Results 24,721-24,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am informed by the Minister for Health that funding has now been extended to Roscommon hospital to extend the period of service of its medical assessment unit from five days per week to seven days per week. I imagine there will be a lag period in making that happen as staff are recruited and rosters are changed but that is very much under way. The Deputy is absolutely correct. Model 2...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I addressed this issue in my answers to previous questions. The daft.ie report published today does not cover the majority of people who are renting and who are protected by the rent pressure zones and face increases of 4% or less. While the Government has heard the suggestions put forward by Deputy Boyd Barrett and his colleagues, which would essentially involve the Government intervening...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To respond to the original question asked by the leader of the Opposition, I have confirmed that September was five months ago. The report was, therefore, published between four and a half and five months ago. There are only five short-term proposals, the first being the restoration of mortgage interest relief, which is being done on the basis of an annual increase of 5%.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The second proposal was to exclude landlords from the local property tax. The Government does not believe it would be fair to exempt landlords from the local property tax when everyone else has to pay it. Perhaps that is Fianna Fáil policy.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It was raised 45 minutes ago. At least give me notice.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: A past master.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Luas cross-city project was completed on time and under budget. It is a programme for Government commitment that has been fully honoured. It connects the existing Luas lines, as well as the Luas lines to the Maynooth line at Broombridge, thereby providing lots of travelling options for lots of people. There are evident problems with new signalling equipment, the size of the trams and...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It does not. That reference in A Programme for a Partnership Government in terms of infrastructure is NAMA funding infrastructure to access sites so that they can be developed. For example, the link road between the N2 and the N3 in the Tyrrelstown and Hollystown areas, with which the Deputy will be familiar, was part funded by NAMA thus allowing that land to be opened up for development....

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not familiar with those particular contracts, but the way contracts work is they go out to public tender and people can tender for them. Whether the businesses are located in a rural or an urban area, one in the Deputy's home county or one in the next county, they are all free to tender. This is a democracy and this is a free market. That is all I can say about that. Regarding the...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My apologies. Regarding the last question, the MSD jobs will be in Swords, but the MSD investment in Carlow is a separate announcement that was just approved by the Government this morning. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will confirm that at a later stage. Regarding the job losses that Deputy Smyth mentioned, obviously the Government has enormous concern for anyone who is facing...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The committee last met on 8 February and the meeting was attended by Ministers and senior officials from the Departments of Finance; Public Expenditure and Reform; Foreign Affairs and Trade; Justice and Equality; Health; Communications, Climate Action and Environment; Transport, Tourism and Sport; Housing, Planning and Local Government;...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will start by responding to the questions about cyberattacks and cyberterrorism. The director of the National Cyber Security Centre attended the Cabinet subcommittee meeting last week and gave us a presentation on the work of that centre, what is being done and what more needs to be done. Deputies will understand why I cannot disclose what is being done and what more needs to be done. It...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3, to 9, inclusive, together. I met the Estonian Prime Minister, Mr. Jüri Ratas, during his official visit to Ireland on 31 January. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Estonian independence. As a small EU member state approaching its own centenary, I congratulated the Prime Minister on Estonia's achievement and on the dynamic space it has...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly take it on board. The reason they are all grouped together is that they all relate to bilateral meetings with Prime Ministers, who I met, when I met them and where I met them, but I will take that on board.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will answer the questions in order. With regard to the Nordic-Baltic group, the Dutch Prime Minister and I, as well as Foreign Ministers and Finance Ministers, attended by invitation but we are not members of the Nordic-Baltic group. I did not attend on the last occasion as I attended the European People's Party, EPP, summit. A number of pre-meetings happen before European Council...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is equally important that that is done at a cost that is fair and reasonable to the taxpayer. Any money that we can save on medicines is money that can be used for other purposes, particularly in our health service. I was asked about the particular concerns that different countries have. Austria's main concern relates to migration. It had an experience of 1 million people crossing...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and people being able to travel freely, north and south, east and west. It also includes the retention of the reciprocity of civic rights, with Irish and British people being able to live and work-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----study, access housing, health care, education, welfare, pensions-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It had not. Those can be accessed in each other's countries as though people were citizens of both. It had not been previously agreed and certainly had not been written down in an agreement between the EU and UK in black and white. There are commitments relating to the Good Friday Agreement and to continue funding for INTERREG, which is important for regional development, to retain funding...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It allows us not to have-----