Results 23,041-23,060 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I do not have the answer to hand but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Naughten, to communicate directly with Deputy McDonald.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I cannot answer those questions for the Deputy today. The budget is still under negotiation and discussion and there are many moving parts to it, as with any budget. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the exact tax measures. The term "hidden fiscal space" refers to savings and things that had to be paid for in 2017 which might not have to paid for in 2018. It includes things...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy wishes. I do not mind what she calls it.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I am not sure what pre-budget dinner the Deputy is referring to but I was not at it anyway.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The Deputy referred to a judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union saying pilots in Belgium have recourse to Belgian law. Obviously, that does not require legislation in this country. The point of the judgment was that the pilots can access the courts in the country they work from and reside in. That does not require legislation here as our laws do not apply in Belgium. In...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Several things are happening, including the provision of better infrastructure to allow all parts of the country to share in our recovery and prosperity. Next week - perhaps even this week - the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, will open the Gort-Tuam motorway. I expect to see much more investment in infrastructure outlined in the ten-year plan, particularly in the...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Up to 300 additional farms are connected every week. The number of premises served has increased from 52% on the day this Government came to office only 14 months ago to 67%. It will be 77% at the end of the year. One statistic the Deputy may be interested in is the extent to which employment is increasing in all parts of the country. There is a perception that there is not an increase...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Since 2011 and the change of Government, it will not surprise anyone that there has been a 17% increase in employment in Dublin. After that comes Louth with 14%, Carlow, 13%, Wexford, 13%, Meath, 12%, Monaghan, 11%, Galway city, 11%, Laois, 11%, and Kilkenny, 11%. That is further evidence that 70% of all new jobs created are now created outside Dublin.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: A working group has been established to examine the matter. The Ministers for Housing, Planning and Local Government and Finance are involved and the group will take into account the content of the Thornhill report with a view to reporting itself sometime next year. The assurance I gave people yesterday was on foot of a question I was asked in London. In answering that question, I...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Justice and Equality and I spoke about this today. I am aware of the court judgment and it is the view of the Government that if somebody is waiting for a prolonged period of time for a decision as to whether he or she has the right to remain, he or she should be allowed to have the opportunity to work. These are people who wish to get up early in the morning to go to work...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment is currently working on a response to that report and a separate study carried out by An Post regarding its viability. Certainly, the Government acknowledges the important service provided by post offices around the country. We wish to retain as much of the post office network as possible and to find new business for the post...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that far too many people are waiting far too long for treatment in Ireland. As I mentioned earlier, while there are hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, the majority, more than 50%, wait less than six months for treatment or an appointment and approximately one third are seen within three months. Although that is no good to people who are waiting for prolonged...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I will have to ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to contact the Deputy directly. I have not seen the report and I do not know why it has not been published.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the report and I am deeply troubled by some of its findings. It would be entirely appropriate to have a discussion about it in the Dáil, either through a private notice question or as a Topical Issue but that is not my decision to make.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The impression I have from the Minister is that everyone who is entitled to school transport is getting it.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: However, there is a system by which children who are not entitled to the service may receive one of the extra seats on a bus on a concessionary basis. It will never be possible to provide a seat on a concessionary basis to the infinite number of children who are not entitled to one. The advice I have from the Minister, however, is that every child who is entitled to school transport is...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I appreciate this is an important matter and a concern for the Deputy's constituents. However, the configuration of dental clinics between counties Cork and Kerry is not a matter that falls within my remit. I will ask the Minister for Health to contact the Deputy on the matter.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The heads were approved in July. We anticipate pre-legislative scrutiny and publication of the Bill before the end of the year. As is almost always the case with legislation, it is not envisaged that it will be retrospective.
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of the details of any press conference being held, but I am told that draft final bids in the procurement process are expected from bidders today. My apologies - the Minister is hosting a press conference today at Government Buildings to provide an update on the national broadband plan. This key stage is a significant milestone in the procurement process and it is the last...
- Order of Business (26 Sep 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The ordering of the House is a matter for the Business Committee.