Results 29,301-29,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: During that five year period, Ministers from his party controlled the housing Department and Deputy Howlin personally controlled the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform-----

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

Leo Varadkar: During that period-----

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

Leo Varadkar: During that five-year period, when the Labour Party was responsible for both public expenditure and for housing, the social housing budget was slashed to almost nothing.

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

Leo Varadkar: What has happened in the past three years-----

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

Leo Varadkar: -----because we now have the money-----

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

Leo Varadkar: What has happened in the past three years, because we now have the money, is that we are investing in social housing again.

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

Leo Varadkar: The housing budget this year is €2.6 billion. It is the biggest budget for housing ever.

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

Leo Varadkar: This year, 9,000 units will be added to the social housing stock, more than in any year for a very long time.

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

Leo Varadkar: We are going to increase that again next year and the year after that.

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

Leo Varadkar: When it comes to the apartment guidelines, it was a Labour Party Minister who took the decision to amend them to reduce apartment sizes.

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

Leo Varadkar: The people will make their decision on who they vote for on Friday. However it turns out, we will all have to take stock of the result. I am quite confident, however, that once again the parties with which the Deputy is associated will get 1%, 2% or 3% of the vote. The Deputy talks a lot about the 1% but he is the 1% when it comes to public opinion in this State.

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

Leo Varadkar: To come back to the serious aspect of the Deputy's question, I am very sorry to hear about the case he raised. I do not know the details of it but I am sure what he says is true. I am very sorry to hear about it but I also know that there are many good stories. Some 5,000 families were lifted out of homelessness and provided with secure tenancies in the last year. Some 18,000 families are...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am disappointed in Deputy Barry's contribution. This is a serious issue. Housing is a very serious issue.

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

Leo Varadkar: We have a serious housing shortage. We need to deal with that and we are dealing with it. It is very disappointing that the Deputy's only contribution is to engage in personalised attacks, not only on the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, but also on two former Members of this House, one who is not here and one who passed away not that long ago. That is just a cheap shot. It is beneath...

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

Leo Varadkar: -----with which the Deputy and his party take the issue. They only see housing as an opportunity to score points and get votes. I hope they are not rewarded for it.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet had a detailed discussion today on foot of a memorandum brought by the Tánaiste on planning for no Brexit deal. I reviewed some of the areas where much progress has been made. The legislation was passed by this House. We now need to put secondary legislation in place in some areas. More work needs to be done on the European health insurance card and Erasmus. We noted...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid that the Minister for Education and Skills is in the Seanad so I am not able to give the Deputy an update on the actions that are being taken or the progress that is being made in that regard. As the Deputy pointed out, I had the privilege of opening the refurbished Scoil Chríost Rí in Ennis and I am aware that there is a shortage of school places in the Ennis area. I...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are still finalising the new climate action plan and will publish it in June. As part of our deliberations, it is our intention to agree to carbon neutrality and net zero emissions by 2050. We have a difficulty with signing up to more onerous obligations to be met by 2030 because we do not want to sign up to things that we cannot necessarily achieve. We can do it by 2050. We will...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Government joins the Deputy in welcoming the announcement from the Commission that €50 million in exceptional aid is to be provided to beef farmers who very much need it given the collapse in beef prices in recent months. We still have not received the terms and conditions from the Commission and the exact detail of how that scheme will work. We will have to provide matching...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (21 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There has been a significant increase in funding for health and disability organisations in recent years and an increase of almost €1 billion in the past year. Notwithstanding that, some organisations that provide health and social care services and provide services to people with disabilities have deficits from time to time. A meeting is happening today that will address the Rehab...