Results 25,181-25,200 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but also the 15 people working in that unit, are having allegations made against them and are having their reputations questioned but yet no evidence whatsoever is presented to back that up. All there is to it is a series of claims about an agency with which the Government did not even have a direct contract. That is the truth of it.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, I join Deputy Howlin in showing my appreciation, respect and gratitude to our emergency services and the work they have done in the past several days. I was in the ambulance base in Wexford on Friday and met that paramedic, and he told me the story of how he trekked across the snow.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Sorry?

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I probably-----

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I probably did not, because it was the last thing on my mind.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Upsetting the egos of politicians really has not been on my mind for the last couple of days.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have been far too busy dealing with a national emergency and matters of state such as Brexit to organise invitations to Deputies personally in order that they felt included but I do genuinely apologise to the Deputy if his dignity was offended-----

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----in any way by not being invited along to an ambulance base in his own constituency, a few metres from where his office is.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In regard to the red weather alert warning, which was the question asked, this was an issue that was highlighted in the aftermath of Storm Ophelia. The review of the policy response to Storm Ophelia is approaching conclusion but has not been submitted to Cabinet. It will now be informed by the experience of the past week. As people will appreciate, the individuals involved in the National...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Minister for Health did clarify the situation using Twitter. It is a very succinct and quick way to get a message across and I noted that, within a few minutes, there were tweets from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Medical Organisation welcoming the Minister for Health's tweet clarifying the matter. Perhaps it is actually a good way to communicate...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Local accommodations will be found which will, in the majority of cases, work for employers and employees alike. I do not believe the solution is legislation.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I answered that. What I said in the first section of my initial answer is that the report is not ready yet. It is the same group of people who are doing the report who are dealing with the emergencies, and it has not been prepared yet.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The events of last week overtook that but it will be ready. I have asked the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Projection to continue to work together to review the guidance. From practical experience of having been through this in the past couple of weeks, it is not as simple as offering a blanket instruction to...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am very conscious of the impact of the rising cost of insurance and its enormous cost burden on individuals and in particular on businesses around the country. In recognition of the increased cost of insurance for motorists and businesses in recent years, a cost of insurance working group was established under the chairmanship of the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot give a commitment that I will set up a new authority. It is often the solution in Ireland to set up a new authority but it does not always solve the underlying problem. The people referenced by the Deputy are a serious group of people and we will take their proposals on board. The Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, who is taking the lead on behalf of the Government in regard to...

Order of Business (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I quite agree with Deputy Bríd Smith on this matter. The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment in Limerick tomorrow and the Business Committee will meet at 4.30 p.m. today. As a result of that, we will be requesting that the Dáil meets on Friday. We would like to have a Cabinet meeting on Thursday to approve the wording of the referendum and the policy paper associated with it...

Order of Business (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I suggest that we agree the Order of Business for today and tomorrow now, and we can then make a decision after the Business Committee meets this evening as to whether we need to sit on Friday.

Ceisteanna - Questions: EU Meetings (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. I attended an informal meeting of the 27 EU Heads of State and Government in Brussels on 23 February. This was the third such meeting convened by President Tusk under his "Leaders' Agenda" format, with the focus this time on institutional issues and the post-2020 multi-annual financial framework. On institutional issues,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: EU Meetings (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The way informal summits work is that matters are discussed but no conclusions are reached or decisions made. I am always interested in other parties' views on institutional issues and matters of reform. I encourage parties, if they have not done so yet, to produce a short paper outlining their views on institutional reforms and submit them to the public consultation being led by the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: EU Meetings (6 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I said that I had not seen them, I did not say they had not been produced. I will make a point of reading them.