Micheál Martin
Cork South-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“At the beginning of April, the Government approved the establishment of the Cork city futures group to guide development of Cork city for the future.”
“We have to have a budget that reflects the need to sustain that level of work in our economy so that people will have access to jobs. The AI issue is causing a lot of concern. I take heart from the investment announced by Intel this week, which will be AI-propelled, actually.”
“Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity, in line with the timelines laid out in the roadmap; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; and accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre throug…”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 30, inclusive, together. This will be a long answer because there is one task group and one futures group.”
“I think Deputy Hayes was being a bit petty, if that is the word I am looking for, in what he said about Spain. Well, using the word "petty" might be a bit uncharitable today. It is more a Spain is more vociferous than us kind of thing. We have worked very well together on the Middle East. It is a very serious issue.”
“A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city’s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference.”
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“I believe we can close all negotiating chapters with Montenegro by the end of our Presidency and make significant progress in the accession negotiations with Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. As the House is aware, antisemitism is a growing scourge around the world. It must be stamped out wherever it arises. The European Council reflected on the evil gun attack targeting Sydney's Jewish community gathered on Bondi Beach to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah and we condemned all forms of antisemitism and hate, intolerance, racism and xenophobia. I look forward to the forthcoming European Union anti-racism strategy, due to be published shortly. Leaders will return to many of these issues to assess progress and discuss further actions at the next formal meeting of the European Council in March.”
“At the European Council, leaders held a strategic discussion on how to advance enlargement, calling on candidate and potential candidate countries to continue implementing the necessary reforms to align with European Union law. The European Union of the future will be larger and, therefore, we also need to undertake internal reforms to ensure that we can remain effective as a union of more member states. The Commission has already undertaken considerable work in that regard and is expected to share its policy reviews with member states in the course of 2026. Ireland has long been a strong advocate for enlargement and making progress will be a priority of our Presidency in the second half of this year.”
“Our goal should be nothing less than making Europe the best place in the world to start and grow a business, including through a completely modernised digital environment and significantly strengthened research and innovation systems. This will be the foundation for future prosperity that must underpin our shared values and wider political objectives. Prior to the December European Council, I joined fellow EU leaders and the leaders of five countries in the western Balkans for the European Union-Western Balkans Summit. This annual meeting is a welcome opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the European Union membership perspective of the countries of the western Balkans and investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity in our neighbourhood.”
“Leaders also held a strategic discussion on the geo-economic situation and its implications for the European Union's competitiveness. Informed by the Letta and Draghi reports, the European Council set important orientations last year on re-establishing a much stronger political focus on economic competitiveness, dynamism and productivity growth. This included the immediate priorities of simplifying regulation, lowering energy costs and strengthening the link between private savings and investment. Unlocking the full potential of the Single Market is also vitally important. Leaders will return to competitiveness issues at an informal meeting of the European Council dedicated to the topic in Belgium on 12 February.”
“Despite commitments given in the comprehensive plan, the level of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza remains nowhere near enough and this is very worrying as people, particularly children, are still suffering enormously. The Council condemned the massive increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians and underlined the importance of de-escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We emphasised the importance of stability in Lebanon and Syria to allow them to recover from conflict and highlighted the importance of UNIFIL to Lebanon. We insisted that all parties - Israel and Hezbollah - must abide by the terms of UN SCR 1701 and condemned attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers. Having visited the Irish contingent in UNIFIL in December, I observed for myself the excellent job it is doing in very challenging circumstances.”
“The Council reiterated the European Union's commitment to contributing to this implementation, including through an enhanced mandate for the European Union border assistance mission for the Rafah crossing point and the European Union police mission for the Palestinian territories. We said we stand ready to support the establishment of the Board of Peace and will actively engage with partners on the next steps. The Council reaffirmed the European Union's strong commitment to international law and to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. For my part, I stressed the need for the European Union to do all we can to alleviate the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
“I have made clear to President Costa that I fully support his objective of reaching political agreement in the European Council by the end of this year during Ireland’s Presidency. The European Council assessed the situation in Gaza as implementation of the comprehensive plan continues. The ceasefire remains fragile and the humanitarian situation continues to be very difficult. We welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 on the establishment of the Board of Peace and of a temporary international stabilisation force. We called on all parties to implement the resolution in its entirety and in line with relevant international political and legal principles.”
