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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Every one of 5,818 lines we hold for Micheál Martin, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 117.
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I appreciate that the survivors of the horrific abuse perpetrated by Seán Drummond are in the Gallery today. I was not aware that they would be here today or that the issue would be raised but, notwithstanding that, there is no question that the trauma experienced by them and others as a result of the heinous acts of this individual, Seán Drummond, and indeed many others in previous years in our schools and across other areas of society, has been truly traumatic and has had a life-changing impact on the people abused and on survivors. There is a shocking history of child sexual abuse in this country and there has been in many institutions. As the Deputy knows, the report of the scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders was published in 2024.”
“As this Bill attempts to recommit us to a strategy that has failed for so long, we will oppose it and recommit ourselves to a more credible, active and ambitious approach.”
“No one did this work at this scale before now. If we can share a common understanding of the facts then we can discuss our future on an informed basis rather than simply singing the old songs and expecting something new to happen. It is up to each party here to stop demanding that others do the work of describing the constitutional, economic and social future of this island. For our part, we intend to continue to work in pursuit of Irish unity in ways that are consistent with the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and my belief that we have to break the cycle of 100 years where discussion of the constitutional future has always rapidly and inevitably devolved into competing camps.”
“A policy of one more push, and hoping for an unpopular government in London, will achieve nothing. In contrast, our approach is rooted in the Good Friday Agreement and in maximising the ability for breaking the cycle of failed policies from the last century. The starting point of true civic republicanism is to focus first on building understanding and shared interests between all communities. I am genuinely surprised by how dismissive some here are of the groundbreaking practical work being done under the shared island initiative. Not one speaker opposite mentioned it in any of their contributions. We have secured its legitimacy. We have shown that it is possible for people to reach across divides on the basis of shared interests. We have held forums involving many thousands of people from every walk of life.”
“In relation to compelling the establishment of a citizens' assembly at the end of next year, I have consistently been of the view that a citizens' assembly is not the appropriate mechanism to advance the enormous work of securing the unity of the people of this island, work which by definition requires much broader participation of the public, of political parties and of all communities on the island. Addressing the real hurt of the legacy of the years of violence and destruction would be an essential step in building trust and an honest debate. Simply ignoring it causes new hurt and reinforces divisions. Given the reality of past experience, please let us move beyond the new slogan that all we need is Government advocacy and a citizens' assembly and then we will be ready.”
“Due to the research programme that I put in place, and the Government through the shared island initiative, we are now for the first time developing a systematic approach to gathering information and wider data on the reality of life North and South. The cost of maintaining services and payments is one thing but the bigger issue of economic convergence would, under any scenario, involve profound changes in tax, benefits, public service pay and many other areas. The idea that we can finish building rigorous and independent data in 18 months and then answer questions on people's incomes and the structure of the economy is obviously not serious.”
“At its core are the assumptions of one more push, or demography is destiny, which have always failed. The model proposed in the Bill is not new. There has already been a lot of talk about Scotland, but the harsh fact is that the approach contained in this Bill is almost exactly the one that did not deliver constitutional change there in spite of a seven-year referendum campaign. The Bill requires that all work must be commissioned, completed, analysed and then incorporated within a proposal for a unitary state within 18 months. All analysis and proposals about the economy, education systems, health services, public service pay, the replacement of sterling, legal systems, policing, legacy, culture, identity and constitutional structures must be completed in a year and a half. This is obviously not credible.”
“Instead of waving flags in people's faces and talking about the inevitable march of history, we need people to be open about the scale of the obstacles to overcome and the spirit of a peace agreement, which is the bedrock upon which we can build our future. For the past century we have not overcome a constitutional divide which had no foundation or precedent in our long history. Campaigns of sectarian murder and destruction not only failed, they further deepened division. It is also true that those of us who sought unification by peaceful means failed to create a vision for the future that could persuade others to agree with us. The proposal for a policy statement on unity backed by other nationalist parties is not new. In fact, it has been tried repeatedly.”
