Results 28,541-28,560 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Much as I would like to be involved, I am not really involved in deciding which advertisements should be shown on television and which should not.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have received Deputy Mattie McGrath's correspondence which I have passed on to the Road Safety Authority. I have asked that it reply to him directly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is. The Deputy should read the legislation.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The last time Fianna Fáil was in government nearly 1,000 post offices were closed across the country.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The situation is the same as it was then. Governments do not decide which post offices should be closed. It is not a Government decision, but there are post offices that are not viable.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: They do not have enough business or footfall to be sustainable. There is a system in place to allow decisions on closures to be reviewed if the post offices are viable.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On the issue of haulage, what we trying to achieve in securing ratification of the withdrawal agreement is a transition period to the end of 2020 during which nothing will change at ports. However, in a no-deal scenario lorries going from Ireland to an EU port will enter just as they do now, but those that will use the landbridge and travel through the United Kingdom may face difficulty. I...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Is the Deputy asking me to open factories?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is a matter for the factories, but we are available to assist in any way we can.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I did not hear the Minister's remarks so I cannot really comment on them. None of those projects is being deferred or delayed as a result of the consequences of the escalating costs of the national children's hospital. They may well be delayed for other reasons but not one euro has been taken from the budget for community nursing units for the children's hospital.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that the heads of Bill are currently being drafted but they will have to be sent to the Mental Health Commission, which will be consulted. This may cause a delay.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not responsible for the price of beef but I do know that the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, will be in Kerry on Monday and he will meet with the farm organisations on these issues.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The number of patients on trolleys this morning was 326. That is a 20% reduction on this time last year. We know from January that the numbers were at their lowest for maybe three years. It looks like it may be the same for February's figures. Due to the actions taken by Government overcrowding is, thankfully, going down although nobody is denying for a second that it is far too high....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, is working on that legislation and we expect to have it published this year.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot give the Deputy a date but recognise that this is a real issue and a point well made. It is very important that people who have a disability are able to use public transport, which is not always the case. I will certainly advise the Minister, Deputy Ross, that the issue was raised in the Camber today and perhaps he will be able to give the Deputy a timeline for those improvements...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I record my congratulations to Philip Lane on his pending appointment as chief economist at the European Central Bank.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is a very important role and Mr. Lane will be one of only six people on the executive board. It is good to have an Irish person among the six key decision makers at the European Central Bank. He was a very good appointment to the Central Bank of Ireland a number of years ago. We have not yet had a chance to decide what procedure will be used to select a new Governor of the Central Bank....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Operations (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me as Taoiseach and the Government in delivering on the programme for Government objective of public policies and services which drive a socially inclusive and fair society and to assist in renewing and transforming the public service. The division...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Operations (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On the initial question Deputy Howlin asked on health, I have not seen any of the emails he mentioned. I presume they are emails between officials rather than emails to which I was a party-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Operations (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----so I am unable to comment on their content. However, the monitoring of the capital plan, the national development plan and the implementation and delivery of Project Ireland 2040 is done by both the line Department or agency that is responsible for a project and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which has overall oversight of the delivery of the capital programme. It is...