“The Government’s priorities also include an ambitious Horizon Europe research programme that prioritises excellence, development of cross-border infrastructure, maintenance of humanitarian and development aid and continuation of the PEACEPLUS programme. The Government considers that the new MFF must continue to promote and protect the values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity enshrined in the European Union treaties. We have made clear our view that contributions based on each member state’s gross national income, GNI, remain the fairest and simplest way to provide the European Union with the resources it needs. Overall, we wish to ensure that the next MFF brings the EU added value. It is only by working together with our EU partners that we can make progress on the big issues.”
“The December European Council had a first exchange of views on the post-2027 multi-annual financial framework on foot of the proposals presented by the European Commission in July. Our discussion was informed by the draft negotiating box developed over recent months by the Danish Presidency of the Council, which sets out the core issues that will ultimately require political decisions. The proposals on the table involve major changes to the European Union budget in terms of structure, spending and revenue, and we are studying them in detail. There are likely to be difficult negotiations ahead given the competing demands and financing needs across a range of policy areas. Ireland has been clear that strongly funded and ring-fenced common agricultural and fisheries policies remain a priority for us.”
“The European Council called for further action to counter Russia’s shadow fleet, which will further squeeze Russian energy revenues and will address the other significant risks, including environmental, that the shadow fleet poses. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s European Union perspective, and I continue to advocate at European level for accelerated progress on Ukraine’s European Union accession. Ukraine belongs in the European Union, and its membership will not only provide security for Ukraine but will also bolster Europe’s security. I therefore welcome that the European Council reaffirmed its steadfast support for Ukraine’s path towards European Union membership and welcomed the significant progress Ukraine has achieved so far under the most challenging circumstances.”
“In line with our commitment to ensuring full accountability for Russia’s war crimes, the European Council called for sustained efforts to operationalise the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine within the framework of the Council of Europe. Leaders agreed that it is important to maintain pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire and engage meaningfully in peace negotiations. Ireland has consistently supported robust targeted sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. Following agreement at the end of October on a 19th package of sanctions, the European Council called for work to continue on a 20th package of sanctions, with the aim of adopting it as soon as possible after its presentation in early 2026.”
“At our December meeting, we agreed a loan of €90 billion to ensure it has timely and predictable finance over the coming two years. This will be provided through enhanced co-operation, in which Ireland will participate. The money will be borrowed by the Commission, backed by the European Union budget. European Union leaders were in agreement that Russia should be held accountable for its actions and should have to pay for the destruction it has caused. I welcome the unprecedented decision to ensure that Russia’s sovereign assets should remain immobilised until it ceases its war and compensates Ukraine for the damage it has caused. Work will continue on the technical and legal dimensions of establishing a reparations loan based on the cash balances associated with Russia’s immobilised assets.”
“These guarantees are being advanced through the coalition of the willing, of which Ireland is a member, and in co-operation with the United States. The coalition met on 11 December, when I attended, and on 6 January, when the Minister, Deputy McEntee, attended on my behalf. In the meantime, Russia's aggression against Ukraine continues to intensify, with large-scale drone and missile attacks on cities continuing to result in widespread destruction and the death of civilians, including children. This is not the behaviour of a country interested in peace. To ensure Ukraine can meet its needs and remain strong in its negotiating position, at our meeting in October the European Council agreed to help Ukraine to meet its financing needs in 2026 and 2027.”
“After almost four years of brutal Russian aggression and as US-led peace efforts continue, it is more important than ever that the European Union continues and strengthens its support for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy briefed us on the current situation in Ukraine, both on the battlefield and in Russia's escalating strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure. I joined my colleagues in reconfirming our commitment to providing comprehensive financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people. To this end, we discussed how the European Union will actively participate in peace efforts and our readiness to contribute to robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.”
“I attended a meeting of the European Council on 18 December in Brussels. Substantial items for discussion included Ukraine; the EU’s next multi-annual financial framework, MFF; the situation in the Middle East; EU enlargement; and Europe’s competitiveness in a changing global context. Other items on the agenda were European security and defence; migration; the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia; the Pact for the Mediterranean; disinformation; and a proposal for a regional strategy for the Atlantic. I will deal with Ukraine; the MFF; Middle East; enlargement; global competitiveness; and the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia. The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, will later speak to other issues. Support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's ongoing illegal war of aggression was the main item in our discussions.”
