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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“There are two aspects here. First of all, there is the interim works. I did see some progress on those when I attended - I think it was earlier this year - Midleton where there were embankments and, on the main street, protective gates were put in. My understanding is that the council has had procurement issues in terms of some of the materials that are required for the interim works. In terms of the flood relief scheme more generally, that is going through a process. I wish it could be speeded up as quickly as possible. My understanding is that work has been completed or under way to protect 80% of at-risk properties through a €1.3 billion investment by Government for flood relief measures more generally. The Midleton flood relief scheme is a complicated scheme. The Deputy must be aware-----”
“It is the intention of the Minister to give legislative authority to the national review panel and to amend legislation. I understand a Bill is on the way that will enable the Minister to do that, but I will get the specifics for the Deputy in respect of that in the next day or two.”
“If you have a proactive council and public representatives, people will see the benefits of it. We are constantly being told that we need a broad revenue base to sustain public services. For example, this budget expanded public services very significantly, over and above what was a high base over the past number of years.”
“The Department is also considering the operational period of the Decision Support Service and the uptake of the new system of supported decision-making in that regard to assemble an evidence base for the next steps. I will talk to the Minister with a view to trying to get progress accelerated on this. I like the Deputy's idea of kiosks in libraries and community settings. That is a very good idea. That would create an accessible, user-friendly system.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue for many people. Ensuring that the enduring power of attorney application process is a user-centric and accessible one is a priority for the Department and the Decision Support Service. The Minister has informed me that there is ongoing engagement between the Decision Support Service and the Law Society to ensure the smooth running of the service. This is the beginning of a series of engagements between both parties underlining our commitment set out in the programme for Government to introduce a solicitors' portal. The Government is committed to doing that. The Deputy's issue is when and how fast it can happen.”
“There has been fairly significant expansion in the rural transport programme from 2022 to 2025. Some €84 million has been invested in the rural transport programme, and €116 million has been allocated to regular rural services and almost €40 million has been allocated to new services, including Connecting Ireland, new town services and BusConnects. In Carlow, Kilkenny and Wicklow, funding increased by 46% between 2023 and 2024 to more than €3.5 million. The passenger numbers on these routes in counties Carlow, Kilkenny and Wicklow increased by 61% from 2023 to 2024. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the issue the Deputy raised. Obviously, all Ministers have to operate within the budgets allocated to them.”
“There are various regulatory frameworks governing food products, both on the price side but also in terms of standards. We have a regulator to protect the consumer. These issues should be raised, first and foremost, with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, because there are issues that need to be monitored on a constant basis in terms of shrinking the volume of a particular pack or whatever.”
“Absolutely. I agree that we should be constantly creating a heightened level of awareness in terms of online fraud and in fairness, An Garda Síochána is doing that. Just last week I heard on a morning radio programme about the impact of online fraud. There is advertising highlighting the dangers and what to watch out for and so forth. It is a very serious issue which is impacting on a lot of people. It is a type of robbery without violence in one sense, compared to the old fashioned type of robberies, but it is more lethal in terms of its impact on people's well-being, welfare and income levels.”
“I thank the Deputy very much for raising what is an important issue, particularly in terms of smaller schools and smaller denominational schools of particular churches. The late Martin Mansergh was actually very attentive to the needs of smaller schools in rural Ireland and the Border areas, in particular those that were Protestant or Presbyterian, and where the numbers were low in terms of refurbishments. We had a big impact at the time. I will talk to the Minister for education and the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, Deputy Michael Moynihan, in respect of this issue. What the Deputy is saying is that the existing class thresholds are too high. I think there is an issue there, whether we can come to some resolution or not, I will certainly talk to the Ministers to discuss that.”
“The recent budget did provide significant supports for quite a number of sectors in the agricultural industry. Obviously, there are still concerns in relation to tillage and I will take on board what the Deputy has said in respect of the pig industry, although I was in north Cork recently and met with a number of people and it was not quite raised with me on that occasion. Certainly, I will ask the Minister for agriculture to engage with the Deputy on that.”
“From an overall perspective, the allocation and commitment in terms of the defective blocks scheme is unprecedented in scale and cost to the State in respect of that. My understanding is there is further legislation on the way in respect of defective apartments, so I will talk to the Minister again in respect of the issue that the Deputy has raised.”
“The Minister for Social Protection is examining the proposal and will work with a range of groups and organisations in respect of it. The free travel scheme, more generally, has expanded very significantly since its conception and has very wide coverage. The Government is not opposed to this but the Government wants to work through the implications.”
