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 am sure the Deputy will accept that the Minister will work with absolute bona fides in this regard. Any decision the Minister makes, on foot of advice, will be in the best interests of the safety of women and also for the best outcomes in terms of the delivery of their babies and children. I will ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy. The Minister has a lot of issues on the table at the moment. This is an issue the Minister has discussed with us, but I will ask her to engage with the Deputies locally. I understand the issues of concern, but please accept that everything is motivated by safety and best outcomes.”
“I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I will talk to the Minister for education about an update in respect of a resolution for school secretaries and caretakers. I will also speak to the Minister for public expenditure to see where we are in bringing the process to completion. It is a significant issue and a lot of people are awaiting the outcome. I will come back to the Deputy on that. I thank him for his remarks.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. In many ways, the growth of Castletroy owes a lot to Deputy O’Dea as he was the first to approach me, when I was Minister for Education, to get Castletroy College built. At the time, he helpfully pointed out that the civil servants were working off the wrong census in identifying the demographic requirements for a new school in Castletroy. Anyway, we went ahead and built the new school but the population has grown exponentially. I will endeavour to turn the liaison between the OPW and An Garda Síochána into a more mature contract but I take the Deputy’s point that the station is required. I will talk to the Minister for justice to determine whether he can move this on and I will also talk to the Minister of State responsible for the OPW, Deputy Moran. He tends to get things done.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist a ardú. Gan amhras, ó thaobh an rud atá á rá aici – go bhfuil stáisiún dóiteáin á lorg ag muintir Monasterevin – níl aon easpa tola polaitiúil ann. Ní fheadar cad a tharla leis an suíomh. Níl a fhios agam ó thaobh an suímh de ach tá mé sásta labhairt leis an Aire agus déileáil leis an mbardas nó an gcomhairle áitiúil chun an fhadhb a réiteach maidir leis seo. I do not know whether a site has been identified.”
“Certainly, there is an issue with age verification for those who present as minors when they come into the country unaccompanied. Tusla has articulated that concern. It is not a simple issue to resolve because the initial response has been a humanitarian response. If someone presents as an unaccompanied minor, the obligation on Tusla is to make sure that they at least receive accommodation and some shelter. Tusla is criticised if something untoward happens and so on. It is a very serious issue. I will talk to the Minister for justice in respect of it. Again, it is in the context of migration and possibly trafficking. We do not always know what is occurring, but there is certainly an issue regarding the potential mixing of adults with young minors. That is a problem. Other issues can also arise.”
“I thank the Deputy. I know he has raised this issue consistently. I have spoken to the Minister for housing about it and will do so again. The Deputy has summed up exactly what needs to change within the delivery of public services. He stated that Tailte Éireann’s process could be faster and more efficient. I will engage with the Minister on the nature of the issues and whether more resources are required, and also consider the possibility of different models of delivery and efficiency.”
“The Government has responded in an unprecedented way to the pyrite issue and to defective concrete blocks more generally. The State is taking up the issue where, originally, insurance companies or bonds should have. The State has intervened in an unprecedented way in terms of the amount of funding that has been allocated, and we are doing that to help the homeowners involved. I cannot speak on individual, specific cases. We have extended the scheme beyond Donegal in terms of the defective blocks. The pyrite scheme has been ongoing for a decade or more. The schemes are not never-ending. There have to be clear protections. I do not know the engineering-----”
“I empathise with the Deputy. I fully agree that flooding schemes take an inordinate length of time. We have improved. We have resourced An Coimisiún Pleanála and it is now statutorily bound to give timelines for the issuing of decisions. The Minister for public expenditure is coming to the Government in the next number of weeks in respect of measures that will accelerate the infrastructure development in the country. To me, flood protection is a key infrastructure that is required. Where we have implemented flood relief schemes, they have been very effective. In fact, the report on Storm Amy was that the flood relief schemes, where they have been constructed and built, worked, by and large. There is an urgency, but everybody wants to have their say, as the Deputy knows, and we end up in An Coimisiún Pleanála.”
