Results 23,421-23,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Documents (17 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As I said in the House last Wednesday, I had read the Revenue Commissioners desktop analysis report on the customs implications of a hard Brexit in the previous few days. The report referred to is a draft internal working paper and preliminary analysis, in September 2016, of potential administrative implications on customs processes following the UK vote in June 2016 to exit the EU. It did...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue again today. I had the chance to visit parts of Meath and Kildare yesterday to witness some of the repair work that was underway and the excellent work of ESB staff who had been working 12 hours at that stage to reconnect people. I met some of the people affected by loss of power, including some young families. The children were delighted...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has that commitment. The Government will engage with the insurance industry in the coming days. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael D'Arcy, will lead that process. I encourage business owners and householders to read their insurance policies as each policy is a little different. It is also important that they make contact with their insurer as soon as possible. Insurance...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I did not mislead the Dáil last week on Sinn Féin's health policies. Deputy Gerry Adams is the great misleader in Irish politics, and let nobody be in doubt about that. Last week he claimed it would cost €691 billion alone for the health service to stand still. He also claimed that his budget proposals which would have provided an extra €450 million were on top of...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Every time I listen to Deputy Adams speak it is so evident that he does not fully understand the detail of the issue he is raising, nor does he understand, once again, his own party's proposal. His party's proposal is to reverse the changes made in 2012. That still does not give any of those people a full pension. It might give them something approaching a 98% pension rather than a 71% one...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is remarkable that every time Deputy Adams stands up in this Parliament it is so evident that he neither understands the policy issues the Government is grappling with nor does he understand his own party's proposals. It is extraordinary, I have to say, the level of-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----lack of knowledge and understanding from Deputy Adams again and again.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is not surprising that he thinks a bottle of wine costs €30 in that context.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I know Deputy Adams likes to travel first class whenever he can find someone to pay for him, but I am not sure who is buying his bottles of wine for him. It is some bottle of wine that costs €30.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the matter was not raised with me personally but I can confirm the matter was raised briefly in discussions between spokespeople in the run-up to the budget.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It was raised by Fianna Fáil spokespeople with Ministers.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: However, it was not put down as a priority measure because the priority for parties was the €5 increase across the board-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----for disabled people, carers, blind people, widows, pensioners and unemployed people.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In any budget we have to prioritise. There is only a certain amount of money. The other priority, particularly on this side of the House-----

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----was to make sure we did something on children and increasing the family income supplement, which we did, increasing the qualified child payment for the first time in eight years.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The priority in terms of the parties that are party to the confidence and supply agreement was increases across the board and targeting poverty, and that is what was done. In that sense, the confidence and supply agreement was honoured.

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government believes the behaviour of the banks in regard to removing people from tracker mortgages was scandalous. We also believe the banks have been dragging their feet in solving this problem at a real human cost. Some people have lost their homes. Others have lost investment properties. Aside from the financial cost, there is, of course, the impact on people's mental health and...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: He will also seek a detailed explanation from the banks as to why the process has been so slow and their plans for resolving it quickly. While the Central Bank is fully independent as a regulator, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is also contacting the Central Bank to ensure it has sufficient powers and resources to ensure the banks resolve this problem. The Government will take further...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot speak on behalf of the Central Bank. It is independent. It is very important, given the office I hold, that I respect that. The Central Bank said to me in the briefings I have been given that it wants to give the two lenders concerned a little more time to get their act together. It is indicating that it is expecting a reply from the two lenders by...

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that domestic violence is an issue the Government takes very seriously. It is one we are determined to tackle and reduce as best we can through a suite of measures. It affects both men and women but it is very specifically dealt with in regard to women in the recently published Government strategy on women and girls. In addition, the Domestic Violence Bill has been...