“The figures I gave yesterday and the comments were from the Department of Finance presentation to me. I have asked that the business case be published. There was an FOI in relation to that. There was a suggested contribution from officials of €150 million, if there was a wish to go further. The Minister agreed on the €141 million. I will seek to reconcile the various notes the Deputy has with the notes I have, which I articulated yesterday in the Dáil. We are talking about the 75 poorest countries globally that are supported by this organisation. That was the context.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. It is a very pressing issue for Cork educate together. I will engage with the Minister for Education and the Department to get urgently required clarity for the school and the school community and I will get back to the Deputy.”
“There is a responsibility on the services concerned and on the agencies concerned to do this properly and effectively. The Government cannot run every agency. I will alert the Minister to the issues the Deputy raised here but there is an obligation on the services to do this and enforce and fulfil the law so that the penalties are applied and the consequences which flow from such penalties are given effect to.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. TII and NTA are examining all these issues on an ongoing basis. Investment in public transport is happening apace. That will be key to reducing pressure on our roads. However, there is no easy solution in the short term. Park and ride does work. We will work and support the agencies and councils in respect of such facilities.”
“I mentioned earlier the growth in population in this country over the past two decades. It has been a quite dramatic exponential growth in population. I accept the comments by the inspector of prisons. It is a real issue. It has been growing over the past decade, consequential on the increased population and increased crime. We are now undertaking the fastest-ever expansion of prison capacity in Ireland. That has to happen and it is happening. The money has been allocated. However, I acknowledge that even with that there will still be challenges and pressures on capacity in our prison system. It is absolutely correct that we should have proper facilities and that we should expand capacity.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I am very fond of Clonmel. It is a very vibrant town. Senator Goldsboro has been on to me about the same issue as well. I will talk to the Minister involved. It is James Browne in this case or it might be Dara Calleary. I think it is the urban renewal fund that the Deputy is looking at here. I will certainly pursue that in terms of the public realm application.”
“We tend to do 100-year leases with clubs in Cork. We have done it for decades. That is almost unheard of, it seems to me, in Dublin. I was at clubs last year where they could not use facilities during the winter. It makes no sense to me, as someone who is involved.”
“If the Deputy will let me finish the point. We are providing huge facilities across the country. There is a problem in Dublin city. The relationship between clubs and Dublin City Council and the other councils, for example, is much different to the relationship between clubs and sporting organisations and other local authorities down the country. There is a huge gap. I have seen it when I have been out canvassing in Dublin. There are too many restrictions on the utilisation of playing facilities and a lack of access for clubs to such playing facilities. There has been a record allocation of funding - there is no question about that – but there does need to be serious examination within Dublin collectively between clubs and councils in particular about freeing up land but also removing restrictions.”
“That is an issue I will check up on further. I will talk to the Minister for Finance and Revenue in respect of this. The taxation law and framework, as the Deputy knows, covers all income earners and, obviously, you are taxed if your income goes above a certain threshold. There has not been specific tax treatment, to my knowledge, in respect of this area. I will follow up and try to examine what exactly is afoot in respect of this.”
“Twenty-nine gardaí were assigned to the DMR roads policing unit last year. Last June, 26 gardaí were assigned to roads policing units in the eastern and north-western regions. Diaidh ar ndiaidh, mar a deir muid, beidh na huimhreacha ag méadú. We will increase the numbers.”
“First, I want to pay tribute to An Garda Síochána for the work it did over the Christmas period. It carried out a dedicated road traffic enforcement operation throughout that period, with 10,000 checkpoints, as the Deputy said, statutory and mandatory intoxicant testing and regular high-visibility policing checkpoints. It made 765 arrests, seized nearly 3,000 vehicles for different offences under the Road Traffic Act and detected nearly 26,000 speeding offences. At the moment, as the Deputy said, there are some 638 gardaí assigned to roads policing. Recruitment is continuing apace and is accelerating, so additional garda numbers will become available to be deployed to priority areas. My view is that, over time, we will be in a position to assign more gardaí to roads policing units.”
“We also have laws pertaining to adults. The Attorney General has already given me preliminary advice in relation to this. The issue is that what is a problem on one platform today can be a problem on another platform tomorrow, and on another platform the day after. We will look at it.”