“There are other measures that we have taken, such as extending the VAT reduction on fuel costs, which will go out to 2030, and many others.”
“In the budget, we took significant measures to particularly target resources at low-income families, such as those on the working family payment, for example, in terms of their inclusion in the free fuel allowance. There is also the children's support payment for those over 12, which is up to €16, the highest ever, and for those under 12, it is €8. This is the point. We have been targeting our resources at the lowest income groups. That is why we took the decisions that we did in the budget. We did not go for universal payments, which some Deputies wanted us to do. We targeted resources at those most in need, and likewise in terms of free schoolbooks and hot school meals. That is all to reduce costs for families, and it particularly helps families on low incomes.”
“Some 6% were waiting over 12 months, which is a significant improvement against this time last year, but, of course, that is too high.”
“I think I have answered the issue in terms of the inquiry. With inquiries, the terms of reference are very important because there needs to be some timeline to it, for the sake of all concerned. That is an issue to be worked out. About 446 spinal procedures were completed so far this year to the end of October. That is up on last year, but there is rising demand and, over the same timeframe, a total of 462 procedures were added to the waiting list. At the end of October 2025, about 68% of patients on the active list were waiting less than six months, an improvement from this time last year, when about 56% of patients were waiting less than six months. There are improvements happening, notwithstanding the very serious issues that we have to deal with.”
“First, I offer our deepest condolences to Harvey Morrison Sherratt's family. It is a very serious case. A memo to the Government recommending a statutory public model of inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services at CHI was approved by the Government, but considerable work will be required. There is a time-bound scoping exercise to happen first. A facilitator will be appointed to scope potential terms of reference in collaboration with all involved, including advocates, parents and others. It is proposed to appoint an independent person, a senior counsel, following that consultation, and it will also involve the Office of the Attorney General. Concluding terms of reference, the modality of an inquiry and the costs associated takes time, but we want it time-bound so it will be as efficient as it can be.”
“-----and 220 new gardaí going into Templemore, which shows the pace and momentum behind Garda recruitment. We should keep affirming the gardaí and all that they do. I will ask the Minister to meet the Deputy and his colleagues.”
“The gardaí keep the peace and uphold the law. We are very grateful. I was in Templemore last week with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. It was wonderful to see so many new gardaí coming out enthusiastically-----”
“The Deputy is correct that, while it was the Government overall, the Department of children handled migration. This Government has decided to move migration matters and asylum-seeking issues to the Department of justice. That is happening and that is why I mentioned the Department of justice in this context. It is now dealing with this. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has no issue meeting Deputy McGrath or other Deputies. We need to be careful with our language. I do not think we can be calling people "rogue contractors" in the House. That is unfair to people. It can create all sorts of-----”
“As the Deputy knows, the case is due to be decided by 13 March 2026, according to pleanala.ie . There is another dispute, which I do not want to comment on, which is not really relevant to me, about ownership and so on. The Department is saying, based on the fact that the contract and leases were and still are in place, that IPAS is continuing to use the property. If any action should be required as a result of any court proceedings, this will be addressed by officials as appropriate.”
“Utmasta Limited has engaged with Tipperary County Council and has given a commitment to regularise any outstanding planning matters at the wider site. My understanding is that there are two separate legal matters ongoing relating to the property, neither of which involve the Department of justice or the Government directly. There was a judicial review into the planning exemption granted by Tipperary County Council to Dundrum House. This was initiated by the local heritage group. I understand that the owners decided not to continue to defend the proceedings. The accommodation provider lodged its own section 5 application to Tipperary County Council in October of this year. This was referred to An Coimisiún Pleanála by the local authority for a decision, as the local authority said it was unable to make a decision on the matter.”
