Micheál Martin has rejected claims that he has spent too much time abroad since becoming Taoiseach in January and responded to criticism from Fianna Fáil TDs, reports Breaking News.
In the past 10 months, he has travelled internationally 20 times.
He has visited Brazil and South Africa for COP30 and the G20 in the last three weeks, and it has been confirmed he will travel to China early next year, reports Breaking News.
Speaking from Angola on Monday while attending the EU/African Union Summit, Mr Martin said any overseas travel is undertaken for the good of Ireland,
“Are people thinking we go back to a sort of isolated position where we don’t attend any meetings? This is ridiculous… whoever is asserting that.
“You’re saying mutterings… noone has ever said to me [that he travels too much]. In terms of my visits and so on… I’ve limited them to just functional meetings, I don’t go abroad for any other reason but to advance the country’s agenda,” reports Breaking News.
“Most people in the country accept that the leader of the country has to engage internationally,” he added, reports Breaking News.
“So much emanates from the international world in terms of influence. The first crisis we had to deal with was the tariffs issue. It is important for jobs in our economy, for the technology industry, for the life sciences industry. We navigated that well both within the European Union and indeed with the United States. That’s why international engagement matters, for God’s sake,” reports Breaking News.
Opposition parties also criticised the Taoiseach’s absence from Leaders’ Questions on Tuesday.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald asked “where is the Taoiseach?” before raising concerns about people struggling with energy bill increases, reports Breaking News.
“Ca bhfuil an Taoiseach?” Ms McDonald said at the opening of Leaders’ Questions on Tuesday, reports Breaking News.
Labour leader Ms Bacik noted the Taoiseach’s absence and said it was a “nice surprise” to see Transport and Energy Minister Darragh O’Brien standing in for him.
People seeking international protection could face paying up to 40 per cent of their weekly income for State accommodation under proposals from Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, reports Breaking News.
He presented three memos to Cabinet, reports Breaking News.
One memo would require working refugees to contribute to their accommodation costs,
Another would restrict family reunification to direct relatives only — children, spouses, and dependent parents, reports Breaking News.
The Government also plans to extend the residency requirement for citizenship applications from three to five years and introduce restrictions for those receiving social welfare or owing money to the State,
These proposals have been in development for some time but are partly a response to the UK tightening its immigration rules, reports Breaking News.
Nick Henderson, chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, said some conditions, including the requirement to have one’s own accommodation, would create difficulties.
He told Newstalk: “Firstly, it currently takes about 18 months for a family unification application to be processed. So a person, it seems, would have to find accommodation and try to keep that accommodation free and try to pay for it in the duration of their application,” reports Breaking News.
Mr Henderson added: “I just don’t see how that’s practical or reasonable. Is that actually quite irresponsible? To place somebody in a position where they have a choice of trying to get some support if they for example have lost their job, or they’ve become unwell, or if they have a disability or are pregnant,
“Somebody has that choice to take that support or just wait, sit it out, hope that they get better,” reports Breaking News.
Mr O’Callaghan has long been tipped as a potential next leader of Fianna Fáil,
Some criticism of Mr Martin’s travel came from Fianna Fáil backbenchers amid continued unrest within the parliamentary party, reports Breaking News.
He denied that it would delay the review of Fianna Fáil’s presidential campaign or how Jim Gavin was selected,
Mr Martin has insisted he will lead the party into the next election, while Mr O’Callaghan waits in the wings, reports Breaking News.
He is biding his time and has avoided launching a coup, but political dynamics can shift rapidly.
The Justice Minister is frequently in the media spotlight, particularly regarding immigration reform, which could be a source of concern for Mr Martin, reports Breaking News.
US President Donald Trump is not on the ballot in next November’s midterm elections, but remains deeply involved with his own presidency at stake.
As early as this summer, 18 months before the 2026 Election Day, Mr Trump was advising Republican congressmen considering Senate or gubernatorial runs to seek re-election instead, to avoid party primary challenges, reports Breaking News.
This early hands-on involvement in midterm elections is unprecedented for a modern president.
Meanwhile, discussions on a Ukraine peace plan continue, with Mr Trump pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept a deal that could require the country to cede large territories to Russia, reports Breaking News.
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