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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“The Deputy described me as the king of deflection. As a true republican, I never did royalty and do not propose to do so now. In this matter, we have not failed in any respect. Europe has avoided retaliation, notwithstanding a fair degree of provocation by way of the imposition of tariffs. There has been an effective 10% tariff for the past number of months. Europe has avoided overreacting to this and has gone down the route of a negotiated settlement and solution with the United States Government. The US has issues, which we acknowledge. They can be resolved via renegotiation. That is what we want to do. I do not believe in tariffs.”
“There is no evidence, by the way, in terms of what the Deputy said that France and others have got their way. They have not actually in the sense that some would have liked a more robust response already but Europe has played it calm and firm, been involved in negotiations and had good reason to believe there was a deal, an outline framework agreement in principle, on the table up to a couple of days before the weekend. That all changed. There is a new reality to 1 August. Europe hopes we can get into a negotiation process to resolve the matter.”
“It is easy for the Deputy to pontificate that we should do this, that and the other. If he was a worker in the car industry in Germany or Czechia, he would be feeling it. The UK was feeling it, which is why it made what is called a framework agreement with the US. The latest iteration of this process is the announcement of a potential 30% tariff - not 10% but 30% - by 1 August. If that materialises, the EU, at that stage, will have no option but to respond. There is no point in getting worried about an individual component here or sector there. If there are tariffs of 30%, that will be ruinous or very destructive of our economy and of America's economy as well. We hope that does not come to pass. Europe wants to prioritise negotiation.”
“They are just bad news and they will damage the world economy if this continues. There is terrible uncertainty and volatility, and the result of all that is a pause on investment decisions, which is also a critical outcome so far of what has transpired over the last six months. To be fair, I disagree further with the Deputy. The Irish position, until now, has been to avoid any escalatory response by Europe. I have spoken to the President of the Commission. She is of the same view, as is the negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, to whom the Tánaiste has spoken, as have I. The whole strategy of the European Commission and the vast majority of the European Council has been to avoid an overreactive response, notwithstanding there are fairly severe tariffs on the motor industry, as a result of which a lot of EU countries are bleeding right now.”
“-----have more influence than the Irish. It is absolute nonsense, if you do not mind me saying so. It is the US that has imposed the tariffs, not Europe. We do not want tariffs. Europe does not want tariffs. They are bad for the economy, people, patients, industry and businesses.”
“Are there significant issues? Yes, especially with access to some primary care services, mental health services and, above all, therapies, but we are allocating. There have been issues in the HSE with recruitment and retention in some areas and those are being worked on.”
“We have allocated, which is a fundamental point. By the way, we have made huge impacts across a lot of areas in health in the last five years, to such an extent - though this would be over a longer period - that our mortality rate fell by 11% over the decade from 2014 to 2024. We now have the second lowest mortality rate among the European 27, so the investment is having impacts of a positive nature.”
“We will continue the work to recruit. We have been recruiting. There has been an increase of €6.71 billion in expenditure in health. This is a 35% increase in health spending since 2020, so do not say we are cutting back or are not allocating. The Deputy cannot say that with credibility.”
“The nettle has to be grasped on that to bring about an improvement in terms of how we best use our therapists in this country, because we have increased the number of therapists in employment by a lot more compared to five, six, seven or eight years ago.”
“That is why we have said here in the House that we want to bring in legislation to prioritise access to therapies and amend the existing situation pertaining to assessment of need because that is not serving children well. We have acknowledged that. There are issues with delays in terms of accessing vital services but we are prepared to do something about it. I would appreciate the Deputy's support in respect of that legislation when it comes before the House because it will prioritise access to services and access to therapies as opposed to waiting to get the assessment of need first and then accessing therapies. The existing legislative template has not worked in practice and, in my view, legal decisions subsequently have obliged us to act to deal with that difficult issue.”
“-----but the Deputy never asks it because he does not want to fall out with anybody, which is understandable coming from the Opposition. There are issues in terms of how we deal with therapists. We have set up a new in-school therapy service for children in special schools that will start in September. We have already allocated money for that additional to the Estimate that was provided. That will be significant. Recruitment is increasing significantly for the CDNT teams in terms of recruitment of therapists and filling more posts but we want to increase upon that in 2025 and 2026. We are dramatically ramping up places, and have been for quite some time, in our colleges to produce more therapists to come out on an annual basis. We do need to look at how we deploy therapists.”
