Results 25,481-25,500 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Is it fair or right to expect me to adjudicate on the quality of Bills? There should be a system that would ensure the Bills would not get through.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Which Bill is that?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We have at least five Private Members' Bills that have become law now so it is not, by any means, a blanket ban on Opposition legislation. I will check on that first one. There are approximately 200. That one has yet to appear in my in-box in the context of either requesting a money message or refusing one.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: People and bodies corporate invited to testify before the Oireachtas should do so. I know the banks have done that and I do not see any reason why investment funds would not or should not do so. The Government is willing to accept the legislation brought forward by Deputy Michael McGrath on the regulation of vulture funds. I am not up to date on the engagement between the Deputy and the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is the non-performing loans that are the problem though, not the performing ones.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If we can find a means to separate the split mortgage loans and treat them differently, I think that would be good.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure I do want to comment on it. The confidence and supply agreement is in place and I intend to honour it. I guess I should have any conversation about that with the leader of Fianna Fáil rather than members of the committee, notwithstanding that the Chairman and Deputy Michael McGrath are both prominent members of that party.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In what sense?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It enables the Government to govern. Notwithstanding the many problems the country faces-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----I think we are getting a lot done. Obviously it would be easier to govern if we had a majority as a Government, but we do not so one has to respect the outcome of elections.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: No.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I think I should have that discussion with the leader of the Opposition rather than anyone else first.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (29 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I think he would be rightly annoyed if I were to have that conversation in public.

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. To answer it, given recent revelations we will have to consider legislation in this area to protect sources. I am not aware of any legislation being drafted currently by the Government and I have not seen any by the Opposition in the form of Private Members' Bills in the past two years, but perhaps the time has come for the Government...

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I can give a commitment to the Deputy that I will speak to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment with a view to giving consideration to legislation in this area. It might be something the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment could consider.

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not know the answers to the questions she raises either, which is why it is important that we allow the director and the ODCE to do their work. The matter is before the courts. Anyone has the right to challenge a decision in the courts if that person has a locus standi. With regard to resources, 36 staff are in place in the Office of the Director of Corporate...

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thought I had covered that in my answer but I am happy to reply again. The ODCE has a staff complement of 36 and, in addition to that, there are seven gardaí. Four positions are being recruited for. There is no request for further staff in addition to those four who are being recruited. As part of the white-collar crime package, which the former Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, and I...

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I had the opportunity over the Easter recess to get around the country a little bit. I was in Limerick, Galway, Deputy Lowry's own county of Tipperary, Laois, Meath, Kildare and north County Dublin. The Deputy is correct that the issue of the condition of local and regional roads has been raised with me by citizens everywhere I go and that many such roads are in very bad condition: there...

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: ------and discovered that only a small fraction of that €417 million has been spent by the local authorities. The reason I have been given for it not being spent is that local authorities have not been able to get out on the roads to repair them because of the bad weather. Now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is starting to come out, I expect local authorities to begin...

Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Figures were supplied to me on funding for local roads in Tipperary. There is an increase this year to €21 million for regional and local roads, which is up from €18.4 million last year.