Results 26,741-26,760 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Overall, the number of patients on trolleys this morning was 291. That is 18.5% down on the figure for this day last year, and 17.56% down on the figure for this day two years ago. I appreciate, as always, that the figures vary from hospital to hospital. One could have very high numbers in one hospital and a figure of zero, or of only one or two, in others. Extra beds were brought into...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am glad to hear that Rose is doing well and that Spinraza is providing benefits for her. I gave an oral answer on this topic last week and it is on the record. The position has not changed since then.

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Emissions Targets) Bill 2018: First Stage (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: No.

Ceisteanna - Questions: British-Irish Council (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. I attended the 30th British-Irish Council, BIC, summit in Guernsey on Friday, 22 June, hosted by Chief Minister Gavin St. Pier. I was accompanied by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. The BIC is an institution created under the Good Friday Agreement and brings together...

Ceisteanna - Questions: British-Irish Council (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Prime Minister, Mrs. May, did not attend the BIC and I understand she has never done so. While former Prime Minister Cameron attended one such meeting during his six year tenure, the practice since the early days of the Good Friday Agreement has been that the Taoiseach attends on behalf of Ireland and the Secretary of State attends on behalf of the UK Government. I have not spoken to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 12 together. Cabinet committee E last met on 11 April 2018. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet committees, I meet with Ministers on an individual basis regularly to focus on particular issues. In this regard I meet regularly with the Minister for...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I made a private visit to Tuam on my way home from a conference in Galway. It was an opportunity for me to pay my respects to the children who were buried there and to see the site for myself. It was not quite what I expected. I expected to see the grounds of an old abandoned institution. It is not that at all; it is a very small site, almost within a housing estate, beside a large...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation Expenditure (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The commissions of investigation for which I am the specified Minister under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 are the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, IBRC, commission of investigation and the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, commission of investigation. Following consultations with the Opposition parties by the then Minister for Finance, the IBRC commission of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation Expenditure (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry to tell the Deputy that there were not significant savings. The Department's Estimate was voted through the House in April and by then the decision had been made to shut down the SCU. The money was never voted to the Department, thus the voted Estimate to the Department was €2.5 million less than was provided for in the budget and the savings never arose. The mother...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to my visit to New York in 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. On Monday 2 July, I participated in a ceremony marking 60 years of Ireland’s participation on UN peacekeeping operations, and paying tribute to the 88...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee E last met on 11 April 2018. Work continues on the issues/projects raised at that meeting. Most notably the Sláinte care report was published and launched.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee D last met on 1 February and its next meeting is not yet scheduled. As I have previously indicated to the House, the Committee works to ensure a coordinated approach to the delivery and ongoing development of policy across the areas of infrastructure investment and delivery, housing, and climate action. Since the last meeting there is significant work underway across...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee B last met on 7 June. The Committee, which covers the areas of Social Policy and Public Service Reform, ensures a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of commitments in the Programme for Partnership Government, and provides the opportunity to shape proposals on issues such as equality, disability and disadvantage which require input from multiple Departments. Work continues...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Reports (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The leaking of some information from the Scally Report before the women and families most affected could be briefed was wrong. The report concerned a very sensitive issue touching on the lives of women, some of whom are very ill, and of families, some of whom are grieving a devastating bereavement. The leaking of this information was done without any regard to the interests of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commissions of Investigation (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In December 2017, following a request from the IBRC Commission of Investigation, I extended its deadline for reporting on the first module of its investigation, the Siteserv transaction, to 31 December 2018. To the end of August 2018, the IBRC Commission spent a total of €4,268,887, of which €1,829,867 was spent on legal fees in relation to the Counsel engaged on behalf of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Properties (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not own any properties or land in County Meath or elsewhere. Properties occupied by my Department and the National Economic and Social Development Office - the only body under the aegis of my Department - are located in Dublin and are provided and managed by the Office of Public Works.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on its 2019 Estimate provision. Any expenditure savings will be identified as part of that process and announced by the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform at Budget time.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I was honoured to be the first EU leader to meet with Pedro Sánchez following his appointment as Prime Minister of Spain, when I visited Madrid on 14 June. We discussed a range of issues across the EU agenda, including Brexit, migration and the EU budget, as well as foreign policy issues, and bilateral relations. The Prime Minister assured me of his strong support in relation to our...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (25 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I and the staff working in my Department have been assigned Departmental email accounts which are used for official business. These accounts are only accessible through my Department's secure network and, in some circumstances, remotely using officially supplied and appropriately secured mobile devices such as laptop computers or mobile telephones. My Department's ICT Policy stipulates...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It is raised very much in my engagement with parents as I go around the country and on the occasions on which I knock on doors. The cost of education can be an enormous burden on families. Often, these are the same families who bear the high costs of childcare, school transport and, in some cases, rising rents or a large mortgage. ...