“By any objective yardstick, one would have to acknowledge that the last five years has seen extraordinary, exponential growth in the provision of social housing in this country compared with any decade going back to the seventies. A total of 50,684 social homes have been added to the social housing stock between July 2020 and quarter 2 of 2025, more than 13,700 homes were brought back into use under the voids programme, and 2023 and 2024 saw the delivery of newly built social housing reach levels not seen since the 1970s, with almost 16,000 social homes built over the two years. There has been very significant progress on the social housing front, which will continue with increased allocations in this budget for social housing and, indeed, for affordable housing.”
“There is a regulator there as well to make sure that price gouging does not happen and that competition applies. I saw Sinn Féin's budget proposals. They would have added 2% to the cost of living.”
“We did take very significant measures in the budget to support families, particularly working families and families on low incomes. The Deputy has failed to acknowledge that in all her commentary. The child support payment had a permanent increase of over €16 for those over 12 and a permanent increase of €8 for children under 12. The extension of the fuel allowance to the working family payment means 26% of all households are now entitled to a fuel allowance. We have already brought in the free schoolbooks scheme and free hot school meals, all of which are significant factors in reducing pressures on families. We acknowledge that food prices are going up and that is significant. Energy remains an issue and we are engaging with the companies.”
“There has been about a 40% reduction in the numbers of people arriving here claiming asylum. However, there are issues we need to tighten up on.”
“All those seeking asylum are fingerprinted when they come into the country under the Eurodac system. In 2024, 67% of completed appeals were rejected, and so far in 2025, more than 80% of applications have been rejected at first instance. I accept the Deputy's point if people are here. It is neither fair to the person nor to the country if this system is allowed to drag out for years and years. The focus in the past number of years has been on tightening up and speeding up the process itself. We have more than doubled the number of deportation orders signed over the same period last year. The specifics are that 3,583 orders have been signed in 2025 compared to 1,792 this time last year. That is what it says on the note I have but I thought it was a higher figure.”
“Sorry, it is about 38%. There can be different factors responsible for that. We need fast, firm procedures in managing the migration issue. That has to be consistent and sustained. This Government took the decision to bring all this back within the Department of justice, which was the correct decision, in my view, and progress has been seen in that respect. I agree that there would be no harm at all in having a proactive debate on these matters and that we should do so.”
“The International Protection Office is processing much faster and the accelerated cases are within the six months. Yes, the appeal system can take a bit longer, but the Minister is working with a set of proposals to speed up the appeal process. About 3,500 deportation orders were signed this year, compared with about 2,400 last year. Of those, about 1,600 have been confirmed as having left the country, either through voluntary departure or through deportation flights and other mechanisms. Overall, I think the number seeking asylum is down this year by about 30%, maybe.”
“Particularly post the Covid-19 pandemic, the numbers increased dramatically. Side by side with that, there was the war in Ukraine, which caused the displacement of about 12 million Ukrainians. There is also the weaponisation of migration by Russia. The Deputy instanced Poland. On the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and so on and right across Poland, Russia is weaponising migration, sending migrants into those countries as part of its wider war effort. To get back to Ireland specifically, I agree we need a faster and firm procedure in dealing with those seeking asylum. The majority - I think 60% or 70% - are adjudged to be economic migrants as opposed to seeking refuge if some of the outcomes of the process are taken into account.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue in a responsible and fair way. I acknowledge that. People are worried and anxious. The Deputy made a fair point at the outset that he is not criticising migration generally or the fact that we now have a country and society that have evolved, with many people of different ethnic origins living in the State who are as Irish as sure as the next man is. We need proper tolerance and equality on that front. As the Deputy correctly said, in our hospitals, our healthcare facilities and our technology companies, the fact that we have absorbed and can draw on a lot of human capital has been a very important ingredient in societal and economic development. That needs to be acknowledged. The process of seeking asylum in this country has come under huge pressure in recent years.”
“I am not in a position to commit to any line of action in respect of this. I think it is a fair matter to raise. There has to be zero tolerance of domestic violence and gender-based violence more generally.”
“I am not justifying what happened. I have made that clear. Certainly, in her time in government, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, did a lot of work as Minister for Justice in respect of domestic violence and gender-based violence. We now have the establishment of Cuan and the new strategy, which I strongly supported as chair of an interdepartmental Cabinet subcommittee, as Taoiseach at the time. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is continuing that and is bringing in further measures and allocating further resources to this area, in terms of a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence. We do not prosecute in this House. We have a separation of powers in respect of the criminal justice system. It is not within my powers to revoke particular awards but certainly it is a matter on which we will reflect.”