“The Deputy is correct that the Department of justice entered a contract in April 2025 with a company called Utmasta Limited to provide international protection accommodation at Dundrum House. That followed a detailed appraisal process and community engagement since summer 2024. My understanding is that it has a contracted maximum capacity of more than 200. About 190 people are accommodated there at the moment. Part of that appraisal process for a new contract included a review of the property services and compliance. This was done in conjunction with the local authority in the case of this contract, and a section 5 exemption was granted by the local authority. That is my understanding of what happened.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue. We fully acknowledge that. My understanding is that Dundrum House Hotel had not been operating as a hotel since 2015, so I do not think it ceased being a hotel because of the decision in 2022 to use it for, initially, the beneficiaries of temporary protection following the war in Ukraine. I understand the first initial use of Dundrum House Hotel was for Ukrainians feeling the war. The Deputy might clarify that for me. I understand that it had not been in use as a hotel since 2015, which would be about seven years earlier. I think the adjacent golf club and catering facilities are still being used by the public and the community since that time.”
“To the Deputy's fundamental point, I accept that environmental sustainability is important, and is not separate from economic sustainability, but we are endeavouring to create a pathway to environmental sustainability in the context of food production that reflects economic sustainability as an imperative as well.”
“We are showing leadership. Our dairy and beef production system is probably one of the more carbon efficient systems in Europe and the world. That is the other side of the coin. I am not saying the Deputy is saying this but essentially the import of what he is saying would be to shut down our farming, dairy production and food production system. That would allow less carbon-efficient systems to fill the gap. I do not believe that is logical either. We should not dismiss - I am not saying the Deputy is doing this, to be fair - the fact that food security is becoming an issue because of climate. I accept the point about complementarity, that there is balance in all of this.”
“The EU Commissioner for the environment, Jessika Roswall, visited Ireland on 4 November to witness first hand our grass-based system and the importance of our derogation. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, attended and engaged with the Commissioner. There has been a lot of stakeholder engagement with the Government and Departments in respect of this. Farmers are doing a lot to reduce agriculture's impact on water quality and will be doing more. They will have to do more in that regard. We are looking a more detailed programme to enable all this to happen. This work is continuing. There is continuing engagement between the Government, the European Union and the Commission about this issue-----”
“Farming has improved significantly and a lot of new measures have been adopted by the farming community in respect of climate change more generally and in terms of water quality. Many farmers do a lot of work in terms of assessment and measuring. I have been on farms and in catchment areas where water quality is measured every ten minutes. Many people operating under the derogation have more sophisticated systems in place to try to monitor their water quality. Ireland is strong in food production and we need to move in a direction that brings people with us but also enables us to comply with the various water quality frameworks and directives and to do so in a way that maintains a sustainable food production system, and dairy system in particular. I have discussed this with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.”
“The Government is seeking an extension of the nitrates derogation. It is a critical element of the economic sustainability of many farmers, many family farms and the broader rural economy. However, we have established a water quality Cabinet subcommittee. There will be a new nitrates action plan and a new plan on habitats and so forth. We are different from other countries in Europe. Our farm system is unique in being a pasture-based outdoor system, with cows based outside 240 days per year on average. That is in contrast with other EU countries that have an intensive indoor system, with cattle not being outdoors very often. It is a priority of the Government to secure a nitrates derogation but to do so in a way that will enable Ireland to meet its obligations on water quality.”
“On the scale of Ireland's ambition and the targets we have set, if you compare our housing plan targets with the United Kingdom, Germany or the Netherlands, on a per capita basis, our targets are nearly double their targets in terms of what they propose. Ours are approximately 9.3 per 1,000. The United Kingdom's is 4.5, Germany's is 4.8 and the Netherlands is 5.5. No one matches the ambition of this country in terms of house construction and planning-----”
“That is about the only concrete thing I have seen coming from Deputy Cairns's party in respect of a proposal. We have provided huge amounts of State funding. We need more private sector funding, particularly in apartments in cities. We have also decided as a Government to invest huge moneys in water services, the national grid, public transport and roads to enable the construction of houses in cities and towns across the country. The issue will be delivering that. That means a more agile and effective planning system, which we provided for in legislation that the Social Democrats opposed. That needs to happen.”
