Results 24,881-24,900 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I deal with questions like this almost every week. I have said many times that I believe communication is important. It is important that people know what the Government is actually doing on their behalf and how taxpayers' money is being spent. I often hear that the Government does not get its message across. It is important that the Government gets its message across and I intend to make...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and will adhere to Civil Service values as delineated by the Civil Service renewal plan and therefore it cannot carry out any party-political work. I can assure Deputies that will be the case. In terms of the dental hospital, as was the case with this national development plan, NDP, and previous NDPs, it includes Exchequer capital spend and also capital spend by semi-State bodies and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It includes the universities. It is not the case that the European Investment Bank has nothing to do with the Government.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: A governor of the EIB is appointed by the Government, and EIB is also-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----capitalised by the Government. In terms of the identity piece, I do not know the details on that but I understand that it may relate to an attempt to pull together the different ways in which we market Ireland abroad. Tourism Ireland, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia all have different messages.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It might make sense, particularly in the run up to the St. Patrick's Day period and all of the business that Ministers and others will undertake during that period, that we try to have a common brand or picture of Ireland. Other countries have done it. New Zealand has done it very successfully, without having seven or eight different agencies telling a different story about the country but...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----message. I advise Deputies, if they want to move beyond point-scoring, to have a look at what New Zealand did in terms of creating a common identity.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy would like I can arrange that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3, 4 and 5 together. As I outlined in my recent speech to Seanad Éireann, I have decided that an implementation group on Seanad reform should be established with an eight month mandate to consider the Manning report and develop specific proposals to legislate for Seanad reform. I propose that the implementation group comprise Members of the Oireachtas...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the issue of the chairmanship, the chair has not been nominated as yet. The matter is still under consideration. I am not entirely sure if it necessarily falls to me to appoint a chair. It is possible that the committee could elect its own chair, but-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I know he is the favourite candidate of the Fianna Fáil Party. I do not know what the view is of Labour or Sinn Féin-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but I do agree that whoever it is should be independent of Government, genuinely committed to Seanad reform and capable of bringing it through, so I agree with Deputy Martin's sentiments. It is true that I have reservations about the Manning report - I have not made a secret of that - regarding the cost and also the practicability of implementing it. If implemented, it would require...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is not another committee to examine the recommendations again.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is a working group to implement the many recommendations, not to reconsider them. I want to be very clear about that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am saying exactly what I am saying. I am fairly clear and blunt in the contributions I make in this House. I have reservations about it. I have doubts. I told the Deputy what they are, but I know it is a commitment in the programme for Government. Therefore, I am bound by it, and we are gong to go ahead with it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is what is going to happen.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The group is being set up not to look at it again, but to implement it, and that is what will happen. If other people do not have reservations, that is fine, but I want to put mine on the record now. I assume that if others do not have reservations, they are happy that no problems will arise in implementation. In terms of broadband, when we talk about broadband it is important to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My apologies, 2016.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I almost forgot about those five long years. My apologies.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: When the Fine Gael, Independent Alliance and Independents Government came into office in May 2016, just over 50% of homes, businesses and farms had high-speed broadband. We are now up to approximately 75% and we will be at 80% by the end of the year. Notwithstanding the delays in the national broadband plan-----