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 thank the Deputy for her very precise and clear presentation of the needs in the north east in respect of acute hospital services. It has long been a significant issue, going back decades, in terms of location and so on. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital has been the acute centre and has emerged as the acute centre over that period. There has been substantial investment in both Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Louth County Hospital over the past five years, in particular. There have been significant extensions added to the adult and paediatric emergency departments, 84 new single rooms and a state-of-the-art theatre suite with five operating theatres in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Both hospitals are planning for population growth. There is not just a growing younger population, but a growing population of over-75s as well.”
“Along with Fine Gael and the Independents in government, we said we wanted to prioritise investment in infrastructure and look after disability, not just in terms of the core disability services but education as well, with places and making sure we have a system where every child who needs a place will have it in September, as well as in terms of SNAs and so on, all of which are provided for.”
“Actually, I do not have a housekeeper. I never have had. I do shop every week myself. It is no big deal. I go to the Douglas market and the English Market. I have my routine. The price of food has gone up. It has gone up significantly. I acknowledge that, and that is why we decided to target those on the lowest incomes. We took a deliberate decision. As I said this before in the House, all the left wing parties wanted us to do universal payments. I am not saying the Deputy is left wing. They all wanted us to do universal payments. There was a time when those on the left wing would have favoured targeting. Fianna Fáil always had a social conscience.”
“It cannot do everything in one budget but on the core issues of infrastructure, disability and child poverty, it makes very serious inroads and, in education and health, it does likewise.”
“Equally, the revenue from carbon tax helps those in fuel poverty, helps us to have the biggest retrofitting programme for housing ever, which benefits workers and middle-income families. That is a very important retrofitting programme. It could not be financed otherwise on any sustainable basis. It also helps farmers through environmental farming schemes. If you took that funding away now, it would leave an enormous hole in the budget that would not fund what is desirable. The Deputy might disagree with me. I think climate is an issue that needs to be addressed. I genuinely do. We cannot ignore it and that is why I support it. We have to agree to disagree on that. In terms of working families, and particularly low-income working families, this budget does a lot.”
“We have also kept the VAT on electricity and gas at 9%. That is a help to people. If it went back up, it would be a significant burden on people. We have chosen to invest strongly in public services, which will benefit everybody. There are five budgets to come. We did a lot on taxation during the previous three years and we will do more in the budgets to come as well in respect of taxation. Given what is happening in the world and the United States, with tariffs and so on, we need to protect the jobs we have now and into the future and we need to invest in infrastructure because the population is increasing significantly. On the carbon tax, we must look at the overall scheme of things. If we had allowed VAT to go to 13.5%, that would be big for people's gas and electricity bills.”
“People go on about fast food chains and McDonald's. These are all franchises run by local people. Even though you see the McDonald's or Burger King sign, it is still local people employing young people and so on. That is what we are talking about. We are not talking about money for the big chains.”
“I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, could tell the Deputy about the impact the cut in hospitality VAT will have in west Cork, which his colleague, Deputy Collins, sought as well.”
“I could use worse language to describe it but I will not do that. It is essential for this country that we invest in our future and that is what we are doing. The capital budget is very significant here in terms of roads, energy and housing. We have allocated substantial funds.”
“There are 177,000 people on disability allowance who will get a minimum of an extra €520 in 2026. There is an increase of €618 million in the disability budget. That is not a minor amount. It is a very significant increase. By the way, last year, the Social Democrats supported a VAT reduction for hospitality. They did. Yet, they come here today and say they are all against it. They voted against it last night.”
“-----contribution to the housing issue. On the cost of disability payment, as I said, we took steps to enhance the disability allocation by 20%. Also, the domiciliary care allowance is going up by €20 per month, which will be important for those families.”
“-----to complement what the State is doing. The market is not king according to my philosophy because, in the past four to five years, we have substantially increased the State's investment in housing. This budget does so again with very significant increases.”
“Where I disagree with her is, if we want to get to 50,000 houses, we will need the private sector involved. We will. There is a tendency in the Opposition to decry builders or people who will have to build the houses. The bottom line is we have a problem with the viability of apartments. That is well known. There are 40,000 apartments with planning permissions, but they are not being built because the argument has been they cannot be built at a cost that would make it affordable for people to buy. A number of measures-----”
“The Minister, Deputy Browne, sought that. The increase in allocation to enable 10,000 houses to be built, as opposed to any additional leases and so on, is also very significant. With respect, the Deputy cannot say it is about the market being king in terms of housing because the Government is the biggest single investor in housing at the moment.”
