Results 23,281-23,300 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: This refers to the pyrite and mica issue. The matter is being dealt with by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. It has not yet come before the Cabinet, but we will give the people affected an answer when we have one.

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government is very aware of the importance of the post office network around the country and the value that people attach to it in their communities. It is important to point out the number of post offices closed between 2002 and 2011 during the last Fianna Fáil Government was 700. However, in the past five or six years, notwithstanding the economic downturn, the number of post...

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The word around the campfire in the HSE is always that the cupboard is bare yet the facts say otherwise. We have the biggest health budget in the history of the State.

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have the biggest health budget in the history of the State and it will rise again next year. It will not be long before we are in the top two or three in the world in terms of spending per capita. We need to move the debate on from how much money we spend to how it is being spent and what difference it is making for patients. We have a couple of hundred more consultants now than there...

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----but given what the session is, a question like that would be best asked to the Minister for Health as a parliamentary question rather than-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I understand this relates to a dispute over the introduction of new rosters in Bus Éireann. As it is an industrial relations matter it is of course a matter to be handled between the unions and the company.

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Bill was approved by Cabinet this week, so it will come before the House and will be enacted, or it is intended it will be enacted, through both Houses before the end of the year, as it has to be. As the Deputy mentioned health insurance, I certainly welcome the news this morning that VHI, the biggest health insurance company, is going to reduce its premiums across a number of plans....

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If I recall correctly, that commitment is in the programme for Government, not the confidence and supply agreement. We are only about 20% of the way through the commitments of our programme for Government, which runs for five years. I do not believe the review has started yet but we will certainly do it. I had the experience of spending a few hours travelling with the air ambulance service...

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Unfortunately, we shall never reach nirvana. Nirvana is a concept to aspire to but it is always good to have a concept to aspire to.

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There is public consultation under way - the Deputy is one of the people who led on this and helped to instigate it - on moving to a whole new system of home care, something similar to the fair deal scheme. We are keen to progress that as soon as possible.

Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There is no legislation but the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, announced a few weeks ago at the housing summit at the Customs House a policy change to do exactly as outlined. Instead of purchasing houses, local authorities have been asked to build them. Eight hundred houses that were to be purchased next year will now be built by local authorities instead. That is not to say the local...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. Ongoing political engagement with our EU and international partners is crucial, especially as negotiations on Brexit proceed. I will continue to use every opportunity to ensure that other member states and EU institutions fully understand our particular concerns arising from Brexit in order to enable the best possible outcome...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government notes the announcement made by Commissioner Vestager this morning. It is a decision with which we disagree. We believe it is wholly unnecessary and very much unwarranted at this time. We profoundly disagree with the European Commission's interpretation of state aid rules. It is our view that tax is a matter of national competence. It is a matter for this Parliament, not...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together. On 14 June 2017 the Government appointed Deputy Joe Mcl-lugh as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at my Department and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with special responsibility for Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht and the islands and Deputy Paul Kehoe as Minister of State at my Department and the Department of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There is a number of questions and I did not get a chance to write them all down. I always appreciate Deputy Adams' advice on the North. My point on Orkambi is that it is available in this jurisdiction but not in Northern Ireland and by forming an Executive and by participating in government in Northern Ireland rather than just campaigning for it, Sinn Féin can actually have a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Given that the company that manufactures it is taking the Government to court it does not make it easy to resolve that issue. I do not know everything about allowances paid to Ministers of State attending Cabinet because some of it happened before I was Taoiseach and the matter has largely been dealt with by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The position is that only two...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I spoke with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi by telephone on Monday 28 August. The call was instigated at my request to discuss the case of an Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa. I emphasised the importance that the Irish Government places on this consular case and received assurances from the president that he would intervene, if necessary, following the announcement of a verdict, to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I join with others in recognising the role of the Ceann Comhairle and the all-party delegation to Egypt which, I agree, was helpful in demonstrating to the Egyptian authorities that this was an all-party and non-party campaign in support of him. He received strong support from different parties and also from across Irish society. Now that Ibrahim Halawa has been acquitted, the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To answer Deputy Adams's question as to whether any officials visited Ibrahim since his acquittal, I do not know that for certain. I assume they have because they have visited on regularly and I imagine they would have to have been there to give him his passport. I will check that out and make sure that is the case. I assure Deputy Micheál Martin that we will not step back from...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Seanad Reform (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government stated its commitment to pursuing the implementation of the Report of the Working Group on Seanad Reform (the Manning Report). That Report was published in 2015 and it is available on my Department's website. One of the recommendations of the Report was the establishment of an Implementation Group to oversee implementation of the...