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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“My overall objective has been to protect Irish farmers and support them as well as the Irish economy. My view is we should think of what is in the best interest of Ireland and Irish farmers, not what is in the short-term electoral benefit to ourselves. There was a lot of that going on last week. It is still going on in the House. I would argue there is a certain degree of short-term electoral politics going on, Deputy Tóibín. You are all racing to try to outbid each other. There are all sorts of tensions between Sinn Féin and the Independent Ireland Party.”
“If it gets through, the stronger the safeguards there are the better to protect Irish farmers. Italy also worked to see if we could get the CAP included in negotiations. The CAP is far from where we want it to be. There will be important negotiations on the multi-annual financial framework over the next 12 months which will fall and conclude in our Presidency. The previous seven-year financial framework gave farmers about €10 billion. We are down to about €8.2 billion now. We have to get that back up. Some of it has been frontloaded as a result of negotiations last week which will help farmers in 2028 but it is not where we want it to be. We have had a very successful outcome to the extension of the derogation. We have to mind that over the next while also. It is very important to the agricultural industry.”
“The idea that we control Italy is just absurd but that is the proposition I have had to listen to from Deputy McDonald and others, that somehow Ireland failed to persuade Italy. Italy has its own interests in terms of trade and has made its judgment. On market safeguards, it has gone from 10% down to 5%, which is significant, and legal instruments have now been put in place. That is what I did last week. I acknowledged that. It would have been churlish not to acknowledge it. That was a result of countries like France, Italy, Ireland and others which continued to negotiate for additional safeguards and members of the European Parliament like Barry Cowen and others who put down amendments and got them secured. They had to work on two premises – one, that it does not get through and the other that it might get through.”
“You guys showed scant regard for human rights when practised by rulers and authoritarian leaders you were friendly with and shared expertise with. Deputy O’Rourke raised Mercosur. Significant improvements were actually made to the Mercosur agreement. Ireland trades – we are a small open economy. We export €20 billion of our foodstuffs all over the world. There is a need for perspective in this debate. We export €20 billion of foodstuffs and drink all over the world and we expect other markets to take them. I believe in free and open trade. That said, there are issues. We have a legitimate right to provide safeguards for our farmers. There are a lot of safeguards, if one compares the agreement that got through because Italy decided to support it for its reasons.”
“You had many dodgy relationships with governments across that hemisphere where you shared your expertise in given matters with such authorities down through the years. Maybe a small bit of humility on your side now in terms of lecturing other people about geopolitics might not go amiss. You are the most self-righteous bunch I have ever come across at times in your pontificating about human rights and whole lot of other things.”
“There are too many authoritarian regimes which have not been impacted by the international rule either and have carried on regardless. Sinn Féin has had a checkered record in this respect. It attended the inauguration of Maduro. It endorsed his election.”
“Deputy Rice raised the issue of LGBTI rights being under attack, which they are. He instanced Kazakhstan, Türkiye and Budapest. We have raised this with Hungary not just on the specific issue of the Pride parade in Budapest but on other issues that have emerged over the past two years. I have been very clear at Council level in this respect consistently over the years. In terms of our engagement internationally, Ireland affirms LGBTI rights everywhere it goes and in any agreements or development aid we provide. We are very clear on our policy goals in that respect and in defending and supporting the rights of LGBTI people. We will explore the issue of the UN convention. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue that the world is not in a good place, and it is not. The multilateral order is under threat – of that there is no question.”
“It is interesting that the US had a military base in Greenland for a long time with up to 10,000 troops there; there are now just 200 troops. If there are issues in respect of security in the general Arctic area - there may be, though not in that specific location but in other parts – they are issues that fall to negotiation and dialogue. Deputy Ó Cearúil also raised that issue. As I said, I have engaged. I have also met the Prime Minister of Greenland in international forums. I have spoken to him in respect of the issues and concerns and to the Prime Minister of Denmark. Europe is very clear on this. I urge that whatever issues people have be dealt with sensibly and in accordance with the normal dialogue that ensues between sovereign nations and also in accordance with international rules and the rules-based order.”
