Micheál Martin

Insider trading is a criminal act. The Deputy will have to withdraw that.

Then there is a problem.

I will deal with the question, but the point I am trying to make is-----

On a point of order-----

-----I do not like having to do this but it seems that Standing Orders-----

It is either a clear breach of Standing Orders or it is not.

We have had a history in this House, where people-----

Sorry now a second, if I may, through the Chair.

I am not talking about this case, but when will the House get serious about people's names being undermined and their reputations-----

Who? It is in Standing Orders.

I know that, but I want to make a general point before I go on. It is a point worth making.

It is worth making this point.

Of course, the Ceann Comhairle is going to refer it to the committee.

All I want to observe is that this has been going on for quite a long time. I am making------

There is a casualness and nonchalance that is making a joke of Standing Orders.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I know he has been particularly strong on the DART+ South West project and the need to have it greenlighted. He has, more or less, been successful in achieving the latter. I will support the Deputy's dialogue with the NTA. I have made the point that, generally speaking, there has been a great deal of negotiation, dialogue and engagement with residential g…

I agree with the Deputy's condemnation of the horrific murder of Mary Holt and Tadhg Farrell. The savagery involved absolutely numbed people. We are increasing throughput in Templemore. The Commissioner is taking a position of allocating substantial numbers to given locations. The first tranche was given to Dublin in order to increase visibility in a meaningful way, which happened. Cork and Limer…

Seventeen extra gardaí have been recruited to Waterford since last August. The Minister visited Waterford and Dungarvan Garda stations recently and had good conversations with the chief superintendent, superintendents and gardaí more generally. People are seeing many more gardaí much more often now. The good news is that 215 trainees entered Templemore last Monday. That is the third intake in a ro…

We are concerned about the situation pertaining to Seamus Culleton. We fully accept people's concerns. I heard about the case yesterday. As I said earlier, our officials are engaging. The local consulate general in the US is engaging with ICE officials. We do not have the authority to interfere in the application of law but we do have the capacity to advocate strongly on behalf of our citizens to …

I dealt with this issue during Leaders' Questions. In the budget, we brought in specific measures to target those most in need and most under pressure as a result of the cost of living and the elevated level of the cost of living over the past four years, which is easing. Nonetheless prices are still high for people generally. In the budget, we brought in significant measures to deal with that. I…

Deputy Cahill has made equally strong representations to me on this issue. He has been in my ear about this now for the past month or two months and has not stopped talking to me about it. The point is the Government decided that towns with a population below 20,000 will not be affected by the short-term letting legislation. Planning laws were there prior to this legislation. Any variation to com…

I do not have specifics in terms of the individual school but the numbers of SNAs have increased exponentially. The budget for special education has increased significantly and somewhat dramatically over the past three years and continues to increase so we need to work this out now as well. I will refer the case to the Minister for Education and Youth but it is not a context of cutbacks or anythin…

That was absolutely horrific and I condemn very strongly what happened. Obviously, An Garda Síochána will have to follow up and the relevant authorities will have to pursue those guilty of this horrific crime. I appeal to people who witnessed this to give their evidence to the authorities, so that prosecution can follow.

I will talk to the Ministers concerned about this. It is never as simple as one issue but nonetheless I will talk to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and the relevant Ministers, so that whatever issues pertain here can be progressed.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 16, inclusive, together. The Government has placed agriculture and rural development at the heart of its work and the programme for Government sets out our ambitions to do more to grow our agrifood sector and see our rural economy and rural communities thrive. Government has mainstreamed agriculture across the Cabinet committee system to ensure that agricultu…