Results 27,301-27,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Fisheries has been a major topic of discussion over the last couple of weeks involving all the member states and the EU institutions. Access for our fishermen to UK waters is extremely valuable. Some 30% or 40% of all the fish our fishermen take out of the sea are taken from British waters. Indeed, some of the most valuable fish such as mackerel and prawns are taken by Irish trawlers from...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and while the UK might have a strong hand when it comes to fisheries we have a strong hand when it comes to services and other matters too.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure it is correct to say that there is a monopoly. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has examined allegations of a monopoly operating among the beef factories. I appreciate that farmers want a decent price for the work they do, but at the same time factories need to make a profit and we also must ensure that consumers pay a reasonable price for their food. The...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know. The budget provides for a reduction in prescription charges for all patients with medical cards and also for a reduction in the drugs payment scheme, DPS, for those who do not. However, I believe the Deputies are asking whether this device can be included under the long-term illness scheme for people over 21 years and I do not know the answer to that, but I will ask the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I corrected the record yesterday.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I worked in Navan hospital long ago as a senior house officer in medicine and, as Minister for Health, I opened the new emergency department there. My experience of the hospital is that it provides a very good level of service to patients who had medical conditions and older people with pneumonia or urinary tract infections, UTIs, the people who sadly might end up on a trolley in a big...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This matter was dealt with earlier, but perhaps I can reply again or in more detail. Home help and home care packages are very valuable and very cost effective. The Deputies are correct in that respect. The packages allow people to return home from hospital, allow people to avoid going into hospital in the first place and allow people to live at home for much longer before they require...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Across the country at 8 a.m. today, there were 378 adult patients on trolleys.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Obviously that number will be much lower by now and most of those patients will be in beds by the afternoon. This is a 12% increase on the same day last year, but it is down 16% on this time two years ago. Once again we see enormous variation from hospital to hospital. There are no patients on trolleys in Beaumont Hospital, two in Connolly Hospital, five in University Hospital Waterford...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This will be a matter for the Business Committee. I would have no objection to a debate on it. We will have the affordable childcare scheme in place next year. On Deputy O'Reilly's clarification, the figure of 376 adult patients on trolleys today came from the Department of Health at 8 a.m. this morning. The INMO does a different count that is 518. The HSE count includes patients on...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, that figure includes some patients who are in beds so it is a different way of counting it, but it is not correct to describe those people as being on trolleys.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Brassil for this important question. I am aware of the value of the community service programmes around the country, not least in Kerry. I do not have any information on that particular issue but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Ring, to provide the Deputy with a written reply.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is indeed a very painful condition, or certainly can be depending on the severity, and it is not rare at all; it is a very common condition. The Deputy is quite right to raise it in the House and to point out that there can often be delays in diagnosis. I will inform the Minister for Health that she has raised the issue and ask him to take it up with her directly.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The national reform programme is an important element of the European semester. This is the annual cycle of enhanced economic and fiscal policy co-ordination at EU level. Each semester is commenced by the publication by the European Commission of the annual growth survey, which identifies economic priorities for member states...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Closing the gender pay gap is not in the national reform programme but I agree with Deputy O'Reilly that just because something is not in the national reform programme does not mean we should not do it. We should do it and we have a number of actions under way. The first is the gender pay Bill, which is going to the Oireachtas joint committee next week. I encourage all parties to work...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is a matter of significant concern. Of course, these figures do not include a further 2,000 student apartments, the reconnection of 654 vacant dwellings or unfinished housing developments that have now been completed.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. A unified Government identity has been developed and adopted by Departments as part of the reform programme for Government communications. A unified identity replaces a fragmented and expensive system that saw Departments and Government agencies use, and communicate through, a multiplicity of identities, logos and brands, resulting in...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To pick up on the final comment, I could not agree more. Good communication is no substitute for good services, nor is it a substitute for good infrastructure but good communication can help to provide a good service and make sure people know where to find it. Different identities will continue to exist. Nobody is suggesting for a second that the Garda Síochána will cease to be...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that is the case.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate there is suspicion to the point of paranoia around this but I assure the Deputy not only will the gardaí still be the gardaí, the Navy will still be the Navy and Intreo will still be Intreo. It means Departments will adopt a common and unified brand. It is a harp. It makes sense that Departments, which are essentially just branches of Government, should all have the...