“There were quite a number of questions. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised the issues of Iran and Venezuela but in particular Greenland. I appreciate he is probably one of the few Members of the House who took the trouble of going to visit Greenland. Ireland’s position is very clear. I have spoken to Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark. Ireland stands in solidarity with Denmark and with the people of Greenland in respect of the sovereignty of Greenland and the absolute centrality and importance of an international rules-based order in terms of adherence to the democratic wishes of the people of Greenland. We have made that clear at European Union level and bilaterally. I publicly issued a statement in that regard last week, I think, when asked about it.”
“As the House will be aware, I also had the opportunity to discuss issues on the agenda of the European Council with its President, António Costa, during his visit to Dublin on 9 December. We looked ahead to Ireland's Presidency of the EU in the second half of this year and I briefed President Costa on our preparations. Accelerating our work to secure the European Union's future competitiveness as well as advancing negotiations on the Union's next seven-year budget will be important priorities for Ireland's Presidency. The date for the next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled.”
“Matters discussed included the agenda for the December Council meeting and plans for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2026. I attended the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 18 December. On 17 December, I attended the European Union's western Balkans summit which also took place in Brussels. Leaders discussed Ukraine, specifically future financing; the next multi-annual financial framework; European security and defence; enlargement and reforms; migration; geoeconomics; and competitiveness. Other items included the pact for the Mediterranean, the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and the fight against disinformation.”
“You basked in it nonetheless as you walked in. I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 15, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. It meets quarterly in advance of regular European Council meetings and as required. Its role is to oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to the European Union, including preparation for Ireland's Presidency in the second half of this year and international issues. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs last met on 8 December in advance of the meeting of the European Council on 18 December.”
“I also congratulate Elaine Gunn on her appointment. We look forward to working constructively with her in the time ahead. She is very experienced and knows the operations of this House very well indeed, as well as the various personalities who make up the House and how they all have to be managed differently and carefully. Deputy Boyd Barrett, the applause was for Elaine.”
“Record funding has been made available for home energy upgrades, retrofitting and solar PV via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, with €558 million allocated. Then there is the microgeneration income tax exemption and so on. We have put in place a lot more reliefs to support those most in need.”
“In the budget we made significant efforts to support people with disabilities and people on low incomes in respect of fuel. There was a basic €10 per week increase in the maximum rate of all State pensions. There were big increases in child support payments. There was an increase of €16 to €78 per week for children over the age of 12 and children under the age of 12 received an additional €8 to bring the payment to €58 per week. The fuel allowance will increase by €5 per week from January 2026. This gives an additional €140 over the fuel season. The fuel allowance now covers 26% of households, up from 23%. The extension to the family working payment to come in during March will be backdated to January. We have extended the reduced VAT rate of 9% on gas and electricity until the end of 2030.”
“Our public expenditure, both current and capital, is at a very high level, and we have been criticised for our public expenditure outlays.”
“I have been to east Cork on many occasions and continue to go there. The Local Link service has been a very significant enhancement for public transport across rural Ireland and has undergone significant expansion in recent years. The been a huge investment in the Cork to Midleton railway line has had a huge impact on east Cork and on to Cobh and has made public transport a real option. Further significant investment in that commuter rail service will increase the frequency of the service and its availability for people to go to work or to use it for other activities. As soon as the resources become available, we will be in a position to expand the Local Link. There are limits to what the Government can do in any one year.”
“Many people are gravely concerned about what is happening with Grok and the thousands of images, that are illegal on the face of it, without question, particularly in respect of minors, women and citizens more generally. The State is not complicit in this but we will robustly examine all of this to ensure the full legal instruments available to the State will apply here. If we need more laws, we will enact further laws.”
