Results 29,601-29,620 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: There are six arriving in next week or two and 600 are on order. This is the climate action plan in action. No more high emission vehicles are being purchased by Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann for our cities. Three hybrid buses have arrived already. There has to be a first one. Six more will arrive in the next few weeks and-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----600 are on order. This is climate action happening.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will appreciate that I do not want to discuss individual cases here in the Chamber. There are discussions ongoing between representatives of the State and representatives of Ms Morrissey with regard to exactly that matter but those discussions should happen not here but with her and her representatives.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I did a year ago. I admitted before that I believed a year ago that it would be possible to settle all of these cases by mediation and negotiation. Many cases have been settled by mediation and negotiation but it has not been possible to settle all cases, precisely because in some cases the facts are disputed and the issue of negligence is disputed, and I was wrong at the time. I did not...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----but we have come up with an alternative recommended by Mr. Justice Meenan, and that is the tribunal. The legislation was approved by Cabinet today and will be published, if not today, in the coming days. That provides an alternative to court. We are not going to take the right away from anyone to go to court but this does provide an alternative.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: In addition to that, the Cabinet today approved the sum with respect to the ex gratiascheme and that amount will be disclosed to the 221 group today.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I am advised that the laboratory has indicated that it would appeal this case in open court some weeks ago. That was reported in the newspapers at the time. State counsel contacted counsel for Ruth Morrissey last Thursday and Friday, which was before the story appeared in the newspapers and contact has been ongoing since then. That contact should happen in private, not here in the Chamber....
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: On the appeal itself, it is important to say that because the laboratories have decided to appeal, an appeal is inevitable. No matter what the State does, there will be an appeal.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The State's only interest in this is to protect the financial award made to the Morrissey family-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----and to seek clarification on some important points of law-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----the most important of those being the whole issue and test of absolute confidence. Doctors, scientists and cancer specialists have come to us saying that they have real concerns about the test of absolute confidence. They are saying it could undermine our screening programmes and could lead to more false positives and unnecessary biopsies, perhaps even unnecessary hysterectomies and...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the difficulties in this individual case and I am sorry to hear the story the Deputy shared with us. As he will be aware, however, I cannot comment on individual cases because I do not have access to all of the facts. No Minister has the authority to intervene or direct the HSE in individual cases either. The latest update on the medicinal cannabis access programme, dated...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I feel Deputy Gino Kenny may have-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I am afraid there is not any legislation promised nor any specific programme for Government-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----commitment in respect of that issue. It is a matter for the Minister for Education and Skills but I will inform him that Deputy Mattie McGrath raised it and ask him to reply directly.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this very difficult issue. Again, there is no legislation promised on this matter nor is there-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: -----a commitment in respect of it in the programme for Government. However, I discussed it with the Minister for Health this morning and I understand that progress is being made on setting up an external inquiry to establish all of the facts.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I wish to offer the Deputy an assurance in this regard. It is not the policy of Government to force people out of private cars. It is the policy of Government to move away from petrol and diesel cars-----
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I would like to tell the Deputy what the policy of Government is because it is not what he thinks it is. It is the policy of Government not to force people out of their private cars but rather to move from petrol and diesel cars to hybrids and electric vehicles over the course of the next decade. That can be done. People in rural areas can use hybrids and increasingly will be able to use...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I think I answered Deputy Healy-Rae's question before the Minister, Deputy Bruton, had a chance to answer Deputy Brassil's question.