“Maybe a more pertinent question to ask is whether we are getting the outputs for the significant investment that has gone into health over the last five years.”
“First of all, Deputy, we have had the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State, which the Deputy did not reference in his presentation on primary care services. It is the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history the State. Some 2.3 million people are now eligible in this country for free GP care. I would ask the Deputy to forward me the details of the individual cases he instanced. The Deputy mentioned a recruitment embargo. There has been no recruitment embargo. We do need to get a bit real here. We have had close to 30,000 extra people in our health service in the last five years and the Deputy talks about an embargo. Six thousand more will be employed in 2025 and thousands more will be employed next year. These will be additional.”
“On the GAA, I am perplexed by this. No appeal has gone in. There was no pre-engagement with anyone here on the Government side. I am not clear if there even was with the Gaelic Athletic Association formally. There is a bit of a-----”
“Sorry, Deputy. This is Deputy Bacik’s moment. We will work but it has to be with the WHO. It simply has to be in terms of protocols, looking after the children and making sure everything is done properly. Today, we have formalised what is already happening; more family members can come in with the children because there can be issues.”
“In fact, relative to other European countries, Ireland is well up. We are placed fifth overall in terms of the number of patients who have been evacuated to European countries, after Italy, Romania, Spain and Norway. We will do everything we possibly can. There is a further 18 to come, bringing us to 30. The issues are logistical. We are working with the WHO through the Egypt crossing.”
“Absolutely no delay, and I think it is important that we get truth on that. I am happy for the Deputy to meet the Minister for Health and the Minister for justice who will apprise her of the details of this.”
“That is not there yet. We have to engage with Europe and the US in order to keep that pressure on the need for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages but above all now-----”
“There has been a consistent pattern of undermining UNRWA, OCHA and other UN agencies, without which life would be absolutely unbearable, and is unbearable now because, of course, they have been denied the opportunity to bring aid into Gaza. As regards the European Union, we had a fairly honest discussion at the European Council, at which the issue arose as to who has influence over Israel. The United States has very significant leverage and influence over Israel. I would have thought other European countries have; I am not so sure now. The EU has made entreaties to Israel, and we are told further aid will come in. I will believe it when I see it. It cannot be a negotiation on the basis of "give us a bit and give us a bit". There has to be a comprehensive framework for the facilitation of humanitarian aid going into Gaza.”
“The Deputy has, to be fair to her, identified all the measures we have taken, and the occupied territories Bill will be a further measure we will take. It needs to be legislated for and debated fully in order that we are clear-eyed about it. It is largely symbolic, if we are honest, and, unfortunately, it seems, given everything that has happened to date, that Israel is oblivious to the views of people across Europe and oblivious to public opinion and international opinion and has sought consistently to denigrate and undermine multilateral organisations, including the United Nations, which is a very serious matter. I believe we should collectively call for the primacy of the United Nations in conflict zones, particularly in Gaza and indeed in the West Bank.”
“I thank the Deputy for her presentation and I pay tribute to Grannies for Palestine in highlighting the genocide against children in Gaza, the slaughter of children indiscriminately by indiscriminate bombing and now the indiscriminate shooting at food checkpoints, which we have witnessed via those who have captured those images on social media. We often complain about the use of social media in other spheres, but it is worth bearing in mind that without social media in Gaza the world would be literally blind to the appalling atrocities that have occurred there. Many journalists have paid with their lives trying to bring out the horrible truth of what is happening, the latest iteration being an idea around what a former Israeli Prime Minister has described as a concentration camp.”
“-----and that she does not have to account for it at all. We have spent record levels of investment in the past four years. We are going to go further again. The most important thing for the future of this economy is to ensure that we substantially increase and more than double the investment in the energy grid in order that we will have connections. That will allow us to deal with the growing population and economy. We have to ensure that there is huge investment in water, public transport and roads. That is what underpins the economy.”
“There will be supports in the budget to support people in dealing with the cost of living. Food inflation in Ireland in May was 4%. We are mid-table across the European Union. This is a Europe-wide phenomenon. It is a global phenomenon in terms of what is happening with the energy crisis. I love the way the Deputy tosses out an aside to the effect that infrastructure is on the Government-----”
“That follows increases in real incomes in 2024. Further increases are forecast for 2026. The focus in the budget must be on dramatically transforming our infrastructure, which we committed to during the general election campaign. This must be an era when we transform our roads, public transport and our energy and water utilities. That is to help the Irish people in terms of growth and jobs into the future. There will have to be a predominant allocation of capital in respect of these key agenda items.”