“The Government will oppose this Bill for a range of reasons. It would do little to achieve its objective and it would recommit us to an approach that has failed repeatedly over the past 100 years. Most importantly, it would distract from urgent work that is essential before any honest and constructive debate about our constitutional future can be held. This is the work that falls to everyone here and not just the Government. It is important that all of us who aspire to the unity of all Irish people are willing to discuss and debate it. However, denouncing people because they see a different means to a specific end is the very opposite of a constructive debate.”
“Deputy Whitmore would be the first Deputy to attack the Government, if anything were to happen, for not attempting to provide for this. It will take time, even at the pace we are going, to get this facility in place to give us the security we require. We need it. There is no other way out. It has been recommended by officials with responsibility for energy security. That is the context for it.”
“The Deputy is scraping the barrel with that one. Excuse the pun. The LNG facility is an energy security issue. It was raised under the last Government and documentation exists from the Department warning the last Government that if anything were to happen to gas interconnections with Britain, our economy would be in trouble within ten days. It would be totally irresponsible of any Government not to act on that advice. This is not a climate issue; it is an energy security issue. There is a need for honesty in the House about this matter. People in the Opposition keep saying it is an anti-climate measure, and deliberately so. That is not the case. We are not deliberately doing this to be anti-climate. We are doing it because we will need an alternative storage facility in the event of any disruption to the gas supplies to the country.”
“We are some distance away from where we were in the growth of data centres, but they are not the great evil that people, including the Deputy, portray them to be. I did not have any discussions with President Trump about data centres. America is just ploughing ahead and getting them done in six to nine months. It is a very different scene in, for example, Texas. We have to measure this. Data centres use up a lot of electricity - the Deputy is correct about that - and there are issues, but they are also an important part of the broader technology area and in the growth of investment in the country. They cannot be dismissed. Moratoriums on their own would not be positive, but we have to proceed in a measured way from here on. For Deputy Whitmore to conflate the LNG Bill with the visit to America-----”
“Different member states have different positions, and still do, in respect of the atrocities that are occurring, and continue to occur, in particular with the prevention of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza and the lack of proper implementation even of phase one of the recent peace deal and cessation of violence. Deputy Tóibín raised data centres. Over the past five years, we have slowed down the development of data centres a lot. Data centres are vital for the digital world in which we live. That is just the reality. We have to develop significant capacity on the energy front to be able to deal with the AI revolution and further growth of any data centres. The CRU has produced a large energy user policy. It creates a framework to allow for further data centres to be built in circumstances where they use 80% renewable energy.”
“The Minister is bringing the legislation forward. It is going through the House at the moment and I presume it will be passed. It is another advance on ten to 15 decisions we have taken. Ireland was foremost in defending the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, for example, when it was under real threat from some within the previous European Commission at the time. We intervened to stop the haemorrhaging of funds from UNRWA. We doubled down by doubling our contribution to UNRWA. We have done a fair bit. Most Palestinians accept that, and not only just accept it, they thank us every time we meet them. What is happening is still horrendous. The killing of innocent children and women is shocking. We cannot get agreement at European level.”
“It is as if the Deputy has a monopoly on moral rectitude in respect of this. The Irish Government is known internationally for its strong stance in defending Palestinians and self-determination. The occupied territories Bill is the latest issue that has arisen. It will not be of any consequence in actuality and will impact less than €200,000 worth of goods. However, it is symbolic. That is largely its import and impact. That is the reality.”
“We have moved resolutions at the United Nations. The Deputy ignored all of that. He asked how much more murder it will take.”
“We should never be afraid to champion the positives of what Europe has to offer. On our side, our companies and SMEs are doing well in the United States. Those who engage or scale up in the United States are doing particularly well and many of our companies are exporting and creating jobs in the United States. Deputy Quaide ignored completely the significant work the Government has been doing over recent years, at a European level and globally, on the question of Palestine and the appalling Israeli war on the people of Palestine. The Government recognised the State of Palestine, along with Spain and then Slovenia. We were the only EU member state, although Spain eventually joined, to participate in the South African case. We joined that case, which went for judgment in the International Court of Justice, ICJ.”