“There is the back to school clothing and footwear allowance rate, which has been extended to children aged two and three who are eligible for that allowance. That is a whole series of measures that, cumulatively, will make an impact on consistent poverty. That is why we prioritised it in this budget. On the disability budget, there is a 20% increase in the allocation to core services. In respect of housing, there is a very significant lift for homelessness.”
“It is not a question of we cannot do everything. We have provided very effective measures in respect of child poverty in this budget, which the Deputy seems to have deliberately ignored. There is a weekly increase of €16 in the child support payment, to €78, for children aged 12 and over. That is now up to €4,056 per annum. There is a child support weekly increase of €8, to €58, for children aged under 12, which is up to €3,000 per annum. There is an increase of €10 in all core welfare rates, a €60 increase in weekly income thresholds for the working family payment for all family sizes. Families getting the working family payment will qualify for fuel allowance. There will be a €5 increase in fuel allowance per week from January.”
“-----and a change in price levels. That is the Government's position. It is a very substantial investment in public services. On the second tier, some of the models for the second tier would result in thousands of children losing out. What we have opted to do, in a more straightforward way, is to substantially and unprecedentedly, in terms of the scale of the increases the Minister, Deputy Calleary, put forward, increase the child support payment. It is quite substantial. We will grow that and, de facto, we essentially will have, in time, a second tier. That is the most straightforward and simple way to do it. It will be very impactful. On education, and health and disability services, there are substantial increases way above the rate of inflation for those services.”
“Sorry, that is what a lot of economists are saying to us. We disagree. We think the expenditure increase is in line with the basic premise of an expenditure rule, that this represents real growth of the economy-----”
“It is the right thing to do. I am trying to move away from short-termism and in this first budget we want to lay foundations that will sustain the economy.”
“That is going to happen because of the investment we have committed to, which is more long term but we are doing it, in building the roads, hospitals and schools and in terms of investment in research and development. We did a lot in the late 1990s and early 2000s in research, which laid the foundations for jobs that we have today - high-quality, high-value jobs - both in foreign direct investment and in terms of the domestic economy. The measures in the budget on the taxation side for research and development and in terms of what the Minister, Deputy Lawless, has in his budget and the NDP, which is very much enhanced, will make a significant step change in research in this country. That guarantees jobs in the future. It does not guarantee votes in the short term, by the way, but it is the right thing to do for the country.”
“We are going to continue to prioritise disability and child poverty. In terms of infrastructure, if we look at education investment in terms of more schools, that affects workers. They want their children to have access to education services. The capitation grants are going up by record levels. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, secured €50 in terms of primary and €20 in post primary. They are very significant on top of the increases we have had in previous years. That is all recognising the impact of the cost of living on schools and services. We have a rising population and we have an infrastructure deficit. The workers of this country need their jobs protected, and we need to be creating new types of jobs for the future.”
“She should welcome the move we have made in that regard. We have to do more, but there is a €300 million package alone for the lowest income. Look at the objective assessment. The Labour Party should acknowledge that the two lowest-income deciles will benefit the most from this budget. That is the reality. In terms of disability, there are significant increases in a range of payments, particularly the disability pension, but also in terms of the domiciliary care allowance, which is going up a further €20 on top of last year's increase, and that is right and proper. There is work under way in respect of the cost of disability. There is a huge increase in the disability budget this year. There is in the order of 20% of an increase in the disability budget in terms of the services for people with disabilities, and that is right and proper.”
“That means, therefore, that a person caring in a household where their partner earns up to €108,000 will receive a full carer's payment. These are the largest ever increases in the carer's income disregard.”
“-----particularly among children. Look also at the child support payment. It is very significant. The over-12s has gone up by €16 and the under-12s by €8. That will benefit approximately 330,000 children in this country. It is moving in the direction of a second tier in supporting those most in need. For children, the €16 is now approximately €4,000 per annum. That is the amount for a child and family in the support payment now. That is significant. It is €3,000 for those under 12. For carers, there is a record 60% increase in the carer's allowance weekly income disregard. That is significant, going from €375 to €1,000. A single carer can now earn just above €54,000 per year and receive a full carer's payment. Income disregard for a couple increased by €750, to €2,000.”