“In the first instance, irrespective of the context, I agree that every effort should be made to end the hunger strike and have these issues resolved through the legal and judicial processes as quickly as possible. I have not specifically intervened in this case but I will discuss the specific issues with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. However, ultimately it is a matter for the British Government in this instance.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, which I have no doubt is urgent and of concern. The Deputy will be aware that many rail projects are covered by the national rail review. Unprecedented capital funding has been allocated to rail projects over the next five years. I will talk to the Minister about the specific project the Deputy raised.”
“That is a fair point. I appreciate the Deputy raising it. I will work with the Minister in respect of that proposal or idea. I will certainly explore it with the Minister because it is a good idea. It makes sense.”
“My understanding, having spoken to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, recently, is that February might be the timeline because it has become much more comprehensive than was perhaps originally envisaged. Therefore, I will seek further clarification on the timeline but my understanding is that it will be around February.”
“I appreciate the Deputy is raising an issue he has clearly experienced in working with his constituents and people more generally. I will engage with the Ministers for justice and public expenditure on the issue to see what we can do to improve the situation.”
“We have the highest number of partner services and core funding at any point since the childcare scheme was launched in 2022, and the number continues to grow. A small number of providers have decided not to sign up for core funding for the current 2025-26 programme. As of today, 4,590 services have signed up, the highest number since 2022. An assessment of the withdrawal of providers from core funding was undertaken on 3 November. It revealed that about 4% of services had left at one point over the lifetime of the scheme to that date. If there are individual issues pertaining to specific providers, the Minister is always open to engaging with such providers. In that assessment, approximately 70% of services have now returned to core funding. Some people left and came back in again-----”
“As I said earlier, the prosecuting authorities need to proceed, and they will proceed if it is. I sought advice from the Attorney General in relation to the specific question the Deputy has raised and I am convening a meeting with relevant Ministers and the Attorney General, not just on that issue but on the issue more broadly.”
“People are accommodated and so on. We want legal routes to migration in this country. Migration is a good thing. We have been very positive about it and it has been important in terms of the economy, but we do it through legal routes. We want to be very clear and send clear messages in respect of illegal applications for asylum.”
“Does the Deputy support a robust system that is procedurally sound, timely in terms of people not waiting for years and also one that facilitates legitimate applications and legitimate refugees fleeing conflict and war? When you have a situation where close to 70% are rejected there is an issue-----”
“Essentially, this Act will put in place a far more efficient and effective framework for dealing with asylum seekers in the country. That is a good thing. Every country has a system-----”
“I disagree fundamentally with what the Deputy is saying. The new Act, which will be the most comprehensive Act in relation to asylum and immigration ever enacted in the history of the State, is important legislation that will offer a robust, procedurally efficient and effective framework for dealing with asylum applications. The majority of asylum applications are rejected. It is up to 67% after appeal and it can be close to 80% of applications, on first instance. Clearly, there are a lot of people applying for asylum who do not qualify and have in many cases no prospect of qualifying. It makes sense, therefore, that we have an efficient system from a timeline perspective, so that people are not waiting for years for the outcomes of their applications.”
“That said, we do not believe they were sufficient in terms of what Irish farmers require and particularly in terms of the environmental obligations that have been placed on Irish farmers.”
“That is nonsense. Everything the Deputy has asserted in relation to that issue is absolute nonsense. Over the last year, since we came into Government, we have negotiated strongly on behalf of Irish farmers on a number of fronts, including securing an extension of the nitrates derogation, which is very important for the overall agricultural industry and economy. In respect of Mercosur, we have negotiated very significant safeguards across the board, not just in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, but also new legal instruments from the Commission, market safeguards and coming down from 10% to 5% either in reduced pricing or in volume of products. These are very significant protections that were not there. Legally binding commitments have now been put in place.”
“Many of them came very quickly to our aid, just as we go their aid. We might not have a formal legal agreement but there are strong informal agreements and they have worked. I do not want to go through the statistics. The impact of that storm was devastating but 70% of customers had their power restored after 72 hours, 90% after seven days and, in 18 days, all remaining customers. The issue is with the corridors. That is critical. In the future, we should not have a domino effect when trees fall and destroy the power lines. That has been complex and was probably left too long to be worked out between the various players. I am saying, "No more of that". It has to be very clear. We have to protect the grid at all costs.”