“Sometimes it almost amuses me the degree to which it is simply dismissed by certain Deputies in the House as something of no value and that should not feature at all in our consideration of what we do on occasions such as 17 March every year. Thumbing your nose at people and ignoring various people elected to office on the basis of their politics, and not taking on board the damage and consequences for Irish people, is another form of irresponsibility. I appreciate the comments that the Deputy has made. We used the occasion, as the Deputy said, to affirm Europe, European values and the European lived experience, which some in the United States continue to decry. Europe is a good place in which to live. It is a very positive place in its diversity, multiculturalism and freedom of speech.”
“I have always looked for legal channels of engagement with the United States. I would never recommend that any young person should go to the United States illegally. It is not a journey that a young person should even contemplate because its lifelong implications can be difficult and challenging. We should open as many legal channels of engagement as possible. I was involved with the former deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, in doing the graduate working holiday agreement back in 2008 or 2009. I would certainly look at that second level exchange. I thank Deputy Martin Daly for his affirmative comments in respect of my visit to the United States. The economic relationship, as the Deputy outlined well, is enormous.”
“He was the year behind me. I saw him as a young guy running in Corca Dhuibhne when we were down there for a month with Coláiste Chríost Rí. I did not realise he subsequently became a world champion but he did. He now heads the coaching operation in Villanova University. I met a chap called Charlie O'Donovan, an ex-Coláiste Chríost Rí youngster, who has run a sub four-minute mile. The Villanova connection with Ireland is long-standing, with Eamonn Coughlan, Ronnie Delaney and all the milers, in particular. It has been phenomenal in its impact on Irish athletics, so it was very good to visit. It is famed in song and story and in athletics, in particular. On extending it to second level schools, that is a very good idea. I will talk to the ambassador and others to see how we could progress that.”
“Deputy Ó Cearúil raised a significant issue about the decision about Fable and Mythos and the restriction put on it. There is an issue around sovereign AI. I met representatives of companies in Canada who made that point to me. There are issues about how we deal it because it is not simple. There is a real issue coming down the tracks if that practice were to continue. I discussed it with Prime Minister Carney. It could lead to a two-tiered scenario, which could have negative implications globally. It is a very significant and serious issue. Deputy Malcolm Byrne is correct about the importance of scholarship programmes between the United States and Ireland. I visited Villanova University. The head of coaching at Villanova is a former schoolmate of mine, Marcus O'Sullivan. He is a world champion from Turner's Cross.”
“Successive taoisigh have visited successive presidents of the United States as a way of symbolising the historic and deep relationship between our two countries. The 250th anniversary coming. America will celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Three of the signatories of that declaration were born in Ireland. Approximately 12 had Irish connections. Our relationship is deep and familial, diasporic, economic, cultural and artistic. Visiting the White House and the President is a symbol of all of that, and is an important moment. All the agencies of the State are engaged that week in particular, right across the United States and right across the world. That has strong outcomes for Ireland in job creation, tourism and investment globally as well as in the United States.”
“I did not use that phrase so let us be clear about that. I do not want Irish football to be the victim. There are issues with FIFA, as we know. It would not cost FIFA a thought the Irish football team were to be relegated or whatever, and if there were consequences for seedings and if Irish football was set back by potentially a decade. That is an issue. On the visit, the relationship with Ireland is significant for a number of reasons. In terms of the economic relationship, it is extremely important. It puts a lot of bread on the table. It is very important for Irish jobs. President Trump is the democratically elected President of the United States. Whether the Deputy likes that or not is beside the point. He is democratically elected.”
“Deputy Coppinger put words into my mouth. I did not use those specific words about sport and politics but I did say that I do not think the Irish football team should be disadvantaged by the issue of the Israeli-Ireland game.”