“-----we would prioritise child poverty, and this is a very progressive budget. If you look at the ESRI's SWITCH model, it is saying the two lowest income deciles get the most from this budget and a significant amount-----”
“-----that we would protect the jobs we have and then invest to make sure we have the jobs of tomorrow, through investment in research and development, through investment in energy, water, public transport, roads and so forth. We are doing that. That is what will underpin workers in their jobs. This is the first of five budgets, and we will be working on our taxation commitments in future budgets in respect-----”
“-----and Sinn Féin has gone full circle. I never thought I would hear the day when a Sinn Féin leader would be quoting the Fine Gael mantra about how "It is for those who get up early in the morning". That was at one time a slogan the Deputy would have decried and condemned in her day.”
“If you look at Sinn Féin's alternative budget the bottom line is this, and this is not my calculation but the Central Bank's formula. It is spending €13.4 billion - more, in fact, if you add in its once-off measures - in its alternative budget. That budget would add 2.5% to the cost of living and to inflation.”
“Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta. De réir na moltaí a bhí aici féin agus na polasaithe ag Sinn Féin maidir leis an gcáinaisnéis seo, bheadh costais maireachtála ag dul in airde dá mba rud é go gcuireadh i bhfeidhm iad.”
“North Cork Creameries has been involved in other compliance issues but not this one. There has been no tracing of it to this fish kill. It employs a lot of people and has been a very successful industry at other levels in that area, which is an area that has not been blessed with multinationals or with other industry. We have to balance the perspective. There is no evidence this fish kill was caused by the agriculture sector either, in terms of farming or anything like that, which the Deputy might have been suggesting, or maybe he had other targets in that regard. That said, it is not satisfactory that we do not know how such a large fish kill happened. That is a worry. Is our scientific capacity up to speed? This is a major kill and will have major repercussions for biodiversity along the Blackwater and that area in its entirety.”
“Obviously, I am concerned about the report, and we need to respond to it. Deputy Murphy raised the issue of the fish kill in the Blackwater, which is absolutely shocking but the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, has not come up with a culprit for this. It is wrong to just throw up the charge of a cover-up. I do not think that is fair. I do not think it is fair on the EPA because I do not believe the EPA would cover it up. Equally, however, if the EPA cannot pinpoint the exact source of this pollution, it needs to be honest about that too. There is no point in getting ahead. Deputy Murphy would be the first person, in other walks of life, attacking the Garda or the justice system for getting ahead without any evidence. We have to have an evidence-based approach to this.”
“In the last five years, we have doubled the budget of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. I involved myself five years ago and met the NPWS. A board was created within the Department. It is an agency within the State. It has had lots of successes. For example, there has been good progress with the corncrake and the white-tailed eagle. We have created new national parks in the last number of years in the north east, and acquired the Conor Pass and marshes around Clonakilty. A lot of good progress has been made. We are dealing with the previous 20-odd years of progress and so on. The Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund needs to allocate money specifically for nature restoration and, in my view, for the acquisition of more land for rewilding and for national parks. We will continue on that track.”
“Again, huge money has gone into this in the last five years compared with what went on for the previous 20 years. There are limits to what the State can do with public expenditure, to remind the House of that every now and again. I am sure the Deputy reads the comments from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and the Central Bank. They are suggesting - even a Deputy from the Labour Party has been very conscious about this - that we are spending far too much money on all of these schemes. We do need to be fiscally sustainable. That said, these are important schemes because they save energy in the future and save on household bills for people. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of the natural environment.”
“Up to a couple of years ago, Enniscorthy had poor quality air on a par with some towns in India, because of the penetration of imported smoky coal getting in under the radar, not being properly monitored and a lack of enforcement. That is critical for health. Deaths, lung injury and COPD can be avoided if we just do the sensible thing. Deputy Tony McCormack asked about the delays in delivering the SEAI, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, grants and the better energy warmer homes scheme. I take his point. The Minister is reviewing these schemes to see if he can get simpler grant schemes in place and maybe fast-track some of this. We will work on that. I appreciate the point Deputy McCormack has raised. Deputy O'Rourke raised retrofitting heat pumps and an insufficiency of money.”