“It was written in such a way to target an officeholder at the time. There are nonetheless legitimate questions. I would accept that. Obviously, a person is dealt with in terms of either a tribunal or subsequent actions to a tribunal, but then in relation to other acts of bravery that a person may have committed separate altogether from the misdeeds that the person may have committed, is the person entitled to that award? Particularly in the context of domestic violence and the horrific nature of the violence in this case, I think that is a very fair point to raise. I certainly would have issues with that myself as well.”
“We owe a tribute to Tommy Conlon and Ronan McGreevy who wrote a very honest book about the kidnapping of Don Tidey and the brutal murder of a garda and an Army person. That said, I too would question. I do not want to talk about an individual who is not in the House, but there are factors that the Deputy has articulated in respect of the Morris tribunal, which we are all very familiar with. That tribunal was the catalyst for a lot of change within An Garda Síochána. Some appalling acts were uncovered by the Morris tribunal, no question about that, and the conclusions were very stark and grave indeed. So, in the context of that, yes, I think it is a fair question to ask. That is a matter that happened quite a number of years ago. I think it has surfaced now because of the presidential election, if we are all honest.”
“First of all, I appreciate the Deputy raising what is a serious issue, without question. I read part of that report yesterday. I cannot say I was aware of that as Taoiseach back then but there was a lot happening. The Deputy has just asked me right now. Having looked at the report yesterday, obviously the Garda must have put this individual forward for the Scott medal of bravery in respect of the kidnapping of Don Tidey, which, as the Deputy knows, resulted in the murder of Private Kelly and a Garda recruit who was just a recruit from Templemore, Garda Sheehan. They were murdered by the Provisional IRA. In fact, the murderers were subsequently lauded too by that organisation and by their political supporters, which does not excuse what happened here but that should also sometimes get mentioned in reference.”
“We have an awful lot more to do there in terms of respite places, residential places and so on. It is the same in special education where we need more resources for more teachers, more special needs assistants and more classes for next September onwards. These are very important investments and allocations of resources. What the Deputy said about the hospitality this year is about €250 million. That would not index anything, and the Deputy knows that. Indexation would be well over a billion-----”
“We need to get prices down sustainably over the next number of years. That is the key target. Some of the Opposition's proposals would have added 2% to the inflation rate, which would have exacerbated the problem for many families out there. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, is forecasting that among the euro area, Ireland will have the third lowest inflation rate between 2025 and 2026 at 1.7%. We did not want to do anything. For example, if one wanted universal energy credits, one would bump up inflation and consistently exacerbate the problem. We cannot keep on doing once-off packages forever. I am sure the Deputy would acknowledge that. What we wanted to do was to improve services, particularly in disability, which has a 20% increase in the allocation. That is important.”
“We decided to invest in capital in terms of more roads, more schools, more public transport and better rail services. That is what we are doing right across the board. In terms of disability and child poverty measures, we have significantly enhanced the allocation to those respective areas.”
“These are very significant interventions. One has to make choices in the budget. I recall the Labour Party consistently criticising the Government's tax packages over the past five years and now when there is not a tax package on personal income, it turns around, reverses and criticises us for not including one.”
“Of course, we have the pension auto-enrolment scheme, which is a very significant scheme that will benefit well over 700,000 workers in time. These are more permanent, sustainable measures that will improve working people's lives and quality of life into the future. We targeted our resources in this budget. We also extended the rent tax credit, which has been increased over recent years. We have extended the reduction in the VAT rate on electricity and kept it at 9% for the next number of years. We will continue to do what we can in terms of supporting families. The budget is not as the Deputy has described. That is just a cheap headline grabber. The budget is very significant in terms of the public expenditure and the increases in services for disability, and for education in terms of capitation grants, with €50 for primary schools.”
“The free schoolbooks scheme, for example, was a very significant measure that we took, and it is permanent. Free hot school meals are very significant. Some 26% of families now benefit from the fuel allowance, which is a very significant enhancement. We targeted supports to the child support payment. For those over 12 years of age, it went up by €16, and by €8 for those under 12. That helps many lower-income families but many middle-class households with children will also benefit. The working family payment threshold increased by €60 a week, which allows more families to qualify and get more support. There was an expansion of the back-to-school clothing and footwear payment to include younger children of two and three years old.”
“May I first of all say that I think the CSO should be the standard statistical body that we should adhere to for any analysis and comment, and pin those on it, because there are all sorts of groups coming forward every now and again with indeterminate statistics? There is no question but that inflation has been a very significant issue over the last number of years. In fact, it was close to 10% following the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It has eased considerably since then but, of course, prices are at that elevated level. Real wages are now increasing by about 3.5%, if we take out inflation. That said, food prices are a significant pressure on many families. However, the Government has responded. We have put in permanent measures that have eased the cost of living for many families.”
