Results 22,581-22,600 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know everything everyone else knows.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is not that cosy.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As with many other Ministers, I speak to Deputy Ross regularly. We spoke just last night, for example, and obviously met at Cabinet this morning. We had two phone calls last Sunday, and on no occasion during either of those phone calls did he threaten resignation to me. I have seen reports that he may have done so in the newspapers, but perhaps that was in conversation with other people or...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is very much the norm that when a judge is nominated, he or she is appointed by the President, often within a matter of days and sometimes within a week or two, for the obvious reason that someone cannot take new cases the minute he or she is nominated.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I only know about that from the newspapers. Absolutely no threat was made to me in either telephone conversation on that particular Sunday. The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill was due to be in the Dáil on 20 June anyway and was actually put back a bit.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If I had to ascertain with Government Ministers every piece of gossip that appeared in the newspapers, I would have no time to get any work done.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There are 20 things every day if one actually reads the papers.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Bill was due to be in the House on 20 June. That was the case several weeks ago when we were in discussions with the Independent Alliance on the election of a new Taoiseach and Government. It was delayed a week because Deputy Charles Flanagan, who was newly appointed as Minister for Justice and Equality, did not want to take it on his second or third day in office. It was put back a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The timeline is dependent on the House. There are nine and a half hours provided for Second Stage and it can be on Committee-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: No one has requested a guillotine.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 14, inclusive, together. I had separate meetings with DUP party leader, Arlene Foster MLA, and her colleague, Simon Hamilton MLA, and with a Sinn Féin delegation including Michelle O'Neill MLA and Deputy Gerry Adams in Government Buildings on 16 June. In my discussion with the DUP, we spoke about a range of topics, including Brexit, their...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will start from the top. I met the DUP and Sinn Féin, which have been the two largest parties in Northern Ireland for two elections running and which are the main unionist and nationalist parties. I spoke to the leader of the UUP by telephone and we are making arrangements for me to meet delegations from the SDLP and the Alliance Party as soon as that can be done. However, as the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy knows, either would require legislation. I would not wish to see or support a return to direct rule. Nor would I see any purpose being served by another election. That is why I do not wish to contemplate either of those outcomes being the case. Deputy McDonald asked about the UK changing its mind on the customs union. I suppose I was expressing an aspiration. She may...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In our conversations, we did not have any detailed discussions on community relations. It was touched on but we did not discuss them in any particular depth. Having read the confidence-and-supply agreement between the Conservative Party and the DUP, I was particularly struck and disappointed by the fact that funding for shared education can now be reallocated to other purposes. That is an...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 18, inclusive, together. The Cabinet Committee on Health last met on 30 May. A date for the next meeting is not yet confirmed. I have said that I intend to reconfigure the Cabinet Committees into a smaller number. I expect to do this shortly.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Advisers Appointments (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 22, inclusive, together. Having appointed Ministers and Ministers of State to their various portfolios across Government, I will reflect on how my Department can best support the important work ahead for the Government. I will continue to meet officials in the Department and decide over the coming weeks what changes might be required. I am also...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The European Council took place on 22 and 23 June. The agenda dealt with: security and defence; external relations; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; jobs, growth and competitiveness; Digital Europe; and migration. I spoke with most of the other leaders over the course of the two days. In my conversations, I reiterated my strong commitment to keeping Ireland at the heart of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Following my election as Taoiseach, I spoke by phone with both Chancellor Merkel and President Macron. I updated both leaders on developments in Northern Ireland, and we agreed to work closely together to address the challenges facing the Union, including Brexit. On Monday 19 June, I met with Prime Minister May in London. We discussed Northern Ireland and the need to re-establish devolved...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The European Council took place on 22 and 23 June. The agenda dealt with: security and defence; external relations; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; jobs, growth and competitiveness; Digital Europe; and migration. I spoke with most of the other leaders over the course of the two days. In my conversations, I reiterated my strong commitment to keeping Ireland at the heart of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 41 together. The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, Environment and Climate Action last met on Monday 15 May 2017. Consideration is currently being given to streamlining the Cabinet Committee structures.