Results 29,361-29,380 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. As I have explained to the House in the past, I engage with Ministers and officials in all sorts of different ways, including through Cabinet meetings, which the Attorney General and Secretary General to the Government attend, Cabinet subcommittee meetings, at which a greater number of officials are present, and meetings with Ministers and officials. With regard to the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I have said, I am not sure which draft ended up in The Irish Times.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is another conspiracy theory.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: No, I just think the Deputy is a conspiracy theorist.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think he is an idiot in the slightest.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In terms of achieving our objectives for 2030, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2% a year. That was done last year, for various reasons. There was a reduction of approximately 7% in CO2and of 2% in greenhouse gases more generally. We need to sustain that for the next ten years if we are going to meet our target for 2030. The plan will set out as much detail as...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 11, inclusive, together. The committee last met on 1 April 2019 and was attended by Ministers and senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Justice and Equality, Health, Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Transport, Tourism and Sport, Housing, Planning and Local Government,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. I was asked about the establishment of the new national security analysis centre. By the end of quarter 2 of this year we anticipate having the following actions done: the appointment of the director of the national security analysis centre, which position has been advertised; identification and securing of premises; procurement of IT systems;...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 16, inclusive, together. Cabinet committee A covers issues relating to the economy. This includes rural issues under the action plan on rural development, covering the period 2017 to 2019. The Department of Rural and Community Development has commenced work on the next phase of rural development policy from 2020 onwards. It will seek to strengthen...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I hope it is now evident to everyone that the economy is performing very well again this year. We know this from the labour force survey figures released by the CSO yesterday. It shows there has been a net increase in employment of 81,000 in the past year. There are now 2.3 million people working, more than ever before. The unemployment rate has fallen below 5%, representing a 14-year...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The macroprudential rules are specifically designed to reduce the likelihood of a boom-bust cycle re-emerging. The report, in particular, warned of the increased vulnerabilities of the Irish commercial property sector, given the increase in foreign investment. The Department of Finance is very much aware of this issue and monitors it closely. Indeed, it was one of the reasons we increased...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On 16 April last, I met with a delegation of nine from the US House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We had a broad-ranging discussion covering Brexit and Northern Ireland, US Immigration Reform and Ireland-US bilateral relations. Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Neal and the other members of the delegation were unwavering in their support for peace in Northern Ireland, and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I spoke briefly with Prime Minister May most recently on 15 May when we attended the Christchurch Call to Action meeting in Paris. Whilst we did not have a substantive meeting on that occasion, we recalled our prior meeting on 24 April when we both attended the funeral of Ms Lyra McKee, in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. In coming together with other political leaders we paid tribute...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I attended an informal meeting of EU Heads of State and Government in Sibiu, Romania on 9 May. We had an initial exchange of views on our strategic priorities for the years ahead. We adopted a Declaration outlining 10 basic commitments which will guide our deliberations on the EU Strategic Agenda for the next five years, which we hope to adopt at the European Council meeting in June. My...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has established seven Cabinet Committees. Cabinet Committee A covers issues relating to the Economy. This includes jobs, the labour market, competitiveness, productivity, the Action Plan on Rural Development, the digital economy, and pensions. Cabinet Committee B covers Social Policy and Public Services including education, children, social inclusion, Irish language, arts and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I heard former Commandant Berry’s interview yesterday when I was on my way to Brussels. It was a stinging criticism. Sometimes the Government needs to hear criticism and sometimes it needs to take it on board. I am very much aware of the anger among Defence Forces families and members about the current situation. When it comes to recruitment, it is actually going very well. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but we have a real problem with retention in that more people are leaving than are coming in. I have acknowledged that in the House in the past. This year, for example, we are investing an extra €50 million in our Defence Forces. There is a suggestion that this money is handed back. It is not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Up to €50 million extra is being invested in our Defence Forces this year. It is going into new vessels, new aircraft, new equipment, better and improved barracks, as well as improved pay and pensions for members and retired members of the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are covered by the public sector pay agreement. We have a pay agreement across the entire public service...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his question. We have a strong and proud Defence Forces in this State, ensuring the security of our State, protecting our democracy, asserting our sovereignty, dealing with subversive threats, participating in peacekeeping missions for the UN and the EU - for example, we recently extended the mission in Lebanon - and also providing essential aid to the civil power,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I want to share with the House our collective revulsion at the killings that have happened in different parts of Dublin and Drogheda in recent weeks and to express solidarity with the communities in which these killings have happened. This is a matter which Cabinet discussed on Monday night at the specific request of the Minister of...