“I attended a Friends of Ireland lunch on Capitol Hill, hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, with whom I also had a bilateral meeting at which we discussed bilateral relations, political developments in the US and international issues. While on Capitol Hill, I also met the Friends of Ireland Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Richie Neal and Mike Kelly. The meeting was attended by a number of other representatives, including Mary Gay Scanlon of Philadelphia. While in Washington, I also had a programme of economic engagements, including a breakfast hosted by Enterprise Ireland and a business leaders' lunch hosted by Ireland's enterprise agencies, at which I presented the Research Ireland academic and enterprise medals. I met the Strategic Economic Advisory Panel and discussed recent trade and economic developments.”
“I met President Trump for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, where we discussed the contribution of Irish and Irish-American people to the development of the US, current bilateral relations, including our strong economic ties, and global issues. The meeting was also attended by Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. I also presented President Trump with the traditional bowl of shamrock to mark St. Patrick's Day at a ceremony and reception in the White House. The attendance included a number of senior representatives of the Administration, including members of the Cabinet, with whom I had the opportunity to engage.”
“Patrick, and I cut the ribbon on the Irish Diaspora Center's new premises, which carries out excellent work on behalf of the Irish community in Philadelphia and is supported by the Irish Government's immigrant support programme. In Washington DC, I attended the embassy's St. Patrick's Day reception, which was attended by a large number of people from political, business, diplomatic and community backgrounds. I also attended the Ireland Funds' annual gala dinner. The Secretary of Transportation, Sean P. Duffy, was an honouree at this year's event. On St. Patrick's Day itself, I met Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, who hosted me and my wife, Mary, for breakfast in his residence.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 to 32, inclusive, together. I undertook a four-day programme of engagements in the United States, visiting Philadelphia and Washington DC to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My programme began in Philadelphia, where I met Irish community and business representatives, as well as Congressman Boyle, with whom I participated in the St. Patrick's Day parade. While there, I laid a wreath at a statue of Commodore John Barry, who founded the US Navy, and visited Independence Hall, where the US Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago. I also attended a gala dinner of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St.”
“Two pharmaceutical companies are doing very well in Mayo, namely, Vantive and AbbVie in Westport. Huge investment is under way over the next while in Castlebar further education and training college. In terms of the hospital, I do not have the specifics on that individual surgical experience of the person who broke their leg. That three-day period is not good, but I do not know what the background to it is.”
“I do not think the way Deputy Tóibín presented the issue regarding blister packs was probably as accurate as the real story behind it. I think the Minister has been quite robust and has revealed a lot in terms of her own work on this issue. I will put it this way. There was a different practice in many different areas. There were different patterns of behaviour and different things being done by different pharmacists in that respect. It is not all as the Deputy articulated. We want to help those who need help, and the Minister will continue to target resources. The Minister already had an agreement with the Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU, in respect of this issue. Regarding Deputy Lawless's question, I had a very good day in Mayo. It is a great hotel.”
“I will come back to the Deputy on it. Deputy Cleere's question was on Friedreich’s ataxia. I think I referenced this earlier. I fully appreciate what the Deputy said. I think he mentioned Emily Felix and Oisín Pollard. I have met quite a number of people as well. It is very distressing, difficult and challenging for the families and for Emily, Oisín and their contemporaries who want access to Skyclarys as quickly as possible. Early on, there were issues in getting the material from the company and so on, but all that has been overcome. I would hope that we will get a decision on that. Obviously, the Minister is trying to progress it as quickly as possible. I will come back to the Deputy after I talk to the Minister on this issue.”
“Again, I will talk to the Minister in respect of that. Generally speaking, across the board, treatment abroad has not had an issue in terms of its funding. That has never proved to be a problem in the past.”
“Turning to Deputy Whitmore on endometriosis and the new framework, to be fair to the Ministers, previously Stephen Donnelly and now Deputy Carroll MacNeill, there has been progress on this issue but we are not there yet, of course. Is the Deputy talking about the cross-border directive or the treatment abroad service?”