“When the Government came in in 2020, only 20,000 houses were being built per year; now it is 30,000-odd but it needs to get to 50,000. That will need a combination of public investment at unprecedented levels, which is provided for in the national development plan and in our budget, and significant private sector finance. The only thing the Deputy has come up with is a savings and investment scheme. That is fine; in a couple of years' time that might be useful. It will not do anything now in terms of funding investment of houses.”
“The bottom line is the population is growing exponentially and has grown. The pressures are enormous. We need to build at scale and at pace. The housing plan has substance in it in terms of proposals to do that. We did not wait for it. We decided straight in to do, for example, the national planning framework to get more land zoned for housing. Deputy Cairns will have problems with that on the ground and no doubt her people will oppose it where there is extra zoning and so on. In terms of apartments, we are not standing still and just looking at a problem. We come up with proposals and ideas but people from the Opposition will get into the courts and try to stem those. The apartment guidelines are one strand among a series of measures we are taking to get to the volume needed. We have moved.”
“I am sorry, the Deputy has had her say. I say this respectfully to the Deputy. She uses language about a "radical reset of housing policy". What in the name of God does it mean? The Deputy has never put any flesh on the bone of anything she has ever proposed. She is bereft of policy. What is the radical reset? Spell it out.”
“That is what the Deputy is doing, come off it. If we are to hang around, no disrespect to anybody, waiting for this and that institute to get around to building houses, we will be waiting a long time. There has been too much of that in this country.”
“-----and will further add to its role. We have capitalised the LDA very significantly. If you look at the mortgage drawdowns, for example, the percentage increase in first-time buyer mortgage drawdowns has increased significantly from about 23% in 2015 to about 35% today. We are making progress but affordability continues to be an issue. We have a growing population. If we keep on opposing everything-----”
“Actually, no. People are saying the VAT cut will have an impact. The response from the market is quite clear that it is a significant step in narrowing the viability gap to get more apartments built. We gave the Land Development Agency its legislative underpinning-----”
“We have done a number of other measures in terms of the reform of rent pressure zones. The Deputy opposed that too, of course, because she just wants to be popular all the time. We are focused since we came into government on doing things around housing to reform the rental market. That is in line with the Housing Commission report, by the way, which called for reform of the rental market. We followed through on that in an evidence-based and informed way in terms of those who made recommendations to the Minister to come forward with proposals for the rental sector. I get the sense all the time that no matter what Government proposes, the Deputy will oppose it. We need different housing types and apartment types for different cohorts of the population who require accommodation and housing.”
“The State will not to be able to spend €20 billion every year. The private sector has to be involved. The Labour Party has consistently been hostile to any private sector dimension to housing. We say that the State will continue to allocate enormous sums to housing and to infrastructure that will enable housing, such as water services and the national grid. That is the fundamental big picture about housing. The Deputy wants to get back down to apartment guidelines. We wanted to close the viability gap. We need more apartments built. We reduced the VAT on apartments in the budget. The Labour Party lazily and politically described it as a pro-developer measure. That is not the reason. It is to narrow the viability gap that all the analysts have identified in terms of apartment building in cities.”
“Deputy Bacik did say that. She said that we had no social housing plans. The housing plan states that we will deliver 12,000 new social homes every year over the lifetime of the plan. We have significantly transformed the scale and pace of social housing delivery over the past five years. That has to be acknowledged. I have looked at the Labour Party's manifesto on housing. It is so vague as to be unbelievable. It is bereft of any depth or substance. The Labour Party has put no flesh on the bone of any of its proposals. The housing plan has depth and substance. We have capitalised the Land Development Agency to about €8.75 billion. We are talking about a €50 billion plan for housing. In terms of the need for 50,000 houses a year, we will need about €20 billion to be spent every year.”
“----that the Deputy gave a big opening critique of overall Government policy and then zeroed in on apartment standards because her party opposes that decision. That is all the Labour Party can do. The Deputy told an untruth when she said that the Government has no social housing targets. She knows full well that the housing plan is very clear-----”
“I 100% reject Deputy Bacik's false narrative on the Government's position on housing and her vagueness about the Labour Party's position. I sum up the Labour Party's housing policy and the attitude of its members to housing as: whatever the Government proposes, we oppose.”
