Results 23,561-23,580 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As far as I know, the stakeholders' forum has been convened, or at least efforts are being made to set a date for its first meeting, but I will double check with the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross. I do not have a date for publication of the rail review, but the Deputy will be aware of many public-----

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have a date for publication of the rail review, but the Deputy will be aware that there have been many other publications of rail reviews in the not too distant past. Today is the second day of the train strike. I understand the unions have now announced plans for three more strike days in the next few weeks. I agree with the Deputy that the strike is very much to be regretted....

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As I said, now that we have some money we have invested in the railways. There has been a 35% increase in subvention in three years. Very few semi-State or public bodies have had a 35% increase in subvention in the past three years. Between 2008 and 2016, an extra €5 billion was invested in CIÉ companies, the bulk of which, some €3.7 billion, went to Iarnród...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Níl a fhios agam. Bhí an tAire ag an gcruinniú Rialtais ar maidin. Tá sé imithe anois, áfach.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: No, he is definitely in Baile Átha Cliath.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I can certainly assure the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Ross, is in the country because he was at the Cabinet meeting this morning and briefed it on the rail dispute, the options open to us and the next steps that may follow. I hear a real contradiction in the position being put across from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. I am not sure if the Deputy hears the contradiction but...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It cannot be both. That is not honest politics. One cannot argue for pay rises in Irish Rail substantially above the pay rises that people are getting in the public service next year-----

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----while at the same time arguing there should be investment in the railways for all those good reasons. That is just not an honest position. The company has more money and, as I mentioned, the subvention has gone up and passenger numbers are increasing. The targets I set as Minister with responsibility for transport to increase the use of public transport are being met. Fares have...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is gaining a reputation for just not listening, or perhaps he does not understand what is going on around him. Perhaps, indeed, the supplementary question was pre-written and he was unable to depart from it. In my reply, in both Irish and English, I said that the Minister, Deputy Ross, was at the meeting this morning and that he did brief us on the dispute. To correct Deputy...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----to forgo any pay restoration during the period of this Government. I can absolutely guarantee that the Government is putting public services and the interests of others ahead of any pay restoration for ourselves. It is also important to point out that what is happening for public servants next year is pay restoration, or the reversal of pay cuts that happened in the past. It will...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to comment in the House on individual cases. I do not have any information on this case and even if I did I would be bound to respect the confidentiality of the person concerned. However, I am very sorry to hear about the experience the citizen the Deputy mentioned and the family have had. If the Deputy wishes to pass the information...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Our duty is to ensure that all children in the country have the opportunity to grow up to be the best adults they can be and that people with disabilities, in particular, have all the opportunities possible to maximise their potential. We will never reach the point where anyone can say the work is done. There will always be more work to do in this area and more efforts that we must...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's question is "No", or not to my knowledge. She might wish to put the question to the Minister for Finance who might have more information on those matters than I do. I do not have detailed knowledge of any company's tax affairs or, indeed, any individual's tax affairs. Tax avoidance is an international problem and international problems require international...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----in order to bring about a situation where companies pay their fair share of tax. In that regard, Ireland is an international leader. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, which is based in Paris is the international organisation which deals with taxation issues and ensuring companies are not able to exploit differences in tax law from one jurisdiction to the...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is simply not the case that Ireland was involved in providing state aid. On the Paradise Papers, there are 13 million of them and I doubt that anyone has read them at this stage. I am sure this is still an evolving story. The Revenue Commissioners will examine the papers. The Minister for Finance has already spoken to the chairperson of the Revenue Commissioners about this matter...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I do not accept that it is a cop-out. It is the case that, if one listens to what the Deputy is saying, she agrees with me. This is an international problem which requires an international solution. If a loophole is closed in one jurisdiction, companies simply move to the next. I do not accept that saying this is a cop-out. It is a statement of fact.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is why we need an international solution to this international problem. I agree that we must close loopholes domestically. I gave the Deputy two examples of loopholes which we closed in recent years, one being the double Irish-----

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and the other being a mechanism which allowed stateless corporations to avoid paying tax, but it is a constant game of cat and mouse. There are very smart tax lawyers who go through legislation looking for loopholes to exploit. It is never going to be the case that there will be no loopholes and we must keep on closing them. The Deputy knows full well that it is not possible to change...

Order of Business (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Business Committee agreed two weeks ago that we would start to have quarterly statements on Northern Ireland, which I very much welcome. The Deputy should be aware at this stage - it is 18 months since the general election – that the Government does not schedule Dáil business anymore. It is done by the Business Committee; therefore, I cannot answer the question.

Order of Business (7 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy and I had a very good meeting two weeks ago. I thought we communicated quite well and understand we are due to meet again next week.