Results 27,221-27,240 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy (as at 6 November 2018) is set out in the following table. Grade *Number of Staff Secretary General 1 Second Secretary General 1 Assistant Secretary 6 Principal Officer 15 Assistant Principal Officer 35 Higher Executive Officer 34 Administrative Officer 16 Executive Officer 36 Clerical Officer 37 Services Staff 18 * Excluding politically...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Meetings (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I have stated in the House recently, I was invited by Science Foundation Ireland to present Mr. David McCourt (CEO Granahan McCourt), with the Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick's Day Medal at a public event held in Washington DC in March 2018 at which the media were present and which was reported at the time. We did not discuss the national broadband programme. Mr. McCourt wrote...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Consultations (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together. Details of the public consultations undertaken by my Department in the years 2008 to 2017 and to date in 2018, and the location of submissions where published, are set out in the following tables. 2008 No. Details of Consultation undertaken by Department of An Taoiseach Web address for submissions where published 1 Consultation on a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not have any budget for capital expenditure or infrastructure. Therefore the company named has not undertaken any work for my Department or any agency under its remit in the past ten years. The properties occupied by my Department and by the National Economic & Social Development Office (NESDO) are provided and maintained by the Office of Public Works.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Meetings (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are currently four Ministers of State, including the Government Chief Whip assigned to my Department. The Minister of State with special responsibility for Defence, the Minister of State for European Affairs and the Government Chief Whip are based at the Department of the Taoiseach. Their offices have confirmed that the Ministers have had no engagements, meetings or correspondence...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Commissions of Investigation Data (6 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has no responsibility in relation to any commissions of investigation, State inquiries or State Tribunals which arose from recommendations of the Independent Review Mechanism. Accordingly, the issue of cost does not arise for my Department.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that the Deputy has raised the importance and value of our hospices and the hospice movement on many occasions. He often mentions Marymount, which he knows well, and St. Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown and Raheny, which I know well as a constituency Deputy. We have seen enormous improvements in recent years in end-of-life care and palliative care, ensuring more people die in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is welcome that we have a WRC agreement on pay. Negotiations ran for many months and we should welcome that thanks to the commission's work, with the co-operation of the unions and the Government's work, that there is now an agreement that provides for pay restoration for staff in section 39 bodies.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That should not be dismissed out of hand. It was welcome. I am not interested in platitudes either. I do not have the figures before me but I will dig them out.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The increase in budgets for section 39 organisations compared to the HSE organisations has been greater over the past three years. I will produce those figures.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy always interrupts when he hears the facts. I may be totally wrong, but I am not aware of any section 39 body that has asked to be taken over by the HSE and to be nationalised. If there are any that are willing to do that, we are willing to consider it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: However, it must be done properly. We cannot have a repeat of what happened with the voluntary bodies. If they want to be taken over, the ownership and the assets must be handed over as well.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: First, once again, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Maurice McCabe, the enormous service he has done to this country and his honesty and decency. As I said in the past, I believe he is and was a distinguished member of the Garda and a good example of the kind of person we want to have in our police force. When it comes to what we do next, I believe the most important thing...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Until we receive the legal advice from the Attorney General and others, I cannot answer the question. I would like to be able to answer it as soon as possible. I do not want to have the Government take action without knowing what we can do legally. We do not want to find ourselves costing the taxpayer even more money by making a decision that might appear to be the right one but without...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Government accepts that the gender pay gap of 14% is unacceptable, unfair and a hallmark of gender inequality in our society. The Deputy will also be aware that such pay gaps are not unique to Ireland and exist across the developed world, including, even, very progressive Nordic countries which have larger gender pay gaps than Ireland. However, that does not make it in any way...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I was not attempting to offer an excuse. While we have a long way to go, no one can dispute the Government's good record. It has done a great deal in respect of gender equality and advancing the rights and freedoms of women in our society. I mentioned it simply to point out the complexity of the issue. It surprises people to hear that some of the Nordic countries with subsidised childcare...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not care whether the Government Bill or the Labour Party Bill goes first or who gets credit for it. However, the Government has some difficulties with the Labour Party Bill as it empowers the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to draw up a gender pay gap reporting scheme but leaves the decision on whether to do so at its discretion.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Labour Party Bill would require many amendments to make it acceptable to the Government, including amendments to the Long and Short Titles. For those reasons, we would rather proceed with the Government Bill.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not interested in a contest with the Labour Party over the credit for bringing forward the legislation which will be before the joint Oireachtas committee in eight days' time. Let us get it done.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue which is of enormous concern to the Irish public, both men and women. Let there be no doubt that nobody asks to be raped and it is never the fault of the victim. It does not matter what one wears, where one went, whom one went with or whether one took drugs or alcohol. Nobody who is a victim of sexual violence or rape is ever to blame for...