“The execution of a deportation order very much depends on the country involved, the potential country involved or the country alleged to be involved, that is, the country of origin, being in a position to receive a person. There can be a variety of reasons as to why that is not possible.”
“However, my initial sense is that the agencies and authorities need maximum flexibility within the legal framework to do the right thing, namely what is right for a child at a given time.”
“I agree that there needs to be a specific review of this case, but we are not ruling out a wider review of all aspects of how we protect children. We use language like "children in care". That is used in a formal legal sense where a child is in care. However, this child was not necessarily in statutory care because there is an age limit in terms of that. These are important points because the Act is clear in the context of the age at which a child can be formally put into care. All these issues need to be reviewed. They are complex and important, and the legislation governing this area needs to be reviewed as well. I do not want to pre-empt anything here because a review is going to take place.”
“I would like the review to look at all aspects of the care of the child in question and to bring forward recommendations, because we need to challenge existing restrictions or potential restraints on care agencies in terms of looking after young children. This is a particularly complex area. It will be fully reviewed. The national review panel is independent of Tusla, which is important. We need an interim report as quickly as possible. Admhaím go bhfuil imní faoi leith ar dhaoine agus pobal na tíre faoin méid atá tar éis tarlú. Táimid chun gach aon chóras tacaíochta a thabhairt don leanbh atá i gceist agus do chlann an linbh agus, mar aon leis sin, tuarascáil a fháil ó na hAirí agus na Ranna speisialta.”
“We will put the full rigours of the State behind this case in all facets and all respects. I do not want to conflate this with other cases. I do not think that is fair. The other cases are equally very difficult and grave. This has nothing at all to do with the case last evening but the Deputy mentioned last week in north Dublin. The number of unaccompanied minors presenting is increasing at a very rapid level. Those young people were not in the care of Tusla. They were being provided with housing - essentially emergency accommodation. That is an important context for that case, so we should not conflate all the cases. There are different backgrounds to each case. The State has a fundamental right to protect the well-being of a ten-year-old child.”
“I have to be careful as there is a live criminal case and a person has been arrested in respect of the alleged sexual assault of this ten-year-old girl, so I do not want to say anything that in any way compromises the conduct or progressing of that case but the Minister for justice has asked his Secretary General and the Department for a full report in respect of the management of the application for asylum case since the person first arrived in the country. There are issues there that certainly need review more generally. I acknowledge the concern, anger and worry of many people throughout the country at what has transpired or alleged to have transpired here. The concerns are legitimate. The concerns of people generally across the country and within the specific location are genuine and I acknowledge that.”
“The events of last evening are extremely serious and very grave. As the Deputy quite rightly said, our thoughts are about the well-being and welfare of the child involved and with the entire family. It is the fundamental duty of the State to protect the children of the State. Irrespective of the complexity, acuity or severity of any particular case, that duty has to be fulfilled and on this occasion, that duty was not fulfilled. This case will be referred to the national review panel. Legislation will be introduced to put that review panel on a statutory basis but the more fundamental point is that a review will take place. The Minister for children has asked for an interim report - certainly within six weeks.”
“The shared island unit would be amenable to that and would respond to it. That would bring people together in a clear way. I note all the individual county mentions. University Hospital Limerick has made a lot of progress. There has been additional investment, but quality and safety in healthcare outcomes are very important, as is reform of healthcare. As I say, funding is now at €27 billion. It has doubled in ten years. Are we getting the same productivity? Are we getting outcomes? The safety and quality aspects are key. I think I have covered most issues. Perhaps I have not covered everything.”
“We did the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark through the shared island initiative. We can acquire more land to re-wild or to have as nature reserves, which was the kind of strategy we pursued, as the Senator knows, in the previous Government. I am anxious to pursue that strategy in this Government as well. I may not have got to everything. A number of people raised trade. The Ireland House concept is a winner. I was in Japan recently, but wherever it happens you get greater synergy between the Irish agencies and the embassy. I would be enthusiastic about all-island soccer. I have attended Setanta Cup finals. I will talk to the Senator about it again sometime. I understand it has been difficult to get the associations and everybody on board. It would be remarkable if we could pull off association football on an all-island basis.”