“The last Government did enact comprehensive legislation in respect of towns, and to make fully nationwide the ban on solid fuels. A lot of it was coming in from the North, actually, and it was leading to a deterioration in health quality. It was way back in the early 1990s that Mary Harney, the then Minister of State, brought in a ban in cities. People may not remember, but at 5 o'clock on a winter evening in Dublin you could hardly walk through Dublin because of the smog. You were breathing in awful stuff, and it was a radical move that improved health quality in cities. The issue will be enforcement. Local authorities and others need to do more on enforcement regarding air quality in towns across the country.”
“We are putting a lot of funding into wind energy, offshore wind in particular, and some onshore wind and some solar. It is interesting. There are people who have come to me in the House saying they are against solar energy, wind energy and fossil fuels. I do not know where we are going to get our energy if we do not have a combination of all three in the short term. We will need a combination of all three. From a State perspective, nuclear would entail a lot of capital investment. We are putting a lot of capital investment into the wind energy side. A lot of it will be private sector developed, but we have to do the ports and a lot of other stuff with that. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked a question around premature deaths.”
“That is why I have convened a clearing house, involving industry and the Government, to deal with macro issues around delivering offshore wind generation as quickly as we possibly can to enable us to be adopters of AI and to maximise the potential of AI into the future. It will also allow us to deal with future industry needs in terms of major, larger sites the IDA will be acquiring to provide for industry well into the future. We have been working with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, the Department of enterprise and others on that specific issue. I will come back to Deputy Byrne on the timeline for the legislation. My understanding is that it should not take that long. On nuclear, we may very well import nuclear through various connectors.”
“A lot will depend on the progress in terms of the execution of the issues. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised the issue of a private wires Bill. I think it is good legislation and I welcome the fact the Government has accepted a memorandum outlining the legislation and proposals and that we have agreed it, in that respect. We have challenges in terms of data centres, as Deputy Byrne knows. He has been specialising in AI for quite some time. AI will mean a much greater need for energy. It will be energy intensive. Data centres are going to be important in that regard. Offshore wind energy is critical for this.”
“Deputy Cleere was the first into the fray, regarding flood schemes in Kilkenny. He gave a very articulate presentation of the challenges and complexities of flood schemes. They take a lot of time and consultation. Given the frequency and ferocity of storms today, we need to move faster with some of these schemes, because the devastation of a flood on a household or on a town, or on shops and businesses, is huge and shocking for people. The national development plan, NDP, has allocated substantial money and capital. We want to get all of those schemes approved. I do not have clear details as to where each scheme is right now. I have no doubt Deputy Cleere does, as he is a local TD for the area. He has listed six schemes. I will work with him to ensure those schemes are approved, fully funded and delivered.”
“We are seeing real progress in the areas of energy, transport, and agriculture; however, EPA projections make clear one thing: we must move faster and do more if we are to meet our targets for emissions reduction. The Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments on the environment, climate action, energy and emergency planning. It considers the wide range of issues that require action in Ireland's transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and sustainable future: a future in which we take full advantage of the renewable energy potential that we possess, while ensuring that energy policies contribute to energy security, affordability and competitiveness. The Cabinet committee also oversees implementation of the climate action plan.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 20, inclusive, together. Ireland has accepted challenging emissions reduction targets at EU and national levels. Our programme for Government has reaffirmed the Government's determination that Ireland will play its full part in tackling what is a global issue. We are seeing encouraging signs. Ireland's emissions have been falling for the last three years, and we now have lower overall emissions than at any point in the last 35 years, despite our population growing by 50% over that period. Change is under way across our economy and society to realign ourselves to a low-carbon future. Reducing emissions is now at the heart of all our policies and sectors.”
“That relates to the first question I was asked by Deputy McAuliffe about projects that are under way in Beaumont to increase bed capacity and to get a greater flow of patients.”
“We have done a lot in recent years. I am a great believer in vaccines. They can save money too in terms of people having to be treated subsequently in the acute care system if they develop something like shingles, which can be very serious in its effect on the immune system, elderly people, and those with RSV in particular. Deputy Conway-Walsh referred to the shortage of beds in Beaumont Hospital. I will speak to the Minister for Health. I ask the Deputy to send the details in respect of Mr. Keane to the Minister. It is shocking that he is waiting since 17 September. He obviously requires specialist care in Beaumont. We will see what can be done in that case. I take the Deputy's point.”
