Results 24,061-24,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Policy Functions (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I was getting to it.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Policy Functions (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Ask it again in the next round.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Policy Functions (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is fine. We will deal with Gothenburg in this group and climate change in the next.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): EU Meetings (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 7 to 12, inclusive, together. I attended the social summit for fair jobs and growth in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 17 November, with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Affairs, Deputy Doherty, and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy McEntee. This was organised jointly by Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): EU Meetings (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There was a wide range of questions, a number of which are tangential to the questions that were tabled. However, as always, I will try my best to answer as many questions as possible. I was pleased to represent the Government at Gothenburg for the social summit. As I mentioned in my video piece at the end of the summit with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 6, 13 and 14 together. I was invited to participate in the "One Planet" Summit on 12 December in Paris by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this summit and I have passed on my...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Joan Burton may not have heard the answer to the original question she asked. I am not going to Paris on 12 December. I will not be seeking any handout. I will not even be present; I will be in the House-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----no doubt talking to Members about the European Council summit which will happen 40 hours later. I will have to prioritise the summit in Brussels on 14 and 15 December over going to Paris on 12 December. It would not be possible for me to attend the House to speak to Members about that crucial summit if I was to be in Paris for the two days before the summit. I will not be in Paris...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The things it will do in the areas of public transport and infrastructure will be aimed at modernising the bus fleet. It is not as simple as going electric in one year or moving to natural gas or fuel cells or other fuels. We actually have to build the fuelling plants in lots of places, which raises the question of whether depots should still be where they are. It will include actions to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Another thing we will have to consider which will have to be discussed in the context of the confidence and supply arrangement is what we should do with carbon taxes in the years ahead. It is my view that we should increase them in the years ahead, both to discourage the production of CO2, one of the greenhouse gases that causes climate change, and also potentially as a means to raise funds...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have mentioned public transport. We do not have any oil, despite constantly being told by the far left about all of the oil we have given away. We do not actually have any oil; therefore, we have not given any away. We have some gas but not very much. Notwithstanding the fact that climate change is happening and caused by fossil fuels, for the long foreseeable future we will still need...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----medical devices.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Climate Change Policy (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We will continue to need some oil and gas into the future. Does it make sense for us to buy it from the Middle East or South America or should we produce it ourselves?

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: National Economic and Social Council (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: A new National Economic and Social Council (NESC) was appointed in May. The Council has changed the way it works with fewer plenary meetings, greater use of working or project groups, and more structured engagements with key policy actors, interests, and commentators. The NESC has played an important role over many decades in developing shared understanding between Government and other...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Strategy Statements (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to delivering sustainable economic development including regional and rural development. Responsibility for Rural Affairs policy rests with the Minister for Community and Rural Development. Realising our Rural Potential, the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development, was launched in January 2017. It provides an overarching structure for the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Staff (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has an International, EU and Northern Ireland Division headed by a Second Secretary General, who also acts as the Sherpa for EU business, including Brexit issues. The staff resources for the Division vary from time to time but currently amount to approximately 25 wholetime equivalent posts across the full range of policy areas. The work of the Division includes supporting...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: During my visit to Enniskillen on 12 November I took the opportunity to meet with DUP Leader Arlene Foster to discuss the ongoing political situation in Northern Ireland and Brexit. I have not spoken with Ms Foster since then.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Negotiations (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In late 2015, the European Commission proposed a new approach to investment protection based on an international Investment Court System (ICS) to replace the historic Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system which required updating. ICS goes a long way to meet the concerns on transparency, legitimacy and public interests that had arisen under ISDS. The ICS system is composed of a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Staff (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In 2016, my Department established a dedicated Brexit Unit in response to the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union.  The Brexit Unit is responsible for supporting me in my position at the Cabinet Committee dealing with Brexit and with the Management Board in my Department, ensuring a coordinated and coherent approach to Brexit across my Department and its...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Staff (29 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As part of Budget 2017, the Department secured an additional €3 million Pay allocation to help in responding to the challenges and opportunities associated with Brexit. Enterprise Ireland’s exchequer pay provision this year included an additional €1.7 million to assist the agency in the recruitment of an additional 39 Brexit specific posts to work alongside existing...