Results 27,661-27,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Brexit Issues (5 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate Deputy Martin did not say that but that is how some people could interpret one of the motions passed yesterday. When it comes to legal advice from the Attorney General, it is my strong view that legal advice should be privileged. It is the case with the legal advice provided to many people that it should be privileged to those who receive it. Deputy Haughey also asked about...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Brexit Issues (5 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: He will also have an interest in guarding the interests of our fishermen, who take many of their most valuable catches, including mackerel, shrimp and prawns, from UK waters. That work is under way. Many people also expressed the view that, given that the Barnier task force model had worked very well as the agent in negotiating for the 28 member states, we should have a similar model for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (5 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not currently have any staff seconded to work in the public sector of another EU member state. In the past this Department provided funding towards the cost within Departments of releasing staff to take up posts as seconded national experts in EU and international organisations to increase the number of Irish people working in such institutions. This is now administered by...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (5 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to lowering its carbon footprint. Energy usage in the Government Buildings complex, including my Department, is administered by the Houses of the Oireachtas and in 2017 showed a 14.1% improvement in energy efficiency. The Department is engaged with the OPW on various projects to achieve more energy efficiencies. This includes a lighting retrofits programme and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. We should not forget how we got here. The United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union and its Government set out some hard red lines, that it would leave the customs union and the Single Market, that there would be no freedom of movement, and that they would not accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is no single document that we have that we can publish. There are lots of different plans and they affect different sectors in different ways.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are 70 Commission notes, which are available. There are 15 sectoral seminars being held at Commission level and these will conclude around 10 January. We have the central case scenario plan.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It has been shared with the stakeholders group. We have no difficulty publishing it. We can make arrangements to do so but it is not what the Deputy thinks it is. It is much less detailed than the Deputy may believe it is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In terms of no deal, we should all be very aware that everybody wants to avoid a no deal scenario, including in Britain, Ireland and the European Union. The United Kingdom has the power withdraw the threat of no deal from us, its own people and from the European Union. It can do so by revoking Article 50 or, if that is a step too far, by seeking an extension to Article 50. The power exists...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the Deputy's first question, we have no difficulty making plans public at the right time and as they are developed. However, it should be borne in mind that contingency plans happen at two levels. There are the contingency plans happening at European level, led by the Commission, and those that are specific to Ireland, which are led by the Government. The plans in Brussels will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If I did not know the Deputy better, I would almost suspect that she secretly hoped we did end up with a no-deal scenario so that she could exploit the economic damage here to the benefit of her party and stir up any amount of trouble in Northern Ireland. We take a different approach.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We have a deal on the table which has the support of 28 Governments and which was negotiated over a 15-month period.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Our objective is to get that deal ratified by the House of Commons. That is what we will be working on over the next couple of weeks; giving the UK assurances that it may need but never compromising on the basic fundamental substance and written letter of the backstop. That is what we will do in the coming weeks. If that does not work, it remains in the hands of the United Kingdom to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue again. I am very much aware of the protests that have occurred in recent months. A turnout of 2,000 or 3,000 people to protest in what is a relatively small town is a huge number and reflects the depth of feeling that people in Tipperary town have about the decline of their town over the years. It is a concern that everyone on these...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is certainly evident to me that Tipperary town is in the natural hinterland of Limerick city and I imagine many more people commute to work from Tipperary town to Limerick than commute from Tipperary town to Waterford. That certainly makes sense to me. What is required is a plan for the town and somebody to drive it forward. I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy English, who...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Only a few days ago the Environmental Protection Agency released its report on greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland in 2017, last year. We do not have the numbers for 2018 yet. The EPA report reveals that our greenhouse gas emissions last year decreased. It happened for a number of reasons, including increased generation of renewable energy and also the fact that it was a relatively warm...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is a very big difference-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----between official statistics and those that are calculated by an NGO or an advocacy group that has a particular agenda. What is undeniable is that we are very much off track in terms of meeting our emissions targets for 2020 and indeed, for 2030. It is for that exact reason that the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, has been tasked with...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: When one is drawing up a national plan, one must take climate change into account and ensure that the plan is climate proofed. However, one must also take into account other considerations such as employment, living standards and balanced regional development. That is what a good Government tries to do; it tries to take into account all of the needs and concerns of people, balance them and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry that the Deputy feels so spun that she is fatigued and driven to that level of cynicism and dismissiveness but we will not-----