordination group to see whether there is an evaluation of what happened and whether we have a report outlining what transpired. I do think we have a challenge with co-ordination between agencies. We have challenges with the readiness and the capacity of local authorities in terms of emergencies, be it a flooding emergency or a gorse fire, as in this case. Last week, I convened a meeting in respect of the last storm, focusing on co-ordination and people working together to make sure that someone is in charge if something happens and that it gets done. I do not think we are at the optimal stage yet, if I am honest, but I am pursuing it. I am looking at this thing structurally as well to see what needs to be done to make sure there are clear lines.”
“He is very focused. He has the task force also. The industry has been reassured about the Government's commitment to really getting the first couple of offshore wind platforms going, certainly from 2030 onwards. That is key. The private wires Bill is progressing. It is important legislation and I look forward to it coming through. Deputy Whitmore raised the issue of public transport and the Go-Ahead service. She should complain to the National Transport Authority, which awards the contracts. If there are issues with the contracts, they should be raised with the NTA. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised an important issue. It is a serious public health issue as well as a health and safety issue.”
“I thank all of the Deputies who asked questions. There were quite a number. Deputy Byrne raised the issue of the offshore wind clearinghouse and the private wires Bill. The offshore wind clearinghouse is where we bring in the industry to meet Departments and regulators to discuss generic issues. It is not specific to any company but is to cut through a lot of the to'ing and fro'ing and ask what the potential barriers are to getting offshore wind farms over the line. There have been different challenges. In more recent times, the inflationary costs in supply chains have increased somewhat. There have been negative challenges because of US policy towards wind energy and its impact on some of the companies. However, we are progressing. We are putting in a huge effort. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, this morning about all of this.”
“The clearing house has met on two occasions, and its next meeting will take place later this month. The programme for Government also committed to taking decisive action to provide warmer, more comfortable homes, as part of our drive to support climate change, energy affordability, security and sustainability. We launched the National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026 recently. It will make home energy upgrades more affordable and accessible to many more homeowners.”
“Quickly developing a vibrant offshore wind sector is central to this objective. This task requires the collective skills and effort of the public and private sectors, working together, to make the most of this opportunity. Following on from successful discussions at the Government industry forum last July, I have established an offshore wind energy clearing house with the aim of tackling barriers to the timely delivery of offshore wind energy. This clearing house provides a forum where barriers to the development of offshore energy can be addressed by the heads of relevant Government Departments and public sector organisations together with industry representatives. It supports and enhances the efforts of the existing offshore wind delivery task force, chaired by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien.”
“We are making real progress in the deployment of renewable energy, surpassing our electric vehicle targets for last year, and we are making sustained investment in enhancing the energy performance of our homes and thereby lowering emissions and energy costs for householders. Since 2019, almost €1.7 billion has been invested through SEAI schemes to support over 240,000 home energy upgrades. These actions are reaping rewards. However, the latest EPA projections tell us that we have to go further - tackling climate action faster and at scale, particularly over the next five years. The Government is committed to reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels, taking the necessary steps to ensure Ireland's long-term energy security and unlocking opportunities for economic growth.”
“The progress report for the final quarter of 2025 is currently being compiled and will be published following consideration by the Government. The programme for Government restates our determination that Ireland, together with our EU partners, will play its full part in tackling climate change - protecting this and future generations. It is clear that change is under way across our economy and society to steer Ireland towards a low-carbon future. Reducing emissions is now at the heart of all our policies and sectors. We are seeing encouraging signs. Ireland’s emissions have been falling for the past three years, and we now have lower overall emissions than at any point in the last 35 years, despite our population growing by 50% over that period.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 19, inclusive, together. The Department of the Taoiseach tracks the delivery of actions committed to by Government Departments in the climate action plan and publishes quarterly progress reports. The progress report for quarter 1 of the Climate Action Plan 2025 was published in July 2025. The latest progress report was published in January and is available on my Department's website. It details progress made on actions due for delivery in quarters 2 and 3 of 2025. The report also covers progress on actions delayed from quarter 1, as well as delayed actions from 2023 and 2024. In total, 23 of the 39 new actions due to be completed during the two quarters were delivered on time. Of the 54 high impact actions delayed from 2023 and 2024, ten were completed by the end of quarter 3.”
“There was always contingency funding within the Department of Transport in terms of damaged roads as a result of flooding. There was a lot of damage as a result of the recent flooding, and we have made it very clear, through the Department of Transport, to say to the local authorities that they should get on with doing the roads that have been damaged, specifically by the flooding. They should not be hanging around; they should get them done and they will be covered.”
“I met with the Before We Die campaign group and we had a very good discussion. These are very serious issues. There needs to be stronger co-ordination between local authorities, section 39 bodies and Government Departments, particularly the Department of housing and the Department of disability. I am placing it on the agenda of the next Cabinet subcommittee meeting with a view to creating a structure that will work to support families in this situation. There are a lot of issues we have to work through. I do not have the length of time to go through it all here but suffice to say it is not enough. The HSE will say it looks after moderate to severe disabilities. There has to be a continuum of care, of sheltered housing and of supported housing, depending on the needs of a given individual.”
“Sorry, we are increasing the number of SNAs. There will be no cuts to the number of SNAs in our school system, no SNA will lose his or her job and no SNA will be taken from any school in this school year. Those are the fundamentals. It is important that needs are reviewed and assessed on an ongoing basis. That is logical and that is the way it should be. For the next school year, we will be at 25,000 SNAs. That will be about 45% of an increase over five years. I do not know how anybody in their wildest imagination can call those cuts. It is expansion, but this review is about making sure that each school has the right level of SNAs for its needs.”
“We are obviously talking about the next school year. As I said earlier in respect of Our Lady of Good Counsel, no school should lose close to six SNAs in one fell swoop or one decision. I have communicated that to the NCSE. I said it to both Ministers as well when we discussed this. Everyone acknowledges that it is too severe an impact. It is probably because there have not been regular reviews of allocations and such reviews are needed. We need to be very clear on the role of the SNA. Maybe it is not as broadly based it is now developing in some cases. There is specific training for SNAs and specific functions as per the circular in respect of supporting children with additional needs. Going from nine to 3.83 SNAs is a huge drop in a relatively small school. It has appealed.”
“He has got a kind of half-positive response from me. My good colleague here has alerted me to the fact that the announcement today includes an allocation of funding for the commencement of that project.”
“I understand that funding to get the ball rolling was allocated to that project by the Minister today. It was announced at 12.45 p.m., subject to being checked. The Deputy can check that. I do not race ahead of the announcement of the news like some people do. I will leave it at that, but I acknowledge that it is an important project.”