Micheál Martin

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 29, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health has been established and is due to meet soon. The Cabinet committee will oversee: implementation of programme for Government commitments on health; receive detailed reports; identify policy areas; and consider health reforms including Sláintecare, reform of the public health system and preparedness for…

Or we could just join you in prayer.

I thank all the Deputies who have raised issues in the context of the health committee. Deputy McDonald raised the issue of access to general practice and primary care services in Dublin 1. Deputy McGrath raised it in respect of Cork and Deputy Moynihan in respect of Dublin Mid-West. The outgoing Minister increased significantly the number of places for the training of GPs. My understanding was t…

If we go forward to the budget for 2025, the initial allocation has been set at €25.75 billion. That is an increase of approximately €1.2 billion on last year. These are huge sums of money. That is why I am surprised by strike action in that context.

There is absolutely no moratorium on staff. There will be an increase in staff of over 3,500 whole-time equivalents in the health service. We have to also look at innovative ways of getting value for that money. People spoke earlier about scanners and so on in an art gallery and created a huge stir - rightly so - over a figure of about €100,000. We are talking about €25.5 billion here. That will g…

There absolutely is not. There is an issue, either in terms of the management of all of this or getting value for money for all of this. There is a role for the Oireachtas as well because people will condemn, give out and criticise but, equally, people then also look for more money. There are a number of strands to this. Deputy Bacik raised the shortage of public health nurses. Again, there are i…

I cannot pre-empt what HIQA will recommend. It will depend on the recommendation because I know there is a lot of demand for additionality in the mid-west more generally. On Deputy Cahill's question, there is a great team at University Hospital Kerry. His proposals are fairly significant in terms of investment and capital. We will engage with the HSE in that respect, particularly to get what is i…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 to 40, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. Its role is to oversee implementation of programme for G…

I thank all the Deputies who have raised issues in respect of this committee about to be established. Ireland has taken a very consistent approach in terms of the Middle East, believing in a two-state solution. Deputy McDonald, I think, raised the question. She is not here yet, but I will just make the point that our fundamental view is that Palestinians are entitled to their homeland. It needs t…

Please, I did not interrupt the Deputy. I am just making my point. I am talking about other European countries, and many do. President Trump's involvement in that phase was critical. From an Irish, European and global perspective, we must keep focusing on a step-by-step approach and consolidating getting the second stage of the ceasefire over the line and then ensuring there is a massive surge of …

Our embassy and consular staff in Cairo have been extremely helpful to many people. If the Deputy sends on the details, I will follow this matter up and come back to her. To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, there have been different perspectives across the European Union, to put it mildly, in respect of the Middle East. Germany, because of its history and the Shoah, the Holocaust, has always had a…

I know, but I am just saying to the Deputy that the realities, in terms of German politics, are such that there has always been that sense I already referred to. Former Chancellor Scholz said that the raison d'être of the modern Germany, post-war Germany, was to ensure the survival of Israel. That is what Chancellor Scholz said time and again, and he is not the first German politician to say it.

I only say that by way of enlightenment. That is how people see it from their perspective. Deputy Martin Daly made a key point. First of all, I would not say the US has disengaged quite yet. Different things are happening and things are getting said. I do not think we should do a running commentary given the changes occurring. President Macron's visit yesterday was interesting. Prime Minister Sta…

Is léir ó 2020 amach go bhfuil dul chun cinn le feiscint ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta. Tá an-chuid déanta againn ach is léir maraon leis sin nach bhfuil dóthain déanta againn agus go bhfuil i bhfad níos mó le déanamh sna míonna agus na blianta atá romhainn. An tuairim atá agam féin ná go bhfuil an polasaí atá ag an Rialtas seo i bhfad níos fearr agus go mbeidh sé i bhfad níos éifeachtaí ná na polasa…

I will contrast that with Sinn Féin's position. I acknowledge all the challenges and the pricing and so on, but the bottom line is that our schemes have helped an enormous number of first-time buyers. The help-to-buy scheme has seen about 51,000 approvals. Sinn Féin opposed it and proposed to abolish it. As regards the first home scheme, likewise, over 3,000 homes have been bought by young couples…

Those are the facts, and people made decisions based on that.

That does not get away, however, from the need to get to 50,000 houses per annum, as the ESRI indicates are required, given our population growth. The focus has to be on initiatives that make that happen. Deputy McDonald mentioned O'Devaney Gardens. I accept that those prices are high, but they are being heavily subsidised as it is by the State, so the Deputy cannot have it both ways.

The entire intervention in housing at the moment-----

This is now repeatedly happening, a Cheann Comhairle - repeated heckling and interventions by Sinn Féin-----

-----every time I speak on Leaders' Questions. Those sorts of intimidatory tactics and attempts to disrupt must be stopped.

Well, I am just making a point-----

-----and I am not going to take it without making the point. Deputy Ó Broin seems to be aspiring to be the leader of Sinn Féin or something. I do not know-----

-----but he is constantly interrupting on these matters. As regards other initiatives we will take-----

-----we outlined those yesterday in the aftermath of the Cabinet subcommittee-----

-----on housing, which we held on Monday.