Results 29,661-29,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: To discuss the meeting with Mr. Corbyn first, I considered it a very good meeting. It was an opportunity for us to speak and get to know each other a little and for our respective teams to engage and get to know each other. It was a tête-à-têteat first and then there was a meeting of our teams. We had the time to discuss some of the different scenarios that might arise over...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, together. My Department's statement of strategy 2017-20 sets out six strategic priorities, the first of which is providing excellent support services for the Taoiseach and Government. The second priority is ensuring that Ireland has a strong economy, making work pay and backing business. The third is helping to ensure that Government...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure I will be able to deal with all the Deputies' questions in the five minutes provided but I will do my best. On the balance of meetings as between Cabinet committees, sub-committees and also ministerial meetings, the Cabinet meets regularly, probably more regularly than would have been the case in the past. For example, this week we had two Cabinet meetings, each lasting for...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and on a wider range of agenda items on Tuesday. Cabinet sub-committees meet as needed and that is often when we want to have other people involved, whether it be officials, advisers or people from outside Departments. Last week or the week before, the Cabinet sub-committee on justice met, which allowed us to have the Secretary General of the Department in attendance to talk about the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: While the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is saying to us that we are increasing spending too rapidly and are overreliant on corporation profit tax receipts, others are saying to us that there are enormous demands for additional spending and we need to invest in our public services and infrastructure. Other people are saying to me that they want to be able to keep more of their hard-earned...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am starting to answer the Deputy's question. He will have to let me answer it. The analysis was not done by my Department but we got a costing from the Department of Finance. The ambition over a five-year period is to make sure that people who earn the average income do not pay the highest tax rate. Ireland is unusual in that people earning the average income pay the highest tax rate.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The average person in Ireland working full-time earns €47,000 a year now and they pay the highest tax rate on some of their income but I want that to change. It cannot be done in one budget or in one year. It can be done over a five-year period.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not mind-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I would be happy to continue to answer the questions but I can also move on to the next question if Deputies wish.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Communications (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I spoke with the Prime Minister of Austria, Mr. Scott Morrison, on 10 June by telephone to congratulate him on his recent re-election as Prime Minister. We discussed bilateral relations and the deepening ties between our two countries, particularly our people-to-people connections and our trading relationship. We also discussed global economic trends. I updated the Prime Minister on the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Communications (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness, we really only needed one bus. There only were six or seven Ministers present. We hardly needed six or seven buses for six or seven Ministers.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Communications (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There was plenty of space.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Communications (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We could have taken the Luas, which I, as the then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, was privileged to be part of connecting, and of opening a year or two ago. The last time I went to Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, I was happy to travel on the Luas that I was involved in connecting to the technological university that I had been involved in creating so it was-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Communications (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----very appropriate. Again, I wish to inform the House that at some point there had to be a first hybrid bus. There are three. Six will arrive in the next couple of weeks and they will be on the Lucan route. There are 600 on order so this is climate action happening. On my telephone call with Prime Minster Morrison, it was a very short call of fewer than ten minutes. This question...

Pre-European Council: Statements (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will attend a series of meetings of the European Council in Brussels this Thursday and Friday, 20 and 21 June. On Thursday afternoon and evening, we will meet in regular format, with all 28 EU Heads of State and Government. The broad-ranging agenda includes significant items such as the EU strategic agenda for 2019-2024, climate action, the European Semester, disinformation, the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Protected Disclosures Data (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides a robust statutory framework which aims to provide protections to whistleblowers who raise concerns regarding potential wrongdoing in their workplace. In line with the Act, my Department has a policy on Protected Disclosures which sets out the procedure by which an employee can make a disclosure, what will happen when a disclosure is made,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (19 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not rent, lease or hire any office space. The properties occupied by my Department and the National Economic and Social Development Office are provided and managed by the Office of Public Works. The National Economic and Social Development Office pays a contribution to the OPW of €322,329 per annum for its office space, with €241,746 paid to date in 2019.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I take the opportunity to offer my condolences to the Fianna Fáil Party on the death of Councillor Manus Kelly in the past couple of days. He was a phenomenal motor sportsman and must have been enormously proud to have been elected to Donegal County Council for Letterkenny. I offer our condolences to the Fianna Fáil Party on what must have been very shocking news in the past few...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The workplace evaluation assessment is not complete: three of the five phases are complete, perhaps the third is complete and the fourth is ongoing. The initial position was that payment would arise when the workplace evaluation scheme was complete. However, in an effort to come to a compromise in the past couple of days, the employer or Government side offered to begin implementation from...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE received a budget from the Government, voted by the Oireachtas, of nearly €17 billion this year, an increase of approximately €1 billion on last year. It is not reasonable for an agency that is receiving such a big budget increase to come back looking for additional increases in spending during the year. It is often the case that additional money must be found towards...