“There are two things on that. I am instructing and driving Ministers to push and push to get many of these issues resolved because of the experience of Storm Éowyn. The legislation has been drafted. On the mutual aid agreements, we had very strong support from Europe, in fairness.”
“One of the issues with Uisce Éireann during Storm Éowyn was there were very few generators in place at many of its facilities. It has now made significant progress on the installation of circa 30 new permanent standby generators. I will come back in on the legislation.”
“Likewise, the Department of Transport is working with local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to confirm winter planning arrangements for all the road networks. Agreements between local authorities and local contractors are now formalised in terms of forestry and agriculture, so they could be stood up quickly for road clearing. The normal routine stuff - sandbags, salt road treatments and so on - has all been well prepared in advance, and likewise with TII. The procurement process for mobile generators had to be entered into by the Department of Rural and Community Development but those generators can now be deployed rapidly when required to support community support centres. There have been a series of ongoing meetings.”
“Community supports centres, for example, were identified as a priority at the start. When I went out and about after Storm Éowyn, the community-based response was mixed. It was particularly strong in some locations and weak in others. We wanted to standardise the response and we wanted a rapid activation of community support centres that would co-ordinate with local authorities to support communities impacted by severe storms. For example, in Donegal on 4 to 6 October, eight community centres were activated in response to Storm Amy. We are improving that area. In addition to that, all those areas will, as soon as the tender is over, have the generators in place so they can respond to the needs of individual households in a given community where a storm might occur.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue and one which is under constant review and attention by the Government. Storm Éowyn was probably the worst storm we ever experienced in terms of severity - wind strength - and it had enormous impacts in terms of power outages and people being without water for quite a considerable period of time. An overarching review was undertaken by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management under the Department of housing which focused on a range of areas. Its findings were submitted to the Government on 21 October. The key recommendations related to humanitarian support, communication with the public, co-ordination of the response, resilience of critical infrastructure and essential services. A number of those measures have been taken in advance of this winter.”
“I am not aware of a specific investigation yet by An Garda Síochána but it does not alert us to every investigation that takes place. It has to observe due process. I presume that is how this issue will be dealt with also.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, has spoken very frankly and robustly to me in respect of this issue. She clearly has very strong views on it and how we engage both with the platforms and how we should legally respond. Because there are a number of different Departments with responsibility for different dimensions of this, we want to develop and formulate a co-ordinated response that will be there on an ongoing basis to respond to issues that may arise from time to time as technology develops; as AI develops. I think that is sensible and it is the right thing to do. In terms of the investigations, that is a matter for the investigating authorities and it always has been in respect of any illegality or breach of the law.”
“Reports can be made to the Irish national reporting centre at hotline.ie , and there are fines and so on. The AI Act is also there. We will examine it again because this is a fast-moving area in terms of the advance and movement of technology. We want to make absolutely sure that all angles are covered and that we deal with this robustly.”
“We have to be ruthless across the board in respect of these issues to protect our people. There is zero necessity for this. It is outrageous and shocking. We will deal with it as a Government. Existing law enforcement should be applied. As the Deputy knows, we have the Digital Services Act. The European Commission has powers with respect to the proliferation of illegal content on online platforms, including X, and there is the protection of fundamental rights and protection for minors. Coimisiún na Meán has been established. The public can report illegal content to Coimisiún na Meán, which has to react. It is our online safety and media regulator, and is at the heart of the online safety framework here in Ireland. An Garda Síochána is also there.”
“I want a rigorous examination of that, and then, if there are any gaps at all in the law, and there may be, for those to be addressed quickly. It is a very serious issue, and one on which we have to engage with the platforms. The friendship of any owner of the platform with anybody else is irrelevant to the Government’s consideration of this. It is about protecting our children, protecting women and protecting citizens generally from unacceptable images, unacceptable activity and manipulation of AI tools for wrong purposes. We have to be very clear and forthright with the platforms in respect of this. It is not just Grok or AI tools. It is in respect of any platform that, in any shape or form, facilitates abusive images to be portrayed on that platform, or any illegal material.”