“Free public transport for children aged five to eight will be introduced later this year. Far from the Deputy's assertions that the Government is doing nothing, we have taken all of these measures on top of the measures we took in budget 2025 and as part of the public service pay agreement. It is also worth noting that inflation in Ireland will come down to about 1.6% this year. The Deputy referenced our position within the European Union. We will have the third-lowest rate of inflation among the 27 EU member countries. Given the strength of the domestic economy that is quite a remarkable outcome vis-à-vis other European countries. Nominal wage growth is set to reach 5.5% this year. That will result in real incomes rising by between 3% and 3.5% per annum. That is important, because we are turning the tide in terms of this issue.”
“Since 1 June, women can receive hormone replacement therapy free of charge. At the beginning of June, the carer's support grant increased to €2,000, which is the highest level ever. That benefits some 138,000 carers. Last week, the income level disregard increased for the carer's allowance, meaning more people will qualify for the allowance and more than 5,000 carers will receive an increase in their payments. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance will be paid out over the summer months. That has been extended for the first time to foster carers. From September, the free schoolbooks scheme continues to be extended to all students in post-primary schools and from September all primary schools are eligible for the free hot school meals programme. A school meals holiday pilot project has started this summer.”
“It must be remembered that inflation peaked at about 10% in the immediate aftermath of Covid-19. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it also peaked at close to 10%. What is interesting of course is that the Government did an awful lot. We did more than any other European government in terms of cushioning and trying to reduce the impact of cost-of-living increases on people. We continue to do that. In April, we decided to extend the VAT reduction of 9% on gas and electricity. This measure will save households €70 for gas and €55 for electricity. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, took a further decision in June regarding a 40% reduction in the renewable electricity public service obligation levy. From September onwards, there will be a significant increase in the number of people who qualify for the fuel allowance.”
“Ar dtús báire, ní aontaím leis an Teachta in aon chor, mar níl aon amhras ach go bhfuil an-chuid déanta ag an Rialtas chun an brú atá curtha ar chosmhuintir na tíre de dheasca an t-ardú ar an gcostas maireachtála a ísliú. Tá an-chuid déanta againn chun é sin a dhéanamh. In passing, I also congratulate Katie Taylor on her outstanding win. She is one of our outstanding sportspersons and has done extraordinary work in terms of elevating the role of women in sport. She has brought great pride and distinction to the nation and to the sport of boxing. I do not agree with the Deputy's analysis in terms of the Government not helping, doing nothing or telling people that it does not recognise the fact that prices are at a relatively elevated level following the peaking of inflation.”
“Leaders will return to many of these issues to assess progress and discuss further actions at the next formal meeting of the European Council in October.”
“I spoke again with President von der Leyen on Monday, when she updated me on the latest situation. I wished her, Commissioner Šefčovič and their team in the Commission well in their efforts to secure the best possible deal for the EU. In spite of recent turbulence, the European Union is in prime position when it comes to global trade. The openness of our trade regime has meant that the European Union is the biggest player on the global trading scene. This is worth defending. This was yet another busy and important meeting of the European Council. It was clear from our discussions that we face many challenges, and it is important now that there is effective follow-up to the conclusions of the meeting across a range of areas.”
“Leaders also agreed that while a successful outcome to the negotiations and an agreement that works for both side remains the objective, the work on potential countermeasures that protect EU businesses and consumers must also continue. As the House will be aware, the deadline to reach agreement or to end the US pause on higher tariff rates has now been extended to 1 August. It is increasingly clear that any deal is likely to include a baseline tariff. It is very important therefore that the EU seeks to achieve a zero-for-zero approach for as many sectors as possible. The Government has been engaging actively with the Commission to ensure that they understand Ireland’s position and concern in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medtech and agrifood.”
“This is not just about current negotiations with the United States but also how the European Union can focus on market diversification via an expanded set of EU free trade agreements and work with other like-minded regions and groupings. While European Union-US trade negotiations were not a formal agenda item, they were naturally a topic of interest and discussion among leaders. During the summit, Commission President von der Leyen provided an update on the current state of trade negotiations with the United States. There was a strong view among EU leaders that the Commission should have a mandate to continue to negotiate a deal with the US.”
