Results 28,241-28,260 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: He sought information, facts and figures before presenting the information to the Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When I found out about it in November, around the same time as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I responded in the same way as others in this House, first, with disbelief in struggling to believe how the price had gone up again.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Second, we did the appropriate thing which a Government should do, which was to reject it-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and to say, "Go back, negotiate with the companies, get the figure down, find out if we can reduce some of the specifications in the hospital to reduce the cost and find out if retendering was an option."

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: All of those options were considered.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Retendering would have delayed the project and probably saved nothing.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Reducing the specifications of the project would have been a mistake because this is a 100-year project.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Negotiations were carried out with the companies to bring the figure down as much as was possible.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is the figure that was presented to the Cabinet in December and approved by it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to clarify, once again, that the Minister for Health was first made aware of rising costs and escalating costs at the children's hospital project back in August.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: He did the appropriate thing, which was to ask for all the facts and figures before going to Government with the issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have given the House an insight into the process.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It took several weeks - ten weeks, 12 weeks, three months or whatever it was - for that figure to be-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to reply further.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I stated earlier, the Minister for Health was informed of rising costs and escalating costs at the project back in August. He did the appropriate thing-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----which was to look for facts and figures, to have it scrutinised and to drill down into it to see if the figures stacked up-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and to see if he could bring them down as much as possible and informed me and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform of this in November-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and the same scrutiny was then applied. In terms of corporate governance, corporate governance has changed quite a lot since 2010. Corporate governance and corporate rules do not override Government circulars. If somebody is on a board, his or her fiduciary and legal responsibilities are to that board and the correct line of accountability is-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----from the chairman of that board to the line Minister, not individual board members acting on their own part.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The first issue the Deputy raised was the children's hospital. The terms of reference for the review by PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, into the escalation in costs are currently being revised.