Micheál Martin: Joe Biden 'has a very deep affection' for Ireland

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaking to the press after he launched  Co-operative Housing Ireland’s Brookhill estate of 69 affordable family homes in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

A state visit to Ireland from Joe Biden is on the cards in 2021 with the president-elect of the US very keen to reset European relations, as well as cement his support for the Good Friday Agreement, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.

Speaking as he officially launched Co-operative Housing Ireland’s Brookhill estate of 69 affordable family homes in Carrigaline, Co Cork, Mr Martin said Mr Biden's attitude towards a visit to his ancestral homeland was enthusiastic.

When I spoke to President Biden and when I invited him to Ireland, he said 'try and keep me out'. 

"At some stage, Covid permitting, we can look forward to a visit from President-elect Joe Biden, he has a very deep affection for it. 

"He also has a longstanding commitment to the upholding of the Good Friday Agreement and peace on the island of Ireland, and he has made that clear, and continues to make that clear to the Irish and British governments, and to the EU."

in good faith. Risk of no deal would increase to greater than 50:50 pic.twitter.com/C1xQwkWHko

— Robert Peston (@Peston) December 6, 2020

Mr Martin said the incoming US administration was acutely keen on an agreement being reached between the EU and the UK on Brexit.

"There is nothing he would desire more than an amicable agreement, of that I have no doubt. What I think we are going to see from the new president is a more multilateral trust.

"I think he will reset the relationship with Europe and I think in that context, he would like to see a more sustainable trading relationship between Europe and the UK, as he goes about recalibrating and resetting that relationship with the EU," Mr Martin said, in a thinly-veiled reference to President Donald Trump's frayed relationships with various EU leaders such as German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Brexit remains very stark, he said, with time running out on reaching a deal between the EU and the UK. No deal would be a "significant failure", he added.

"It is very challenging. The issues that remain to be resolved will not easily be resolved. The fact that intense negotiations have restarted over the weekend and are continuing. The situation is serious and the issues are ones that have bedevilled the process from the beginning, in terms of a level playing field, in terms of fisheries and of course the dispute resolution mechanism to deal with the playing field issues. 

But overall I think it is in the best interest of all concerned that a proper trade deal is agreed, because our respective economies across Europe and the UK would suffer unnecessarily, in my view, in the event of a no-deal. 

A deal can be arrived at and I think it would be a significant failure if we were to arrive at a no-deal," Mr Martin said.

"Clearly, we are in days now at this stage, because we are running towards the end of the year. Obviously it would need ratification by the EU but essentially the end of the year is the deadline."

Speaking about the Brookhill development, 69 A-rated homes delivered through partnership with Cork County Council, the Housing Finance Agency and Homeland Group, Mr Martin said the Government had to "do far more" than the 20,000 new homes developed this year.

Developments like Brookhill "reflects the future in terms of partnerships", Mr Martin said, to deliver very high-quality housing and the running costs. 

"It is the way of the future and put a dent into the housing issues and challenges that we face," he added.

However, housing remained a significant challenge, he conceded.

"We have allocated substantial funding, the issue is capacity, and capacity to deliver. That is why we kept construction open during level 5 and the second wave of the pandemic, because we have to get output up. During 2020, construction output took a hit because of Covid and because of the first lockdown. It is going to be very difficult to get to 18,000 units completed in 2020, that is not enough. 

We are targeting 25,000 units next year with additional emphasis and focus on affordable housing. 

"We will not be happy until we get to approximately 33,000 per annum, because that is what the Economic and Social Research Institute [ESRI] is saying in its research that we should be at, in terms of meeting social and affordable housing. We need to do much more."

Co-operative Housing Ireland’s Brookhill estate in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

In relation to breakouts of Covid-19 in schools, Mr Martin said there were "lessons to be learned" from cases like Glanmire in recent weeks.

Public health officials investigated the circumstances around a substantial outbreak of Covid-19 that forced Gaelscoil Uí Drisceoil in Glanmire to close temporarily.

All students and staff at the school were to be tested as a precaution after 17 cases of the virus so far were detected amongst students. All staff and students have also been advised to restrict their movements until December 8. 

The majority of children who have tested positive for Covid-19 are asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms of the virus.

Mr Martin said: "I have spoken to the principal in relation to that. I have concerns about what happened there, and I will be talking to public health officials in relation to that. I have also spoken to the attorney general in relation to it, and the minister for health. 

"Obviously, there are challenges in how public health deals with different cases in different contexts, and also trying to preserve confidentiality for families. But there are lessons to be learned from what happened in Glanmire on all fronts, and I will certainly be having discussion with the authorities."

He insisted the €600m winter health initiative by the HSE had improved hospital trolley figures and waiting times for patients.

"With the winter initiative, the numbers waiting on trollies has come down by a much larger number. There is better flow in the hospitals. Delayed discharges are not there to the extent they were and there is a greater flow all round, there is less delay in home care packages. Overall, because of the €600m, that is having an impact. We have three further months and beyond to make sure we can keep this performance up," Mr Martin said.

He vigorously defended the closure of so-called 'wet pubs' in the face of intense scrutiny from the vintner lobby, who say their industry has faced the harshest punitive measures.

The correct balance was arrived at, and if wet pubs were opened in their entirety, there is no doubt that we would be facing escalating numbers by the end of this month, and that unfortunately is the reality. 

"That is not casting aspersions on any pub owners, it is not their fault, it is just the nature of what happened in pubs in the autumn period, which we tracked and which we know about. 

"It is very difficult for publicans and that is why we brought in additional supports through the Covid-19 restriction support schemes for pub owners in particular."