“I strongly welcome the broad-based agreement we have established that this will remain a crucially important political focus for the period ahead. The European Council also endorsed the Commission’s proposal that Bulgaria adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, having fulfilled all the convergence criteria set out in the treaty. I take this opportunity to congratulate Bulgaria on reaching this important milestone towards becoming the 21st member of the single currency area from the beginning of next year. In the context of strengthening our competitiveness, European leaders reflected on the European Union’s place in the world. This takes in a number of perspectives, including our trade relations.”
“We must also remove barriers within the Single Market, particularly for services. Recent work by the IMF suggests that remaining Single Market barriers are equivalent on average to a 44% tariff on goods and a 110% tariff on services, so there is a lot we can do ourselves in respect of removing barriers and making ourselves more competitive within the Single Market. Leaders welcomed in this context the detailed Single Market and startup and scale-up strategies presented by the Commission in May and called for work on their implementation to begin without delay. I made clear my own view that we must make Europe the best place in which to start and grow a business, including through a completely modernised digital environment and strong investment in research and innovation.”
“We look forward to continuing this work and to complementing this by working with other member states on common projects to the benefit of us all. Leaders returned to competitiveness issues, having agreed in March that 2025 would mark a step change in our collective action to strengthen the EU’s Single Market. It is clear that geopolitical developments and the pace of technological advances are posing new challenges to Europe’s economic dynamism, which remains constrained by fragmented market rules in fast-evolving services sectors. Last year’s Draghi report highlighted, in particular, the key performance gap with the United States in terms of scaling fast-growing young firms at the technological frontier. There is much we can do to simplify regulatory frameworks and reduce administrative burdens on firms.”
“Member states remain in the driving seat in determining the capabilities they require nationally, and it remains a national prerogative to decide how to use capabilities developed jointly. I welcome the adoption by the Council of the security action for Europe, SAFE, regulation, which will provide member states with a financing mechanism to support their investment in defence. However, I would stress that decisions on defence spending remain a matter for individual member states. We are focused on developing our national defence capabilities and transforming our Defence Forces, and we will leverage the common procurement opportunities offered under the SAFE regulation as much as possible to progress delivery of Ireland’s defence capabilities and needs as quickly as possible.”
“Ireland must be a part of this process because we are part of the European Union, and because such threats are existential for the way in which we live our lives across the European Union. We believe that the White Paper on the future of European defence presents Ireland with a unique opportunity to join with other EU member states to enhance our individual and collective preparedness and capabilities across all areas of security and defence. Ireland will consider joining projects in areas where capabilities and needs have been identified by our Defence Forces and the Department of Defence. Other member states may have wider interests, but it has been made clear in the White Paper that the positions of all member states will be respected, including those like Ireland that are militarily neutral.”
“We also look towards and will try to support a peaceful and inclusive transition for Syria. On Lebanon, we value that the European Council called for all parties to uphold the ceasefire agreement and recognised the stabilising role of UNIFIL in the region, a role to which Irish troops are bravely contributing. The European Council discussed implementation of commitments made earlier this year to enhance Europe’s defence capabilities and readiness within the next five years. The international security environment continues to deteriorate, and to be contested, dynamic and volatile. The EU is acting with greater decisiveness, ambition and speed to tackle the threats we face.”
“It is important that the postponed UN conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution goes ahead as soon as conditions allow. I understand that may be next week, on Tuesday. The European Council welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Iran and called for this ceasefire to be underpinned by diplomacy for lasting peace for the region. The conclusions state clearly that a lasting solution to the Iran nuclear issue can only be achieved through negotiations. We hope that these negotiations can recommence imminently. The EU will continue to urge all parties to the recent conflict to abide by international law and work towards establishing sustained regional stability at this crucial time.”
“This is about holding Israel to account and using all the tools at our disposal to apply pressure on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law. We must use all available levers to bring this awful conflict to an end. There must be a ceasefire leading to a permanent end to the conflict. All remaining hostages must be released. The people of Gaza and the loved ones of those held hostage by Hamas have suffered for far too long. The European Council also recalled its commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution. Ireland has been clear that unprecedented levels of violence, large-scale displacement of the Palestinian population, and record levels of settlement construction erode work to achieve the two-state solution.”
