Results 24,261-24,280 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It was not intended as praise.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am delighted the Deputy outlasted Mugabe. I congratulate him on that.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Bill is on Committee Stage.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: These are questions on promised legislation. I have answered the question.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017 is on Committee Stage.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is my intention that we would have a referendum in May 2018. As I unfortunately do not have a majority in this House, and as the guillotine no longer exists, I cannot promise that it will happen. We do not control the House. It will be in the House's hands. Obviously a number of things need to be done. A referendum Bill must be passed; legislation, or at least heads of legislation,...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There are many nice towns in the great county of Kildare------

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ------but there are also large rural parts, as Deputy Danny Healy-Rae knows.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: They are not remote but parts are very rural. The legislation is before the House and it is for the House to accept, amend or refuse it. I do not agree that the Bill has not been rural-proofed. The facts indicate that the vast majority of those who die on our roads are not killed in Dublin or Cork city centres or in our towns and cities. People who die on the roads in Ireland tend to die...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I accept there is also an issue in regard to rural isolation and the lack of good transport in rural areas and Deputy Heydon is working on that. However, it is not solely about people getting home from the pub at night but, rather, better rural transport for people doing many things other than drinking.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I may be mistaken but I am relatively sure that only this week the Cabinet gave approval to the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to publish the report. We are in her hands as to when it will be published. The ordering and timing of a debate in the House is a matter for the Business Committee.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the second of the Deputy's questions, of course we will do everything we can for the Border counties and to avoid any new barriers to trade or movement between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is, of course, the United Kingdom's decision to leave the customs union and Single Market, albeit one we regret.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government decided this month to ratify the convention with reservations. It is intended that a memo come before Cabinet in January, and then parliamentary ratification will require a vote of the Dáil and Seanad in February. There are some complicating factors, but that is the indicated timeline.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I agree.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot give the Deputy confirmation of that at present. As I mentioned earlier, the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, will provide the details of the 12 new respite centres as soon as he can. Regarding something I said earlier, I have received a message from the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to say that the report, the press release and the questions and answers regarding the Tuam report...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is a matter for the Business Committee.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will have heard me say before, unemployment has fallen and the number of jobs has increased in every county in Ireland; 80% of the new jobs created in the past year or so were created outside the Dublin area. Obviously, people make decisions for many different reasons. I appreciate it is a very long way to travel from Roscommon to Dublin, but there are people in other rural...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on any individual case. I do not have the full information on the case to which he refers, and even if I did, I could breach confidentiality in commenting on it. Nonetheless, I understand the distress that would be caused to anyone making a long journey for an appointment only to find out the next day that it has been cancelled. Staffing...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): EU Meetings (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together. I will attend a series of European Council meetings in a range of formats in Brussels tomorrow and Friday. I will of course report back to the House as usual after the European Council. The draft agenda for the main meeting consists of security and defence issues, including permanent structured co-operation, PESCO, and social,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): EU Meetings (13 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will do my best. I could not write them down as quickly as they were asked so I expect I will miss many of them. I will do my best. On the joint report which was agreed last week, many people will put their own interpretations on it - that is the nature of politics - and will do so for their own reasons. All I can offer is elucidation and the best thing to do is to point to what is...