“That is what she said. We decided not to do that. Sinn Féin wanted us to give energy credits to everybody, irrespective of income. Sinn Féin wants to give millionaires and people on €200,000 an energy credit. We have said that we will give child support payments the biggest increase. Children over 12 will get €16 extra a week out of this budget up to €78 a week. Children under 12 will get an increase of €8 up to €58 a week. Job seeker's benefit allowance has been increased by €10 per week, as have State pensions and so on. There has also been investment in public services in terms of education, health and disability. Yes, we made choices.”
“We do not need lectures from the Deputy about who she represents or who we represent. The people on this side of the benches came from working-class backgrounds and got elected as Deputies because they are in touch with people and understand the realities out there.”
“-----with substantial increases in the child support payment, all of which is dealing with those families who are clearly under pressure and who need our resources the most. Sinn Féin has gone for all universal supports and ignoring those with the lowest incomes.”
“The other area that we focused on was public services. If we look at the economy now, our expenditure has gone up over 7% as a result of the Estimates in the budget this year. That is significant. Why? Because we are investing in disability services, and we need to. We are investing in child poverty-----”
“-----particularly to help primary schools and special schools as well. We have targeted the resources. Sinn Féin wants to look after millionaires and so on with energy credits. That is its business-----”
“That has been a real reduction in costs. Capitation grants for primary, special schools and post-primary went up massively in this budget-----”
“We need to be upfront with people here. The bottom line for us is that in the recent budget we have targeted resources at those most in need. We managed €10 for the pensioners. In terms of fuel, we increased the fuel allowance by €5 a week, from €33 to €38. That is an additional €140 over the fuel season. Fuel allowance now covers 26% of households. That is up from 23%. We have extended the reduced VAT on gas and electricity until December 2030. Substantial funding has been allocated for home energy upgrades and retrofitting, which really helps families and helps people. This Government has done more than any other for a long, long time in respect of the cost of education in terms of free schoolbooks at primary and at post-primary level. That was quite a radical move. It took Sinn Féin by surprise, but it happened.”
“Deputy McDonald had the Liz Truss approach to the energy crisis. She quickly abandoned it as things went pear-shaped in the UK as a result of that particular policy. In regard to the budget, we accept the situation is tough for many households and families out there. Even though inflation is coming down from the high of 2023-----”
“I recall Deputy McDonald advancing the Liz Truss solution on that occasion, where she wanted to bail out all the energy companies. Liz Truss tried that and look what happened.”
“Ar dtús báire, ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Cuirim fáilte roimh na cuairteoirí in Áiléar na gCuairteoirí Oirirce. Is deas bualadh le leo inniu. Ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Admhaím go bhfuil dualgas ar an Rialtas gach aon tacaíocht is féidir a thabhairt do mhuintir na tíre, go háirithe do dhaoine a bhfuil ioncam íseal acu. Is é sin atá déanta againn sa cháinaisnéis a bhí againn le déanaí. Tá muid ag fós ag díriú ar na daoine bochta sa tír. Tá sé sin ceart agus cóir. I disagree with the Deputy's analysis in terms of her analysis that Government has not responded to the needs of people in our economy. First of all, the economic resilience of Ireland has been significant coming through Brexit, through Covid-19 and through the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the consequential energy crisis that ensued.”
“On the same day, on my nomination, the Government appointed Deputy Emer Higgins to be Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality and Disability with special responsibility for disability, and Deputy Frank Feighan to be Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with special responsibility for public procurement, digitalisation and eGovernment. The Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, will attend Government meetings.”
“I wish to announce for the information of the Dáil that having informed the President that Dáil Éireann had approved my nomination of Deputy Hildegarde Naughton to be a member of the Government, the President on 18 November 2025 appointed her accordingly. On the same day, I assigned the Department of Finance to the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence to Deputy Helen McEntee, and the Department of Education and Youth to Deputy Hildegarde Naughton.”