Results 26,961-26,980 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----was being divisive as always and only wanted to provide relief for renters and did not want to provide relief for people who are paying down mortgages, paying childcare or raising money for a deposit. I want to raise something important. Sinn Féin likes to talk a lot about housing, but let us look at its record.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Only this week-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Only this week, on South Dublin County Council, a vote was taken to build 1,100 new homes in Kilcarbery-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----comprising 400 social homes for people on the housing list in Tallaght, Clondalkin and Lucan and 700 homes for young people who want to buy and who are currently paying more in rent than they would pay on a mortgage. Sinn Féin voted against this. It required Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party to vote it through.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Therefore, if Sinn Féin genuinely-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Sinn Féin voted against 1,100 houses - 400 social and 700 houses for purchase. It should be borne in mind that people are paying more-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----in rent now than they would pay on a mortgage.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: These houses are affordable. I urge Sinn Féin-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----to stop voting down housing for ideological reasons and holding up housing for political reasons. To answer Deputy McDonald's question, there is no agreement on amendments to the finance Bill in respect of that issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Primary legislation is required to establish this rainy fund, and I believe that will be the opportunity for the House to engage in detail on how it will operate. I am not in a position to answer all the questions the Deputy asked today, at least not until such time as-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----we have the legislation. Obviously, the legislation will have to be put in place before we put any money into the fund, so the Deputy will have ample opportunity to examine it when we have the primary legislation. The concept, though, I can explain. It is to take €1.5 billion currently in ISIF, use it to establish the rainy day fund and add €500 million to it from tax...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----of €1.5 billion from ISIF, with €500 million added every year from corporate tax revenue. If we run into economic problems, whether as a consequence of Brexit next year, changes to international taxation, trade wars or anything else that could tip our country into a downturn, a recession, I want to have a fund available that we can use to stimulate the economy. I do not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----in this regard, by the way. I want us to break out once and for all of this boom-and-bust cycle that we have in Ireland. What we should be able to do in times when the economy is growing well, tax receipts are buoyant and we have full employment is balance the books and put money aside that we can then use to stimulate the economy if there is another downturn, if there is a slowdown or...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is speaking to a document which I have not seen. If he would like to pass it on to me, I would be happy to take a look at it and perhaps give him-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am glad the Deputy has now told us which document he is referring to.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Yes but it is only this second the Deputy has told me which document he is referring to. To answer the Deputy's question-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the Deputy's question, ISIF is different from the rainy day fund. ISIF is tied up in certain types of investments, sometimes land, long-term bonds or businesses. We wanted the rainy day fund to have something more liquid which can be deployed more quickly if we need to do so.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I support carbon taxes as a concept. In fact I support them as more than a concept. I was a member of the Government in 2013 that introduced and legislated for carbon taxes in Ireland, something which, interestingly enough, was opposed by people who are now calling for it. We took a decision as a Government, for a particular reason, not to increase the carbon tax in this budget. It is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We would like to agree on an all-party basis, through the Joint Committee on Climate Action, a target price for carbon for 2030 which would probably be €80 per tonne, but I do not want to set it here, and the trajectory by which we will get to that point. I would very much like that to be agreed on an all-party basis. It is not dissimilar to introducing water charges. When people...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which is an ongoing one. The State offers accommodation to those who present in Ireland applying for international protection as asylum seekers. One of the centres in the State, the Clondalkin Towers Hotel, wrote recently to the Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, an agency of the Department of Justice and Equality, advising it that it...