Results 23,801-23,820 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The contract negotiations are commercially sensitive and confidential and I am not a party to them. The Minister, Deputy Naughten, has informed me that he anticipates the contract will be signed next year.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I agree with Deputy O'Rourke that broadband is not a luxury but, rather, is essential. It is the intention of the Government that Ireland will be the first country in the world in which every home and business has fibre broadband. Notwithstanding the delays in getting the contract signed, the private sector, in partnership with Government and local authorities, is providing more and more...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: It is intended to publish that legislation this session and bring it through the Houses next year. The main elements of the scheme have already been introduced, as the Deputy is aware, including the child care subsidy for all children aged between six months and three years.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: No provision has been made in either the Finance Bill or appropriation Bill because there will not be any fines next year. Any fines to be levied will be imposed from 2020 onwards.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Additional funding for elder care, people with disabilities, respite and decongregation will be provided in 2018. Any particular local issue would be best raised with the Minister for Health or the Minister of State with responsibility for disability services by parliamentary question.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Yes.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Cabinet committee E met on 12 September and is scheduled to meet again on 23 November. Committee E covers issues related to the health service. As well as considering current issues and challenges faced by the health service, such as measures to improve access to scheduled and unscheduled care over the months ahead, the Cabinet committee will oversee the development of the Government's...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: 12 September.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Deputy Howlin's remark that there are no allocations for Sláintecare in the budget is incorrect. There is an allocation to establish the health reform office. One of the recommendations in the Sláintecare report was that one of the first actions to be done is the establishment of such an office to work on the implementation plan for Sláintecare. Sláintecare is a plan...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: -----from January. On the emergency cardiology issue - specifically 24-7 primary percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI, which I believe is what the Deputies mean - a report was done on that matter by Dr. Herity, a Northern Ireland-based cardiologist and expert in the field. He determined that it would not be safe or sustainable to provide 24-7 primary PCI in University Hospital...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The sense I get from members of the Opposition is that they are accusing the Government of somehow paying lip-service to supporting Sláintecare, even though we are actually taking it seriously and doing some of what is recommended in it.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: It seems to me that the Opposition parties are actually paying lip-service to it. If we look at the Opposition pre-budget plans we can see that they did not provide anywhere near enough in health-----
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I have not even finished the sentence. I confirmed this with the academic authors of the report. They recommend that an extra €1 billion would need to be allocated for health in year one. For next year Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party certainly did not-----
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: Secondary to that I have-----
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I have not heard members of any party saying that they accept the report hook, line and sinker because were they to so do, they would have to answer some of the follow-up questions, the most obvious of which being from where would all the money come. The report states it should come from a mix of measures such as co-payments and social insurance-----
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: -----so a party that says it is signing up for this report hook, line and sinker should answer that question. What co-payments are wanted, how much would they be, what social insurance contributions would they agree-----
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: In fairness, I have been accused as well. I am happy to stop it.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I will do my best. I agree completely with Deputy Howlin on this matter. Let us stop the bickering around this.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: I would absolutely love to stop the bickering around health care reform. Let us not forget that the first accusation was made against me and my Government that we were not committed to Sláintecare. I explained that we were but that a lot of work needs to be done, as the report itself acknowledges, including on detailed costings, the reviews the report proposes and the unanswered...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Nov 2017)
Leo Varadkar: The leadership in that regard must be shown by the Opposition because that is where the bickering almost always starts when it comes to these issues.