Results 26,681-26,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: What we propose to do is something different, which is a citizens' assembly to ask the citizens of Dublin how best they would like to see the local government in Dublin reformed. I personally like the Paris and London model, which is a single authority with a small number of full-time assembly members, a powerful executive mayor and, below that, many local councils like boroughs that people...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but maybe I am wrong. Let us ask the people of Dublin, not just the politicians.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I know this is a very stressful and worrying time for people with spinal muscular atrophy and their families. I know the day-to-day challenges these people and these patients face in dealing with a progressive and life-limiting illness. It is important to say that this is not a political decision. Deputies should note this if they do not know it and I hope they do not tell anyone...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy McLoughlin for raising this important issue. As he will be aware, the capital budget for health increased this year and will increase again next year. In excess of €10 billion has been set aside for investment in new buildings, new equipment and ICT in our health service over the next ten years. As is always the case, it is not possible to complete every project this...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. Cabinet committee C assists the Government in its ongoing consideration of Brexit. It also covers other EU and international issues and supports my participation as a member of the European Council. It last met on Thursday, 21 June in advance of the European Council on 28 and 29 June. This was the third such meeting of this...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I said earlier, it is not advisable for me at this stage in the negotiations to give a running commentary on how things are going but briefings are available to party leaders and, of course, they are available through the co-ordination group headed by the Tánaiste. I welcome the fact some parties have been attending the group regularly. Suffice to say, a lot of briefings have been...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The backstop is no secret. The backstop, or at least the draft backstop, was published back in March so anyone can see in black and white what that means. It means applying the rules of the customs union and the rules of the Single Market to the extent they applied to the all-island economy. I should not need to elaborate on it. The EU published our draft of the backstop back in March....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The outcome has to give us what was agreed to last December and must become law, namely, a legally binding and operable backstop in the withdrawal agreement. Without it, there cannot be a withdrawal agreement, as everyone should understand at this stage. In essence, dedramatisation is about trying to move away from language such as "a border in the Irish Sea". People can misinterpret...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 7 together. I had a very positive meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director, in Government Buildings on 25 June. I also hosted a dinner to mark her visit to Ireland on the evening of 26 June. Our exchanges covered the economic outlook, international trade and gender equality issues. On the economic outlook, we discussed the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to Deputy Joan Burton's question is that we did not specifically ask the IMF to advise us on health reform or housing. I will consider it as it is always useful to have an external view from an international body on how one is doing. Generally, we use the OECD for that, but we could potentially ask the IMF to do it. I am a little taken aback that a centre-left politician would...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and other advice that we did not follow. For example, the IMF took the view that we would help to resolve our unemployment crisis by cutting the minimum wage. That was done by Fianna Fáil and the Greens in office and we decided to reverse that when Fine Gael and the Labour Party came into office. Fine Gael has increased the minimum wage three times since, with a further increase...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 10, inclusive, together. I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May on the margins of the European Council in Brussels on 28 June. We discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland, whereupon I emphasised the Government's commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and we reaffirmed the determination of both Governments to secure...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: First, there is no backsliding on the backstop from us. In terms of the transition period, we want it to run until the end of 2020, which means that no changes would take effect until January 2021. There will be changes, however, under our central case scenario which is based on a successful negotiation of a withdrawal agreement with a transition period and a backstop. It will still be the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Today we approved recruitment in 2019 of 270 additional customs staff, 116 additional sanitary and phytosanitary control staff, 51 additional staff for the HSE's environmental health service and 14 professional property staff, given the infrastructural needs. I should emphasise however that these are for the ports and airports including Dublin Port, Dublin Airport and Rosslare. They are not...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The backstop was published in March.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It has been there in black and white for everyone to read since March.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It says that the common commercial policy, the rules of the customs union and the rules of the Single Market will continue to apply in Northern Ireland unless and until there is a new agreement that makes it unnecessary and that it would apply to the extent that is necessary to avoid a hard border and to continue to protect the all-island economy as it now works. I do not have it front of me,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It depends on how one defines "membership".

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Obviously when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, Northern Ireland will leave with it. That is a statement of fact, as everyone knows. The draft backstop, as published in March, means that, to all intents and purposes, Northern Ireland will stay in the customs union and the Single Market. Even at that, it is not as straightforward as that. It is the full regulatory alignment...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: State Legal Services (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together. Section 29 of the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2005 vests in the Director of Public Prosecutions the power to appoint State Solicitors. Prior to this, the power of appointment of State Solicitors had been vested in the Attorney General by Section 6 of the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924. State Solicitors are appointed...