Results 28,941-28,960 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Mar 2019)

Leo Varadkar: No instructions have been given because the discussions which the Deputies believe are happening are not happening.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I attended a series of meetings of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, 21 and 22 March. Our discussions on Brexit took place on the Thursday, first with Prime Minister May and, subsequently, in Article 50 format without her. On the Friday we met the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The regular meeting of the European Council then took place to...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Leo Varadkar: This is another conspiracy theory.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is another conspiracy theory.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (27 Mar 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I attended a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 March 2019. As part of its work the Council prepared the EU-China summit to be held on 9 April 2019. In this regard, we exchanged views on overall relations with China, including trade, in the global context.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (2 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The remit of Cabinet Committee C covers EU and international issues, including Brexit, and assists my participation as a member of the European Council. It last met on Thursday 21 June 2018, in advance of the European Council on 28/29 June 2018.The next meeting has not yet been scheduled. Given the significance of Brexit for the country we have discussed it regularly at full Cabinet rather...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (2 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I attended a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 March 2019. In advance of the first working session on Thursday, I participated, for the second time, in a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Group, along with Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands. We discussed Brexit and the agenda for the European Council. This informal group includes Finland, Sweden,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (2 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 65 together. MerrionStreet, operated from Government Information Service in my Department, has social media accounts across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These channels are used daily to communicate news from across Government on a broad range of subjects depending on developments on any particular day. The channels provide text, photographic...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (2 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Five tenders for external specialist advice were issued in Autumn 2017, and a further two tenders issued in 2018. Procurement for five of these contracts was overseen by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). In line with public procurement, one tender, in respect of identity, was managed by my Department as the estimated cost for services was under the €25,000 threshold. The GIS...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy very much. I agree that CervicalCheck, alongside the HPV vaccine for girls, has been successful in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Ireland. It has led to women being diagnosed with cervical cancer sooner, which has resulted in a fall in the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths resulting from cervical cancer. Overall, both CervicalCheck...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister has been before the House on a number of occasions in respect of this issue. He has also been before the health committee. I am sure he will be happy to answer further questions if they are asked. The Deputy has asked me to account for conversations to which I was not party and for correspondence that I did not receive. As a result, it is not possible for me to answer the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's approach and the attack in which he has engaged lack character. Remember what he stated about the senior people in CervicalCheck on 1 May.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: He stated that they were cold and calculating and suggested that they may have been involved in illegality. He also suggested that they could have been involved in a conspiracy. Perhaps Deputy Micheál Martin should reflect on that. If he holds the views that he has outlined, he may wish to correct the record and withdraw those remarks that he made about those senior clinicians and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The situation at the time was that there were a lot of women who were really concerned about the accuracy of their smear tests.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: They were attending their GPs looking for repeat tests. They were contacting the helpline looking for repeat tests. There were some doctors calling for repeat tests to be allowed. Patient advocates were also calling for that. When it was done, it was welcomed by the Opposition and it was agreed by the IMO. This was not just a decision made by the Minister for Health.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It was also made with the agreement of the chief medical officer.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thanks the Deputy for raising this very important issue once again. The Government and I are really strong supporters of home ownership. I believe in home ownership and that everyone has the right to shelter and should be able to aspire to owning his or her own home. In Ireland, 71% of people own their homes. That is actually higher than the European average. The figure used to be even...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will correct the Deputy on one point. The Government is helping people to raise a deposit to buy their own home. Some 10,000 people have already benefited from the help-to-buy scheme by getting some of their taxes back to put towards a deposit and 10,000 is not a small number. We are taking concrete action. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I pay tribute to the work of the all-party climate change committee, particularly the Chairperson, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, whom I will meet tonight to discuss the report along with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, but also to each member of the committee who did a good day's work. I regret that Sinn Féin and the radical left could not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We can help but it would not be possible, as some have suggested, for the Government to offer all carrot and pay for all these changes. That is not possible. We cannot find €50 billion over ten or 20 years to retrofit everyone's house but we can help. Most of the cost would have to be borne by householders but there are models that can help, for example, people retrofitting their...