“First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising the issue because it is a very grave and serious issue that the Government will respond to. In terms of specific prosecutions, as the Deputy knows, gardaí investigate any breaches of the law or any criminal activity, and the DPP decides whether prosecutions take place or not. I believe the public should report these incidents in the first instance to An Garda Síochána so the full range of the law can be applied. I have asked the Attorney General, and the Attorney General is providing advices. I am convening a meeting of a number of Government Ministers who are relevant to this issue with the Attorney General. There is existing legislation. There is the AI Act, which may not cover all aspects of this.”
“In this regard, the Deputy is correct that Europe cannot always rely on others. That is why there is now additional expenditure on defence and military capability in Europe. Europe in many ways agrees with what the Deputy is saying, and many EU member states feel Europe itself has to develop its own capability and self-reliance in many fields.”
“Ireland's unequivocal position is to support the international rules-based order and the United Nations. We want reform of the United Nations to make it more substantial and authoritative, particularly in terms of the under-representation of many parts of the world. In our view, Africa, for example, should be represented on the Security Council, and other major blocs should be as well. The Security Council is outdated in terms of composition and membership. We believe in full participation at all multilateral forums. That has always been Ireland’s position and will continue to be. We support the peaceful resolution of disputes through the multilateral frameworks without question. That will be our position when we have the Presidency of the EU. It is also a case of strengthening the EU's own self-reliance and capability.”
“I worry we are at a similar period to that which pre-dated the Second World War when the authority of the League of Nations was eroded. We know what happened then. The world got a chance after the Second World War. We will not get another chance after any confrontation that may arise if the geopolitical situation gets worse.”
“We stand with the people of Iran in terms of their right to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and freedom to associate and the need for a new form of government in Iran that is democratically based and facilitates the flourishing of those freedoms. On Venezuela, Ireland is very committed to the UN Charter and the international rules-based order. Maduro was a very repressive ruler. Unfortunately, the international rules-based order has not been in a position – I say this as a factual observation as opposed to a value judgment – to restrain some of these very authoritarian leaders across the world. There is a problem at the top in terms of the authority and credibility of the international rules-based order.”
“I know the Deputy does not mean this but I am struck in this House that we always end up with the US as the big baddie. We have spent precious little time on Iran in this House for quite a number of years. It has always struck me that Iran has been invisible in any discussions on the Middle East if you go through all the debates in this House, bar the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, raising it on a previous occasion on the Order of Business, I think, in the previous Dáil. It is interesting. That has been the prism through which many people look at the world. That is notwithstanding some of the legitimate criticisms Deputy Bacik made, which I acknowledge. We need a sense of perspective here. Iran has been, fundamentally, a malign influence in the Middle East through Hezbollah, Hamas and its behaviour in Syria in support of the Assad regime.”
“I thank Deputy Bacik for raising a very important issue and for wishing me a happy new year. I reciprocate and wish her a very happy new year also. The showdown at the moment has been Russia versus Europe. That is the real showdown of substance. I do not like using the word “showdown” – it is conflict. It is an illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on for four years, an appalling attack on the infrastructure of Ukraine, incredible loss of life, deliberate killing of innocent civilians and endeavouring to render Ukraine non-viable into the future in terms of the attack on the energy infrastructure. The losses of life on the battlefield are beyond comprehension - both Russians and Ukrainian men and women at young ages. It calls for an immediate cessation. That is the real conflict going on in Europe right now.”
“I do not know where Sinn Féin is coming from or going to in respect of any sustained consistent policy or philosophical position in terms of where Irish society should be. We are investing in services. We make no apology for investing in special education or in disability services and we make no apology for investing in childcare or, indeed, disability and other services and particularly in infrastructure, which we need to do for the future of this society and the economy.”