Results 24,201-24,220 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The consistent argument from Sinn Féin for two weeks was that we should not buy houses from developers-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and only direct builds by local authorities count, and then it turns up the next week wanting to know why we are not buying more houses from private developers. This is a party that is all over the place on everything.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Collins. To answer his question, it is not the right way to treat our citizens. Nobody should have to wait for long periods for any procedure and certainly not a cataract procedure which, as the Deputy knows, can save people's sight, allowing them to maintain their independence and, in many cases, avoid further injuries that can occur because of sight loss. What are we...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: What we are going to see from now on is consistent steady falls in the number of people waiting. I do not have the exact figures for cataracts. I had them on me last week but I do not have them to hand now. The number of people waiting for cataract procedures has fallen very considerably. I do not know whether it is down by 25% or 50%. That may not be enough for the individuals...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We are at a situation now, at long last, when it comes to operations, procedures and scopes - not outpatients admittedly because we are still not making much progress there - where we have seen a fall for four months in a row in the number of people waiting for operations and procedures. We are at a situation now where one third of people wait less than three months and more than half of...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To follow up briefly on the last Deputy's question, the number of people currently waiting for a cataract operation in Ireland is 8,667. That is down from 10,304 in April, so there has been a 25% reduction already in the number of people waiting for cataract procedures. We anticipate that continuing to fall in the months ahead. The 8,667 people are waiting for any amount of time. In some...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am told the documents the Deputy referred to have been provided to the tribunal. The Minister for Justice and Equality expects to make the appointment of the senior counsel in the coming days. The original intention was that it would all be done by Christmas but there has been a delay in securing a senior counsel to carry out the work. As a result it will be difficult to get the work...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To correct the Deputy, those grants were not stopped. They are still being paid. The schemes were not scrapped; they were just closed to new entrants. People who were availing of them up until then still are. We now need to put in place, on a statutory footing, a new transport support scheme. It is intended to have that legislation published next year and to have it through the Dáil...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thought I did answer it. Decisions on whether medicines or medical devices are authorised in the State are made by the Health Products Regulatory Authority. Decisions on whether they are reimbursed through the DPS or GMS are made by the HSE.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: This is an individual case about which I have no information. I am sure it is an extremely important issue, particularly for the person affected and her family. However, the Deputy is providing no assistance to that person by raising an individual case during Questions on Promised Legislation. As a hard-working Deputy, she would know that the best way she can get a result for her...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry, I do not know. However, I will check with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputies Zappone, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and reply by correspondence.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: This is a matter for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I will ask him to provide a reply to the Deputy.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I did not read the article, but I know what I said. What I said was that, if the average GP referred two fewer people to specialists each week, that would be 5,000 fewer referrals a week and 20,000 fewer referrals a month and, without any additional capacity at all in our hospitals, we would see waiting lists fall. How could that be done? In two ways. First, provide GPs with better access...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Resistance, as always. Deputy Howlin knows all about it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Operations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. As outlined in the strategy statement, my Department provides support services for the Taoiseach and the Government. As part of this service, the parliamentary liaison unit was established to perform a liaison function to help ensure that Ministers and Departments are properly informed of new responsibilities and procedures of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Operations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The make-up of this Dáil and the new procedures that have come into place as a result of Dáil reform have resulted in the Government doing its business in a very different way from previous Governments. It has also meant an increased workload for Departments, particularly in respect of the volume of Private Members' business. The parliamentary liaison unit, which is based in my...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Operations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I also announced that I had taken wise counsel on that and decided to leave all these matters involving staffing and structure to my Secretary General. That is my decision. As I have said previously, the unit performs a liaison function to help ensure that Members and Departments are properly informed of the new responsibilities and procedures of the Thirty-second Dáil. If one...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Operations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is fine.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Brexit Negotiations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 17, inclusive, together. I spoke by phone with Prime Minister May most recently on Wednesday, 6 December and again on Thursday, 7 December. On both occasions we had good conversations as we took stock of the situation that unfolded on Monday, 4 December and the prospects of getting back to a point of satisfactory progress. I reiterated the firm Irish...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Brexit Negotiations (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will try to answer as many of the questions asked as I can. The joint report agreed by the EU and the UK - Ireland is of course part of the European Union team - was agreed on Friday last. It is my intention to endorse it in Brussels at the European Council on Thursday. It is a political agreement so it is more than a statement of intent. It is politically binding. As a political...