“I apologise. They relate to mental health, early intervention and Jigsaw. I will talk to the Minister. There has been a significant growth in Jigsaw services across the country. I will talk to the Minister in respect of Waterford. I agree with the sentiments the Deputy has articulated. Jigsaw is a very good organisation. It has got a lot of good State support in recent years. A decision has been taken on 24-7 cardiac services. Deputy Cullinane asked about the implementation and delivery of it. A lot of progress has been made on this agenda. I can see that all of the Deputies in Waterford work together. I appreciate that. We will keep the pressure on to get this done in a reasonable timeline. Deputy Currie raised shingles. Again, we are now into costs. The health budget was €1.3 billion last year. It is an enormous budget.”
“Because of our Constitution and people's legal entitlements, very often these inquiries can evolve into adversarial-type inquiries. One concern we have, which we need to be very clear-eyed about, is the impact on current services. Presumably any inquiry would involve personnel working in the service. We have got to be very clear-eyed and ensure we design this in such a way that we maintain current services, and that we do not have any negative impact on the provision of services on an ongoing basis. A three-week timeline has been provided for work on this. I am confident that we can arrive at a conclusion to this that would be satisfactory all round.”
“I understand the Minister met with some of the survivors. I will follow up with her to see what can be done. Deputy Tóibín spoke about the public inquiry into CHI. I used the words "timely" and "effective" and the Deputy made the point that he would prefer a permanent office of inquiry. He said inquiries can go on, which they can. We have had statutory public inquiries that have gone on for five or six years. I hope that will not be the case here. The Minister is endeavouring to work with the parents and advocates to see whether we can get a bespoke inquiry that will meet the needs and objectives of such an inquiry, which have to be to improve services and have a sustainable improvement in services for children with spina bifida and requiring spinal surgery.”
“Sometimes, notwithstanding Government decisions, there can be elements in the system who think these things do not have to be delivered. It is my job to sort that out. Deputy Cahill raised a very difficult and sad situation. I ask that we do everything we can to ask those people to come off hunger strike, which can be very damaging to people's health. There has been a long history of institutional abuse. There have been a lot of supports over the years for survivors of institutional abuse, going back even prior to the report of the Ryan commission being concluded. Redress happened for quite large numbers much in advance of any inquiries. Other initiatives were taken in terms of housing and so on. The Government will engage with the survivors but for their own health and well-being, it is important that they would come off the strike.”
“Deputies Cahill and O'Sullivan referred to the elective hospitals. I will pursue that issue. It is annoying in that going back to 2016 or 2017, there was a different Government planning a second hospital for Cork. We correctly looked at that when we came in after 2020 and we agreed on elective hospitals in Galway and Cork initially and in Dublin subsequently. Those projects have been progressing and are in planning, design and all of that, but they need to get a move on. We have a site in Galway and a site in Cork. The surgical hubs are moving as well. I have made it very clear to officials and to the HSE that these are commitments the Government has decided on and they need to be delivered and implemented.”
“We are endeavouring to have a sustainable health budget along the lines of what we planned over the past two years, which has worked effectively enough in terms of outcomes and improvements and also in terms of fiscal sustainability for the health service. The increase in the budget has been exponential over the past number of years. In my reply, I went through all the various initiatives we have provided in terms of reducing costs for patients. Capacity is very important. Regarding the inquiry we spoke about earlier into CHI and the publication of reports, I will talk to the Minister in respect of timelines. My understanding is that the Nayagam report will be ready before the end of the year. It needs to be published and it will be important in terms of feeding into any inquiry that will be established.”
“Deputy Bacik raised the issue of access to and coverage of GP services. In terms of the budget, Estimates discussions are going on. I recall her colleague Senator McDowell saying the Government is being fiscally reckless. He thinks we are spending too much. On the other hand, Deputy Bacik and others will come along and say that we should spend more on health services. Expansion of eligibility and so on will have a cost attached to it. Public expenditure will grow significantly again this year but we have to watch the rate of growth, without question. That will limit what is possible within the health budget in the next couple of weeks and in the announcement in the budget itself.”