“An important element of our discussions at the European Council was the review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the association agreement. It is clear from the review that Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations. This is a significant finding and one that the EU must now act upon. The European Union’s credibility depends on this. In this context, I welcome that the EU High Representative will bring an inventory of options for follow-up action for consideration by member states to the July meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. Ireland has consistently said that all options must be considered, up to and including suspension of the association agreement.”
“A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the European Council met against a deeply troubling and shocking backdrop in the Middle East. I again emphasised and strongly contributed on the need not to lose sight of the catastrophic situation in Gaza. European Union leaders recalled the importance of unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza, and to enable the United Nations and its agencies and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives and reduce suffering. Ireland has consistently called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade of humanitarian and commercial supplies for Gaza and allow the full resumption of unimpeded humanitarian aid, in line with humanitarian principles.”
“Raising awareness of this and mobilising support for it will be the focus of the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on 10 and 11 July. Investments aligned with the EU reform agenda will be also key to supporting Ukraine's future European Union accession. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s EU perspective, and I continue to advocate at European Union level for substantial progress on Ukraine’s EU accession. I believe that EU membership is an important part of the security guarantees for Ukraine, and I underlined at the Council that it is essential to maintain momentum in Ukraine’s enlargement process and to move forward on the next steps without delay. I regret that one member state, Hungary, is holding this up.”
“It was agreed that strengthening sanctions against Russia is key to this effort. The European Council therefore agreed to the roll-over of existing sanctions on Russia for a further six months and welcomed agreement on the European Union's 17th package of sanctions. More is required, however, and that is why it is important that we reach agreement on an 18th package of sanctions as quickly as possible. Ireland will continue to support strong sanctions against Russia. Ireland is also engaged in discussions at EU level around short-term recovery efforts and preparations for a successful longer term reconstruction effort for Ukraine. Reconstruction cannot be limited to rebuilding what was destroyed during the war but must look to reform, recovery and modernisation.”
“Ireland will continue to explore how we can provide non-lethal military support, building on the €100 million package of support agreed by our Government earlier this year. As Russia continues to launch strikes on Ukraine, it is clear that it is not engaging in peace talks in good faith, while it continues to maintain its maximalist demands. Against this background it is more important than ever that we bolster support for Ukraine across all work strands. Leaders discussed how the EU can step up military support for Ukraine, play a constructive role in any potential peace process and contribute to security guarantees as part of a peace agreement. We also discussed how the EU can apply more pressure on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire and engage seriously in peace efforts.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will later speak to all other issues. Support for Ukraine following Russia’s illegal war of aggression continues to be a top priority for the European Union. President Zelenskyy briefed us on the current situation and recent developments, including Russia’s escalation in strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Together with my fellow leaders, we reconfirmed the EU’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed. The EU has provided substantial military support to Ukraine to enable it to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing aggression, but Ukraine requires our help now even more urgently.”
“I attended a meeting of the European Council on 26 June in Brussels. The substantial items on the agenda included support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, European security and defence and the preparation of upcoming EU summits with third country partners and regions. The Council also returned to enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in the context of global economic developments, not least the ongoing EU-US trade negotiations. Other items covered were migration, support for the Republic of Moldova, the situation in the western Balkans, the EU’s internal security and crisis preparedness. Other discussions included external relations with Libya and the Sahel. I will deal with Ukraine, the Middle East, in particular the humanitarian situation in Gaza, European security and defence, competitiveness and trade.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. There are some aspects of vetting that make no sense and what the Deputy raised is one of them. If you are vetted for teaching, for example, and seek to train at a GAA, soccer or rugby club, that vetting should apply. We get huge complaints about backlogs and delays, which can get in the way of providing services. I have views on this and will talk to the Minister for justice about it.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the case of Rowan. I understand he spoke to the Minister of State with responsibiity for special needs education, Deputy Moynihan, last evening. He will follow it up as quickly as he can to see whether he can get a resolution to the issue, having regard to its background. We are going to change the application process to have earlier timelines and a common application system. Also, there is to be greater productivity on the part of the NCSE in finding places for children, as opposed to the parents having to do all the heavy work. We need more proactivity in this regard, and that work is under way.”
“To be fair to the Deputy, he has been a tireless advocate on the issue of driver testing. He has unearthed many issues. What he has just articulated seems ridiculous and should not be the case. Those presenting for a test should not be penalised in the manner in question. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, to liaise with the Deputy and also engage with the RSA and AXA to have this issue resolved.”