Results 26,521-26,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the European Council in Brussels on 28 and 29 June. Our discussions covered Brexit; economic and monetary union; migration; security and defence; jobs, growth and competitiveness; digital and innovation; the Multiannual Financial Framework; external relations and other items. I will be reporting on the meeting to the House today, 4 July. Migration has been a divisive issue for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 141 together. The Department did receive legal correspondence from the company mentioned. This correspondence was received during the review of the Operation of the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) conducted in March of this year, as a result of clarification sought by my Department specifically on the facts of matters relating to the SCU and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There was no expenditure on commercial archaeology services by my Department in each of the years 2013 to date.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Redeployment (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. Staff from the Protocol Division in my Department are involved with a number of elements of the forthcoming visit by Pope Francis to Ireland. The Division includes the Head of Protocol (Principal Officer), 2 Assistant Principal Officers and 5 Protocol Officers (Executive grade, 2 part-time). In addition two members of staff from...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The development and management of the public safety information regarding the upcoming visit of Pope Francis on gov.ie is managed by in-house resources and therefore no direct costs were incurred with these aspects. €1,216 was spent on the translation of these pages to the Irish language.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Electric Vehicles (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is located in one building - Government Buildings on Merrion Street - which is managed by the Office of Public Works. There are no e-car charging ports or parking bays provided in Government Buildings. No property is owned, part-owned or under the control of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Following the report into the operation of the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) conducted in March last, it was agreed that the SCU should be wound down and that my Department would revert to a reformed GIS model, with a smaller budget and less staff. It was agreed that surplus staff would be redeployed, either within the Department of the Taoiseach or in other Departments or agencies;...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts Data (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department engaged a market research company, Behaviour and Attitudes, on one occasion in 2017. The market research for which they were engaged has not yet been undertaken on behalf of the Department.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. All of us are noting very closely the political events that are unfolding at Westminster. I note the resignation of the former Foreign Secretary, Mr. Johnson, and former Brexit Secretary, Mr. Davis. I also note that the Prime Minister did not waste too much time in replacing them. Of course, these are internal matters for the UK Government and the Conservative Party....

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The statement produced at Chequers is a valuable input into the negotiations on the final status. It may produce a credible pathway towards further negotiations, but we need to study the White Paper first. On its own, it is not a solution and nobody is claiming that it is. As we have said so many times in the past, if the United Kingdom is willing to modify and evolve some of its red...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy McDonald may be getting a little bit muddled on the detail. In December, there was a political agreement. The UK Government has been very consistent that it stands by the political agreement that was made in December. The UK Government made the agreement in December and reaffirmed it in a letter from Theresa May to President Tusk in March. In fact, the UK Government reaffirmed it...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is always a fair bit of comitology. There is "the customs union" and "a customs union"; there is "the backstop" and "a backstop". When we talk about the backstop, we are referring to the text produced by the EU 27 in March. When the United Kingdom talks about "a backstop", it is accepting that there must be a backstop which, it agrees, has to be part of a withdrawal agreement.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The legal text might be different from the one produced in March by the EU 27. To answer the Deputy's question frankly, I am not hung up on legal texts. It is not about the legal texts but the outcome.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is about what it achieves. What "the backstop", "a backstop", or any backstop must achieve is a legally binding guarantee that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland and that must form part of the withdrawal agreement. Of course, I am happy to debate, discuss and negotiate with the European Union and the United Kingdom on the legal text. However, it is not about the legal...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Much of Deputy Howlin's analysis is very valid. We can see the real effects of political instability across the water in the UK, where a minority Government has a confidence and supply agreement with another party and there is a risk of an early election. None of this is good for the UK and none of it strengthens the position of the latter as we enter into this difficult period. The same...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is why it is very much in the national interest for us to have political stability in the autumn.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We should not risk finding ourselves in the situation in which the UK now finds itself.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To answer Deputy Howlin's question about Salzburg, I discussed it with Chancellor Kurz on Sunday and with Michel Barnier a few weeks ago. It is an option, but it is too soon to make that judgment call now.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We need to know what there is to discuss. Over the next couple of weeks, there will be an engagement between the Barnier task force, which is known as the TF50, and the UK Government. We will have to see what gets achieved during the period of August and September.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The purpose of having an Article 50 discussion, or an Article 50 Council, in September would be if the EU was to modify our guidelines. That would be the purpose of it. We can have an informal chat at any time, and I am sure we will. We will not have a formal Article 50 Council unless we are going to modify the EU negotiating guidelines. It is too soon at this stage to say we are going to...