“The point that the Deputy has raised raises the issue more generally of how one responds to issues that emerged in respect of Grok, for example, and its use and application or manipulation. What is important is the laws we have in place and our enforcement regime. Child pornography is banned in Irish law under the 1998 Act. It is an important point to make. That is across-the-board, whether it is AI-created or in other forms. That is important. We need to focus on the laws we have in place to prevent the type of activity that people are understandably horrified by.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. I will discuss it with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, in respect of whether we can improve the cash flow dimension to this.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I agree with the thrust of what he is saying. We have to grasp the nettle here. By the way, under the 2024 regulations, it is an offence for children under 16 to use e-scooters on public roads. That is an important road safety measure, enforcement of which, of course, is a matter for An Garda Síochána. The wearing of helmets is a no-brainer, given the damage to the head that can happen if you do not have a helmet, and also given the issue of registration and high-vis clothing. The Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, is discussing this with his officials. I will come back to the Deputy with the concrete outcomes from those discussions.”
“The Commission, as part of the safeguards, has already said it will include a 50% increase in the number of audits carried out on all non-EU countries over the next two years, a 33% increase in audits of the EU border control posts and closer monitoring of non-compliant commodities and countries.”
“The Government took its decision last week notwithstanding that significant improvements and safeguards were achieved. Quite a number of MEPs, including Barry Cowen, Billy Kelleher and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, worked effectively and all tabled amendments that were accepted. That was important in making sure the strongest possible safeguards, including market safeguards, would be in place. Now the threshold has gone from 10% down to 5%, which is a pretty significant improvement regarding any disruption to the market here. Also, in terms of production standards, the EU sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, safeguards already in place are non-negotiable to protect human, animal and plant health. They are among the highest in the world, and they are non-negotiable.”
“What is going on with the settlements is wrong. It will render non-viable the prospect of a two-state solution, which in our view is the only sustainable way to have peace, including between Palestinians and Israelis, in the Middle East. I decry the continuing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. In our view, we need to move on to phase 2 of the peace process in Gaza, have a sustainable transitional force there, achieve decommissioning and have proper reconstruction of Gaza. We received a legal opinion from the Attorney General recently in respect of the occupied territories Bill. There are significant implementation issues. This will not stop anything in terms of the Israeli policy on the expansion of settlements. We just need to be clear about that as well.”
“It is not eight years. It is a little disingenuous to say it is but I understand where the Deputy is coming from. The Government did not introduce a Bill eight years ago. What has been put forward is wholly inadequate in terms of constitutionality, etc. We will not go back over all of that.”
“I am doubtful about the model that exists within our health service in respect of therapies. We can keep recruiting but the recruits will not have an appreciable impact.”
“We have been recruiting. We need to be a little more analytical on this as well. I take the Deputy’s point in that the waiting times are not satisfactory whatsoever. The model needs to be examined. I do not believe it works at all in terms of the referral system and how we are utilising the disciplines. We are recruiting. There have been challenges with recruitment. CORU is improving its performance in respect of those who are qualified who wish to come from the United Kingdom, the EU or elsewhere. A lot of restrictive approaches were being taken to the recruitment of people from overseas, particularly regarding the therapies. More broadly, and standing back, are we deploying the resources we have adequately, effectively and optimally in respect of these issues? I am doubtful about it.”
“Also, we should be very careful regarding contested space on our roads to ensure that we protect cyclists. About €1 billion been invested since 2021 in walking and cycling projects across the country. The active travel and sustainable transport programme of the National Transport Authority, NTA, continues to be very significant, with higher amounts being provided again this year.”
“I do not want to breach any rule concerning the separation of powers but I am very clear that any general comment that impacts negatively on the perspective on cyclists is wrong. It should not be made. We should be very clear about the importance of cycling and about facilitating cyclists.”
“All parties in the last Government invested hugely in cycling. Successive Ministers for public expenditure, in particular, invested very significantly in active travel more generally, and that is to be seen across the country in the form of transformative projects. That is a good thing. I reject any stereotyping or categorisation of cyclists.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is important. I will engage with the relevant Ministers. Dublin City Council has a role and the private sector is also involved. There is an issue to be resolved. From the perspective of the arts community and citizens generally, the role of the centre, which is of benefit to generations and is in the public interest, is one we would like to retain. I will get an update from the relevant Minister on this.”
