Results 26,581-26,600 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is not the full amount, but it will be by the end of the year. It is being paid in in tranches on the basis of an agreed schedule. I do not know why it is not part of the Exchequer returns. I will ask the Minister for Finance to provide an answer for Deputy Joan Burton in that respect. I am sure there is a good reason, but I honestly do not know what it is. Ireland is not a tax...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know why they cannot be published. It may be due to commercial sensitivities. I will ask the Minister for Finance to respond to the Deputy directly on it.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together. I was pleased to welcome the Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, to Government Buildings on Thursday 21 June, where we had a very constructive and friendly meeting. This was President Juncker’s first visit to Dublin in his current role. He was accompanied by Commissioner Hogan and Michel Barnier, the EU’s Chief Brexit...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 112 and 120 together. I travelled to New York on Sunday 1 July to take part in a series of events marking the launch of Ireland’s election campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term. I was joined at a number of these events by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The most recent meeting of Cabinet Committee A took place on Monday, 9 July 2018. A date for the next meeting is currently been discussed.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Papal Visit (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: While this is not a formal state visit it will be a major event for Ireland, with a high degree of public participation and a high international profile. The involvement of civil authorities and various agencies in the visit and related costs will be as appropriate for an official visit by a Head of State, similar to previous high-profile visits to Ireland. This will include security,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Data Protection (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as the Contracting Authority has issued a request for tenders in relation to the award of a contract for the provision of service to deliver training for Data Protection Officers in the civil service and bodies across the public sector. It is understood that the tenders submitted have been assessed and that the winning tenderer will be notified...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Constitutional Convention Agenda (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Convention on the Constitution considered amending the clause on the role of women in the home at its second plenary meeting of 16-17 February 2013. Over the course of two days, the Convention considered submissions made by members of the public and heard presentations from a wide range of academics, political scientists, legal experts and advocacy groups. It also held a panel...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Constitutional Reform (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no plans for a new Constitution. As stated in the Programme for Government "achieving political and constitutional reform will be the responsibility of every member elected to Dáil Éireann. Reform will require constant pursuit throughout the lifetime of the next parliament".

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Freedom of Information Requests (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department received 299 Freedom of Information requests from the start of this year to the end of June. Of these, 187 requests were granted or part granted, 20 requests were refused and no records were held in relation to 38 requests. 10 requests were withdrawn or handled outside FOI, 1 request was transferred and 43 requests were ongoing at the end of June. There were 12 requests...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Vacancies on State Boards (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no vacancies on state boards under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May on the margins of the EU Council in Brussels on June 28. We discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland where I emphasised my Government’s full commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and we re-affirmed the determination of both Governments to secure the effective operation of all its institutions. In line...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee E (Health) last met on 11 April 2018. A date for the next meeting is currently being discussed. In addition to meetings of the Cabinet Committee, Senior Officials meet on a regular basis to advance particular issues.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Recruitment (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In common with all other government departments, staff in my Department are mainly recruited through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) through open and inter-departmental competitions. In 2017, one officer in my Department was promoted by way of an internal competition. By comparison, thirty-six officers were appointed to my Department in 2017 by way of PAS competitions, of which...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that I, as Taoiseach, and the Government are very much aware of the shortcomings in our mental services generally, and in CAMHS. We all have constituency responsibilities and are aware of the cases that come into our offices of those waiting for the appointment to access to psychologist or specialist that they very much need. I am also aware that people are increasingly...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I totally acknowledge that far too many people have been waiting too long to access the services they need. That is true of child and adolescent mental health and of mental health more generally. It is true of our health service generally. The question is what we can do about it. The first step is to provide additional resources, funding and staff. We are using taxpayers' money to do...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I want to say again how distraught I am, and the country is, that so many women have had to endure the uncertainty and worry that have accompanied the CervicalCheck controversy, on which the Government has focused significantly in recent weeks and months. This has been a difficult issue to deal with. Like the women concerned, Deputy McDonald and everyone else, we did not have all the facts...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot say for certain when the examination of the slides will commence. I anticipate, however, that it will commence very soon. The scoping and preliminary work done by the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology make certain suggestions - for example, that women should be asked for consent. Things were not done properly in the past and we...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Mr. Pádraig Ó Ríordáin and his group for the report provided to the Government. We approved it yesterday. It builds on the Toland report and sets out an 18-month timeframe during which the Department of Justice and Equality is to be reformed. It involves dividing the Department into two divisions, one with responsibility for home affairs and the other with...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with the Deputy on the first point about Garda visibility. That is what people want. In my community in Blanchardstown and Castleknock people like to see gardaí out on the beat, in cars and on bicycles. The Deputy is right about that. We are increasing Garda numbers and we have 600 more gardaí now than two years ago. More are being recruited all the time and that will...