“There are many challenges facing us. There is a much different composition underpinning homelessness than there would have been ten years ago. I will put it that way. That creates its own challenges. We do need to focus on children and families and to ring-fence funding. I will follow up on biodiversity. We doubled the NPWS staffing when Senator Noonan was the Minister of State. The current Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, is also committed. I hope that we can use the climate and nature fund and do stuff there, particularly when the report comes back in respect of the nature restoration issues. We need to look at the marine area, reserves and so on. I believe we need to acquire more land, as we did during the term of the previous Government. We acquired the national park in the north east and Conor Pass.”
“The goods can be done easily but the services are more complex. Let us not pretend it is not complex. How do you track financial consulting, for example, and assess whether it is in the occupied territories or not? How do you deal with the area of email technology? It is not simple is what I am saying. It is not right to pretend it is. The homelessness issue was raised by Senator Harmon and others. The Minister secured €50 million during the year. He is developing a strategy to see if we can focus on families in emergency accommodation and get them out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible. He has received more funding in the budget to enable us to do that. That is important. The homelessness issue is different now. It is complex. People are coming in from within Europe and so on and they must be accommodated immediately.”
“It is in the US that those companies may potentially face challenges. These are not any old companies. They provide thousands of jobs in Ireland. We can ignore all that and pretend it does not exist, but that is not being honest either. This is the reality. We can be clear-eyed about it so we all know what decisions we are taking, and then take our decisions in light of that. That is all I am saying. It is a bit more honest to raise these issues than to try to pretend they do not exist. They do exist, unfortunately. I do not believe there should be such boycott and divestment laws in the US, but they are there. Many of the companies that are located here will face that pressure. That must be worked out. The Bill as presented had to be reformed and those who advocated for the Bill accepted that.”
“On the services side, no one knows, and the Oireachtas committee has said it does not know, that it is unknowable. That is one of the conclusions of the Oireachtas committee. I have read it. Senator Stephenson should not shake her head. That is in the report. The Oireachtas committee does not know. That is fair enough. The committee has asked the Government to try to find out. All I am saying is that we need to be clear-eyed, honest and upfront with people. The services aspect of the Bill will be difficult to implement. Someone referenced that I mentioned companies. I have to protect people's jobs in this country and I have to be honest with people. US companies based in Ireland may face difficulties in the United States because of the boycott and divestment laws there. It has nothing to do with us.”
“The Attorney General went in on the illegal occupation. We did the same with the International Criminal Court, ICC. Substantial funding has been given to the ICC for its examination of and investigation into the illegal occupation and what has been happening in Palestine. We have done much more than that. The occupied territories Bill has completed its pre-legislative phase. I said there are issues around its implementation. That was what I said in the Dáil. There are issues around implementing it, and there are. We must be honest with people. On the goods side, about half a million has been imported from the illegally occupied territories in the past five years. That is apparently the scale of the goods that have been important - €500,000-worth.”
“We took a deliberative legal approach, which is the correct thing to do if you want to interrogate the Genocide Convention and do it properly. We also took the lead on UNRWA. There was a stampede to reduce funding to UNRWA at a particular point when 13 of its members were accused of being involved in the events of 7 October. The Commission and member states were pulling back money. What did we do and what did I do as foreign Minister? I doubled down and gave an extra €20 million to UNRWA. I told many other foreign ministers to stop because we cannot reconstruct Gaza or help the people of Gaza without UNRWA. That is why I said in my speech this morning that we need to reassert the primacy of UN agencies in the distribution of aid and the humanitarian response. We also supported the ICJ.”
“The Secretary-General of the Arab League came up to me afterwards and said that happened because of Ireland and what it did last year with Spain and Norway. That is what the Arab nations say to us. Anywhere you go in the world, there is no argument that Ireland has led on Palestine. It was a member of my party, Brian Lenihan Snr., who was, way back, the first European foreign minister to assert the right of the Palestinian people to their own state and nationhood. We have consistently pursued that position, as have all parties in the House. We were out there recognising Palestine as a state. Prior to that, we legally intervened in the case that was taken by South Africa to the International Court of Justice, ICJ. I recall all the noise around that and people saying we should join.”
“On leadership, the Middle East and so forth, I must say, and I have noticed it from a certain political view in the Oireachtas and indeed the country, that there has been a failure to be balanced. I think the contributions from Senators Stephenson and Higgins lacked fairness, balance and, to a certain extent, credibility. Everything gets focused on what is the next thing to do. Ireland took a lead. I do not like saying it myself because self-praise is no praise. However, I ask the Senators to ask Palestinians. I ask them to ask the Palestinian Authority and the Arab nations. I attended the United Nations High-Level Week. President Macron and Saudi Arabia came together and pulled six, seven or eight more countries to recognise Palestine.”