“Again, we have been through a period of significant workforce growth in the health service, with the addition of about 30,257 staff from January 2020 to the end of May 2026. That is about a 30% increase in the number of staff. It includes over 11,000 extra nurses and midwives, which is an increase of over 32%. There are over 5,100 more health and social care professionals, which is an increase of over 40%. Over 4,400 doctors and dentists have been added, which is an increase of over 40% in the last six years. It is quite substantial. We do have to ask questions in terms of how people are being deployed. There is an issue with the use of agencies. The Deputy raised that. There is no question about it. The Minister is very focused on that issue as well, regarding the use of full-time employees instead of agency staff.”
“On the next drugs meeting, it is due in July, but I know the Minister was trying to bring it forward a bit, in particular in consideration of key drugs such as Skyclarys and so forth. I will raise with the Minister the issue Deputy O’Hara brought up in respect of a PET scanner for University Hospital Galway. I do not have the specifics behind that. A PET scanner is about more than just a machine, of course. It is about the entire team needed to support that machine. That is a critical issue there. These are substantial investments in people, technology and so on. I will get the background to this issue and see where we are in respect of access to it in terms of University Hospital Galway. Deputy Sheehan raised nurses and midwives and the particular issue in University Maternity Hospital Limerick and the neonatal unit there as well.”
“That will create challenges for funding for for health services - there is no question about that - but we need to look at this issue in its entirety in terms of how we provide for rare diseases in future. Much of this is positive. There was a time when companies were not producing drugs for rare diseases. They were going for the blockbuster drugs. Now that they are producing drugs for rare diseases, it is positive for the patients and cohorts involved. It is giving them hope that there is some prospect of moderating the disease or even ultimately getting to a cure. It is only when you are on a journey of medical discovery that you can get medicines that ultimately can achieve significant and transformative results.”
“I think there needs to be a more balanced approach about that, particularly where people are satisfied with the level and quality of care. I made this point to the HSE already at the Cabinet subcommittee, and we are working on that issue. Deputy Pádraig O’Sullivan spoke about rare diseases. Generally speaking, I am not comfortable with people disagreeing with the Minister in respect of decisions that ultimately get taken in respect of an end-to-end review. Personally, I think it was long required and not before its time. We do need a more fundamental look at rare diseases generally, because more and more companies are producing orphan drugs, as they were once called, to meet the needs of rare diseases.”
“This is so we will not be dependent on waiting for the HSE but can get on and instruct every local authority to build a quota of units and to reserve a quota of any new builds in local authority housing to be made available for people generally with disabilities and particularly for those adults with disabilities. Respite is perhaps a separate issue to some degree although we believe housing can have a role there, too, with provisions. I will take the Deputy up on the offer to visit St. Mary of the Angels. I would be interested in doing that. I do think there is an issue with how we are progressing what is called decongregation. We are trying to get new places and allocate resources for new respite and residential places, yet a lot of resources have gone to decongregation, which takes resources from new places.”
“It can do an awful lot in enabling a person to get back into participating in society and work, depending on the circumstances governing an individual who requires access to a rehab unit of that kind. Deputy Cahill spoke about the chronic shortage of respite, which is more of a national issue but is an issue in Kerry. We have placed this very high on the agenda of the Cabinet subcommittee on disability. There has been good development of late between the Minister for housing and the Minister for disability, who have come together. The Minister for housing has undertaken to build housing for people with disabilities.”
“Having had a lot of experience of establishing various inquiries, I urge everyone to engage with the facilitator. Deputy Martin Daly raised, not for the first time, the issue of the promised rehab unit in Roscommon University Hospital and the lack of urgency attending to it. I will talk to the Minister again and to HSE estates to see if we can progress this, and I will come back to the Deputy. One of the values of Roscommon University Hospital has been the degree to which it can provide a range of services outside of the acute tertiary centres. That makes life far easier for people in the region to access these services. Rehab is so important, particularly for neurological issues or accidents and so on.”
