Results 29,281-29,300 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I said before in the House, I have an open mind on the question of including a right to housing in our Constitution, although I am also very aware from research by the Mercy Law Resource Centre and others that there are approximately 83 countries in the world that either have a statutory right to housing or a constitutional right to such housing. All of them have issues with homelessness...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. First, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, is an independent body which the Government set up because we thought there should be an independent fiscal advisory council in the State. It was set up as part of the response to the financial and economic crisis which the Deputy's own party had a very large hand in creating in the first place and mishandling thereafter....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Employment is now expanding at twice the rate of this time last year. Unemployment has fallen to a 14 year low, and long-term unemployment has fallen to 1.7%.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: These figures are much better than we expected. Employment is now growing in Ireland at twice the rate it was growing this time last year, and this is evidence of an economy that is doing well and is being well managed. That increase in employment, with more people working than we thought and people earning more than they did in previous years, will have a positive impact on the public finances.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We will have a budget surplus this year and will reduce our debt. The Deputy's party quadrupled it, and we will continue to reduce it. We will establish a rainy day fund, and provided that these good economic numbers continue and we are not blown off course by a hard Brexit, which is a real risk, we will be in a very good position to put together a budget in September.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I answered the Deputy's question. The summer economic statement will be published in mid-June, as it always is. We will use that to update our financial projections for growth, jobs, revenue and spending. The Deputy mentioned the extra €1.6 billion that would be needed in the coming years to fund the national broadband plan. He should bear in mind that our budget is €60...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and because people are earning more every year, we take in approximately an extra €1.8 billion in income tax every year. We are proposing to give about €500 million of that €1.8 billion back to people so that they can have more money in their pockets. That is the right thing to do, in my view. I am happy to answer the Deputy's questions-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but I cannot accept Fianna Fáil trying to put on a mask of economic prudence and economic competence. Last time Fianna Fáil was in Government it quadrupled the national debt and we have reduced it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It left us with a deficit of 10% of GDP and we have brought about a budget surplus. The figures today show that there are 80,000 more people at work than a year ago, with employment increasing twice as fast as a year ago. We are now heading for full employment.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not shooting the messenger. The messenger has no credibility.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid that I do not have any particular information about the financial transactions that the Deputy referred to or the individual cases that he has outlined, so it is not really possible for me to comment on either of those matters without having the information that he has. What I can say is that the tax treatment of property investment funds is under review. There was a time six or...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are now seeing new building happening all over the country. It is almost certain that we will build between 20,000 and 25,000 new homes and apartments this year. Given that the picture has changed so much, it is now time for us to review the tax treatment of property investment funds. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, is doing that in advance of the budget, which will be in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have access to the information the Deputy has. If he would like to pass on that information about the particular issues that he is raising, I would be happy to have it inquired into. However, not having known that he was going to raise this issue and not having to hand any of the information that he seems to have, needless to say I cannot comment on this in any meaningful detail....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We brought that in-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The type of development to which the Deputy has referred probably accounts for less than 1% of the new homes being built in the country at the moment. There could be as few as half a dozen developments of this type this year and next year. It is important to put this in context. The type of housing may be a choice for some people. We live in a country that has an increasing population,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----which is a very significant number. About half of those were built by councils and affordable housing bodies and the other half were acquired from developers, leased, or brought back into use having been voids. We need to go higher than that again. We are aiming for 10,000 this year and 11,000 or 12,000 the year after. This is the largest social housing programme that we have had in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We can only increase supply as fast as we possibly can and that is what we are doing, through State-led and private sector-led development, as well as the State and the private sector working together.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: With the greatest of respect, the Deputy referred to 2011 when he was actually in office himself. His party was-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: His party was, from 2011-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: His party was in office from 2011 to 2016.