“It is the city council that does not want to call it a task force. When I met it some time back I was told that it has issues with that term because its view is that the city has made a lot of progress. The city council accepts that the future needs a certain vision and approach. We will not get too exercised about terms. I have had consultations with the city council, as have others. We are close to putting flesh on the bones of this and bringing it to Government for a decision on the establishment of the group and for the group to then come back with recommendations after that.”
“There has been good work undertaken by the city council with a group at the university in trying to map the issues and in terms of envisaging the future of the city, particularly its central core and how that will work out in the future. We expect to come to Government with proposals in respect of that shortly.”
“For me, part of the issue with Cork's city centre, and with all cities, is that we need to reimagine our city centres and bring more residential units back into them. We saw that with the Railyard project, which will deliver 200-odd units in the heart of city and will, in due course, help the commerce of the city as well. The living city initiative announced in the budget, which affects the existing cities but also adds five new centres, including Athlone, will unlock some of that dereliction and it is hoped will allow people to invest in above-the-shop projects because it has been much more liberalised in terms of the regulatory framework governing the application of the living city initiative. We are going to establish a group. I expect it to come to Government shortly.”
“It is a world-class research facility in terms of semi-conductors. The Government has allocated well over €100 million. I do not want to go too far any more because everyone is watching and listening, but there is a longer list of what I could identify, including the flood relief schemes. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is prompting me on his activity levels. The docklands has been particularly strong. I pay tribute to Cork City Council for its can-do attitude. I wish other local authorities would take on board Cork City Council's attitude on getting things done. We saw that with the 800 new social housing units announced this week, which includes a development in the city centre.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue in respect of establishing a group to identify issues relating to the future of Cork's city centre. We have not been waiting for the establishment of this group. There has been very significant investment in all the key areas in Cork. A €200 million investment for the airport was announced by the DAA last year and, of course, because of the renewable energy agenda, the Port of Cork has successfully secured funding from Europe and Government backing through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, to enable development to facilitate renewables. It was announced recently that the Crawford Gallery is to receive a €90 million investment, which really help the rejuvenation of the inner city. On Tuesday, the Government's decision to invest in the Tyndall National Institute was announced.”
“It is helping us to deal with the dramatic transformation of retrofitting investment, for example, which is a very effective way of reducing the cost of energy for many households. A huge number of households have benefited from that. Agriculture has also benefited from allocations from that source also.”
“There is an issue with electricity prices. There is no question about that. The Minister has set up an affordability group on energy to deal with that. There are regulatory issues and more pan-European issues. We are an island nation. There is wider distribution. We are investing hugely in the grid and choosing investment in infrastructure because we need to make sure the growing population has access to energy in the years to come. We are prioritising in a strategic way the allocation of resources for the benefit of all of our people into the future. The Deputy referenced the carbon tax and so on. That is helping us to address fuel poverty, particularly for those on the lowest incomes.”
“Those are the figures, but our rate of participation in employment is increasing all the time and average weekly earnings are up significantly as well. Through the broader management of the economy, investment in services, infrastructure, housing, education, health and childcare are the areas we decided to prioritise in the budget, along with social protection. In the social protection framework, we said we would look after those at risk of poverty as the key priority, and we did that.”
“We increased it but we also increased the coverage of it, in other words, 26% of people will now avail of the fuel allowance, particularly those on the working family payment. This will help in that regard. Our population has grown dramatically, which is really putting pressure on services. It is extraordinary that from 1995 to today, our population went up 52%. That has an enormous impact on services. In many ways, there is positivity in that in terms of the Irish economy growing. In the last number of years, that increase has continued. Fundamentally, managing the economy means creating jobs. The most effective way to deal with cost-of-living and poverty pressures is to make sure there is employment available to people. At the moment, our unemployment rate is in or around 5%, if we take 15-year-olds and onwards.”
“There were very significant increases in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the oil and energy crisis that arose from that. We decided in the budget to invest in services, which is important in terms of education, health and so forth, but also to invest in social protection to protect the lowest income groups, which we did fairly comprehensively in the last budget. The results are there from the ESRI analysis in terms of the lowest income deciles, which got the highest allocation of resources. I would like the Deputy to acknowledge that. Those are not my figures; they are ESRI figures in respect of that reality. We did it in terms of the fuel allowance.”