“He wrote to the Minister for Health last week requesting an extension to conduct his scoping exercise and, in particular, to attempt to further re-engage with stakeholders. The Minister has granted this request until 18 August. I understand that the facilitator will be engaging with the advocacy groups over the coming days regarding this extension of time and seeking to re-engage with them. He has also been engaging with CHI in respect of those unpublished reports or any particular material that might be in those reports. It is very important that engagement would continue to enable us to get to a position where the Government can have a decision presented to it to establish a statutory inquiry. Otherwise, it could get delayed unnecessarily, in my view.”
“I thank all Deputies for raising the various issues they have raised. Deputy Coppinger raised the issue of the Children's Health Ireland inquiry. This is a scoping inquiry in the first instance, essentially to scope out the terms of reference and what will be covered by an inquiry, and to look at the statutory format the inquiry will take. I would encourage all groups to participate and engage with Remy Farrell. In terms of the issues raised concerning unpublished reports, it would be my assessment that any statutory inquiry would get any report it would need. Given the powers that would be given to a statutory inquiry, it would obviously have the power to procure documents in the possession of CHI. In the context of this scoping inquiry, the independent facilitator, Remy Farrell, has written to all involved.”
“The public-only consultant contract, POCC, is central to the transition towards a more consultant-led public health service and represents a significant structural reform in the delivery of public hospital services. The POCC was introduced to strengthen clinical decision-making capacity within the public system and to improve patient access to timely care. It also aims to ensure access to treatment is based on medical need, not ability to pay, in line with the Sláintecare vision. I will read the rest of the reply into the record.”
“Our overall mortality rate has fallen by 16.1% since 2015. The Government will continue to invest and reform, changing the way health services are delivered this year and into the future. The Waiting Time Action Plan 2026, published on 30 January, represents the Government's continued commitment to improving access to hospital care. Since the commencement of the multi-annual action plan approach, significant progress has been made in reducing the length of time hospital patients are waiting. The new regional structures within the HSE have been established, with six new health regions and 20 integrated healthcare areas, IHAs. Health and social care services are planned and delivered around the specific needs of local populations, leading to better co-ordination of care and access to services.”
“Sláintecare 2025+, our latest Sláintecare strategy, published in May 2025, aims to forge the way towards accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare for the people of Ireland when they need it and where they need it. For the fourth year in a row, Ireland has the highest self-perceived health status in the EU, with 80.4% of males and 79.9% of females rating their health as good or very good. Our life expectancy is continuing to increase and is above international averages. Life expectancy in Ireland has increased by two years for males and one year for females since 2015. We are treating more people, with better outcomes than ever before. We continue to reduce mortality rates from cancer, circulatory system diseases and respiratory system diseases, and report positive trends in preventative health.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 20, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health last met on 30 April 2026 and is due to meet again shortly. The Cabinet committee oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers health reforms, including Sláintecare, the reform of public health and health system preparedness for future health threats. It also receives reports in relation to programme for Government commitments in the areas of mental health and drugs policy. In addition to me, it is attended by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, the Minister for public expenditure, and the Minister for Health.”
“Vote 31 — Transport (Supplementary Estimate) That a supplementary sum not exceeding €120,000,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2026, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Transport, including certain services administered by that Office, for payment of certain grants and certain other services.”
“I move the following Supplementary Estimates: Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary Estimate) That a supplementary sum not exceeding €100,000,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2026, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, including certain services administered by that Office and for payment of certain grants and subsidies and for the payment of certain grants under cash-limited schemes.”
“In the aftermath of the Charleton inquiry, for example, there were significant awareness levels in relation to whistleblowing more generally. I will raise the issue with the Minister. Operationally, the Garda Commissioner and, indeed, all workplaces have responsibility for ensuring that any whistleblower who provides a disclosure in accordance with the Act is not penalised. There are very clear strictures in that regard both in the public service and in the private sector. We have fairly robust legislation in place on protected disclosures. It is efficient. That is shown by the fact that so many have engaged with the European issue.”
“Yes. That is kind of unusual, but in any event that is what happened. Maybe the council was hoping to get it off the ground and that it would then sustain itself. I am not familiar with the background as to why the council pulled back on that aspect of it but I will talk to people to see what can be done there. Normally, Governments do not support transport to festivals.”