Results 24,661-24,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I have said before in this House, the 2018 national service plan sets out a budget of almost €15 billion for the HSE. This is the largest budget for our public health service since the foundation of the State and it represents an increase of more than €600 million on 2017. This is a substantial increase in funding levels. This comes on top of a health service that was...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I object to that, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the Deputy's attachment to the HSE. As it is his creation, after all, he should know well what are the provisions of the Health Act 2004. The 2004 Act provides that the HSE service plan is not just written by the HSE; it is written by the HSE in consultation with the Minister for Health and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. That is what happens. When a draft is...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The legislation specifically provides for the Minister to seek an extension or to seek changes.

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is what is set out in the 2004 Act.

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As the creator of the HSE and the person who wrote the Health Act 2004, Deputy Micheál Martin should be well aware of that and should not be trying to misrepresent it.

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In terms of trying to cover up anything, everyone knows full well that correspondence is released under freedom of information. The idea that these things could never be kept out of the public domain is absurd. These things are always released under freedom of information if they are not leaked beforehand. Quite frankly, we have had years of this. Certainly, there are no secrets in the...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is also the case that the HSE and the Minister come before the Oireachtas committee on a quarterly basis. Indeed, I think that is happening today.

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy said, a number of cases are currently before the courts. While I have absolutely no doubt that the serious ill-health suffered by some former members of the Air Corps is real, it has not been proven whether this array of illnesses could be caused by chemical exposure. Obviously, these cases will be heard in the courts, which will hear all the evidence and, on that basis, make...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is absolutely correct; I am Minister for Defence. The Government has delegated responsibility for defence matters to the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, whom I fully trust to deal with this issue appropriately. I am a medical doctor and have seen the list of illnesses that these former members of the Air Corps and their families have suffered. It is a very long and extensive...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I did not have an opportunity to hear that interview but I will make a point of doing so once I have time. I certainly pay tribute to and have a lot of respect for people who are willing to share their personal stories of adversity when it comes to sexual violence and crisis pregnancies. In respect of whether any medicine is available over the counter, that is not a decision for the...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If she has not done so already, Sarah should make a complaint to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the professional body which regulates pharmacists. If there was any inappropriate or invasive questioning, it will be able to take that issue further. However, it is relatively standard practice that when somebody requests emergency contraception, a practitioner would try to give advice...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We have a long way to go to meet our obligations under the climate change agreements that we have signed up to, and also to reduce our emissions. We have 2020 targets, which are going to be very difficult to meet, and 2030 targets which may be somewhat more realistic to meet. We should not forget the ways in which Ireland is different from other countries. We had a lost decade, ten...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and we have to be honest about that. I would expect that the kind of investment we are going to see in the next number of decades will be based around buses, public transport and railways in our cities rather than in roads. Outside our cities, in more rural areas, there will be massive investment in our roadways. That is what makes the most sense. The biggest road project completed...

Leaders' Questions (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Funding for roads essentially comes from two sources, either grants from central Government or from local revenues such as commercial rates, local property tax and other ways in which local authorities have revenue. To a certain extent, therefore, local authorities can raise revenue and spend it on the roads or other priorities if they wish to do so, and there is also funding from central...

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to say first that the national drugs strategy has been produced. I launched it with the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, only a few months ago. The Minister reports on a quarterly basis as to the particular actions that have been completed, the ones that are in train and those yet to be commenced. There is specific mention...

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure if that does require a motion of the House; I will have to check that out. The Cabinet has made a decision that we will participate in the German-led battle group. We have previously served in the German-led battle group, the UK-led battle group and the Nordic one so it is not the first time we have done it. The name is not a good name. This battle group will have ten...

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I think in French it is called force tactique or force tactical, and that might be a better term than battle group. Perhaps we will find an appropriate term as Gaeilge that better reflects what it is. It is intended to be a ten-person group, which could increase to 148 if needed, but before it could be deployed in any operation it falls under the triple lock mechanism, which would require a...

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----that does not arise.

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of any specific legislative measures being proposed, but I know that the Health Service Executive's medicines management programme under Professor Barry has taken a real interest in this issue and in ensuring that these necessary medicines are prescribed appropriately and only used as necessary. I understand that the Chief Medical Officer has a role in it too.