Results 24,901-24,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----going from 50% to 80% is not bad progress and is much more progress than is being made with Seanad reform, draining the Shannon and those other matters. As Deputy McDonald pointed out, the Seanad can be used to allow those of us in the Oireachtas to hear more diverse voices, including those of the diaspora, and I am delighted that my forebear appointed Senator Lawless to represent...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Proposed Legislation (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, together. My Department has responsibility for the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. The NESC’s statutory basis is as a body under the framework of the National Economic and Social Development Office Act 2006. That framework is no longer necessary and the Government has agreed that it should be dissolved and the NESC...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Proposed Legislation (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As a serious point, that is all covered by the Civil Service code of conduct. The Deputy can be assured that there will be no party political work and no involvement in any electoral matters or referendums which would bring us into conflict with the McKenna judgment. As to legislation on NESC, the heads of a Bill will be brought forward but it is not a legislative priority for Government...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Websites (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The gov.iewebsite is not coordinated by my Department. The gov.iewebsite is managed by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). It is planned that later in the year Government Department websites will begin migration to gov.ie.Once my Department has been migrated to gov.ie, taoiseach.gov.ie will no longer be maintained. Merrionstreet.ie will continue in its role as...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Properties (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The properties occupied by my Department and the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) - the only body under the aegis of my Department - are provided and managed by the Office of Public Works. No property is owned, part-owned or under the control of either my Department or NESDO.

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have heard the harrowing stories on the radio and many people have contacted me personally about this issue. As a result of the concerns expressed, and the personal stories of people in terrible pain, I endeavoured to look into it and discussed it in detail with the Minister for Health last week. It is important that we fully understand and are honest about the background to this issue....

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is now a process in place for doctors who are prescribing this medicine off licence. The HSE has advised me that the turnaround time for initial applications is three working days and it is five days for appeals. As of last Friday 1,500 post-shingle patients have been approved for it and the patch is being provided for them in the normal manner. Another 4,784 patients were registered...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The background to this decision is that the lidocaine patches are licensed for localised post-shingle pain in adults. As I said earlier, this is the only licensed use in Ireland. When the plasters were first introduced the budget impact was low because it was prescribed only where appropriate and in line with specific indications for which it is licensed. It is, however, a cause of...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy O'Reilly. I did not have a chance to watch the RTÉ "Prime Time" programme but I have read about Alison McCormack's case online over the last couple of days. I deeply regret the way in which she was treated by our health service, by St. James's Hospital and by members of my own profession. I offer her my sympathies. I thank her for her bravery in coming forward and in...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not in a position to speak on behalf of St. James's Hospital. It has its own legal personality and its own board. I understand that they issued a statement in the matter last night. I sincerely hope that the second patient has been informed that a misdiagnosis occurred in her case. I believe that if this has not been done it should be done. I am absolutely firm on that. I do not...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Welfare fraud is very real. It is a real problem in this country and in every western society. Even if we take the lowest estimate of the scale of welfare fraud in this country, it is about €40 million a year. That is a lot of money in my view. Let us not forget that people who engage in welfare fraud are not the poor and vulnerable. They are people who are pretending to be poor...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: They are people who are working, not paying their taxes on that work, and also claiming welfare at the same time. I do not believe that is defensible or acceptable. There are people who are pretending to have a disability they do not have or pretending to care for someone for whom they are not caring. People are claiming to be somebody they are not to claim pensions for people who are...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is absolutely the work of this Government-----

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----to prevent and crack down on welfare fraud in any way we can. One only needs to look at the court reports every other day to see the detail of some of those cases and what people have been doing to defraud our system. The reason we cracked down on welfare fraud is not ideological. The reason is that fraud is wrong, whether it is tax fraud or welfare fraud, and we act against it. In...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am very disappointed to hear politicians on the left continuously equivocating on this issue and not condemning welfare fraud. I note that the Deputy did not do so on this occasion. Tackling unemployment is one of the areas in which everyone acknowledges we have seen a real turnaround in recent years. Unemployment peaked at 15% and is now down at approximately 6%. Long-term unemployment...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Colombia is where the refugees are.

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I said that even the lowest estimate is €40 million. I note the Deputy has not refuted that.

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The figure of €500 million was what it said on the tin, that is fraud and control. Fraud and control. They are two different things.

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the whole issue of JobPath, we must look at the counterfactual analysis. People who are long-term unemployed can be referred down a number of different routes. They can have assistance through the Intreo service provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection; they can be assisted through JobPath, which is outsourced to two companies; or they can be referred to...

Leaders' Questions (21 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to note how the companies are paid. They get a registration fee per client referred to them but after that they only get paid if the person gets a full-time job and sustains it. The incentive is there for the companies not just to get people into any old job, but to get them into full-time jobs which they can sustain for more than 13 weeks. The longer the person keeps that...