Results 29,741-29,760 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: They might not appreciate her attempt to appoint herself as their spokesperson. Their union, not the Sinn Féin Party, speaks for them. We should all be very clear about this. The Government's policy on pay restoration across the public service is very fair. It is to start restoring pay for the lowest paid and then to move on to those on middle incomes and then the highest paid....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Again, in the absence of a question, all I can do really is restate what I said, that the Government wants the strike to be resolved. It was not necessary and the offer made was appropriate. If it was considered that it was not appropriate and that the right place to resolve the dispute was the Labour Court. We are willing to accept a binding determination from the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's first question is "Yes". The answer to the other questions is that the dispute is about timing and the implementation of the additional pay rises. It must be done broadly within budget and we must bear in mind the consequent costs. The Deputy has drawn equivalence with judges, for example, but that is a red herring. I have already explained that public sector...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which is very much a priority for Government as we seek to respond to the many wrongs of the past, including the institutionalisation of so many of our citizens. As the House will be aware, on 16 April, Government published the recommendations of the collaborative forum for former residents of the mother and baby homes. Government also...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. From my part and that of the Minister, Deputy Zappone, we feel that the establishment of the forum has added to this process. The term the Deputy used is very apt - "nothing about us without us". However, we need to bear in mind that Government committed to consider the recommendations but not to automatically implement all of them. We are currently considering some...

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Is mór an pléisiúr dom ómós a thabhairt do Jackie Healy-Rae agus mo dhea-mhéin a ghabháil dá chlann. Ní leor a rá gur pholaiteoir é Jackie Healy-Rae. Bhí i bhfad níos mó i gceist leis. Ba cheann fhine polaitiúla é. Rugadh agus tugadh é i dtimpeallacht na sléibhte agus labhair sé ar son mhuintir...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I pointed out, the public sector pay bill is now at a record high. It comes to approximately €18 billion a year. There is enough to build a children’s hospital every two months. We have set aside €400 million for public sector pay increases this year. Anyone who is drawing equivalence with the national children’s hospital or the national broadband plan needs...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I was interrupted, but I am happy to answer it.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Again, I am not fully sure what the question was. As I said, we believe the offer made at the Workplace Relations Commission was appropriate. We accept the outcome of the workplace evaluation process. It is about the timing and implementation of the additional pay increase on top of the other increases which are being paid this year. If the issue cannot be resolved at the Workplace...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will appreciate the limitations I am under when it comes to responding to questions about individual cases. I imagine the Deputy is aware that it would be illegal for the Minister for Health to give a direction to the HSE in a particular individual case. There is a reimbursement system in place. I have been advised that the following steps have to be completed when it comes to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On Monday I had the opportunity to meet groups representing the LGBT community to mark the beginning of Pride week. Hate crime was one of the issues they raised with me. I am not sure what the situation is when it comes to Garda monitoring of statistics, but I will have it checked and reply to the Deputy by way of correspondence. The issue of hate crime is being examined by the Department...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am glad that at long last progress is being made on this matter. It is a pilot programme that will run for five years. I recognise the Deputy’s work in helping to bring us to this point, as well as the families mentioned by him. The medical cannabis access programme provides for medical cannabis to be prescribed in three circumstances where a patient has failed to respond to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have answered questions on this topic this afternoon. Perhaps I can summarise my response. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment wrote to Eir this morning to seek clarity on a number of aspects of what its representatives told the committee yesterday. There is a big gap between the bid they made only a year ago and what they told the committee. Eir made a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Like everyone in this House, I am very concerned about the situation developing in Drogheda. Additional gardaí and Garda resources have been provided. I ask people to support An Garda Síochána in its work and to provide it with any information they have. I thank An Garda for the excellent job it is doing. Any decisions on the deployment of further resources or 24-hour...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure if there is any particular legislation promised or a specific commitment in the programme for Government about the issue the Deputy has raised, but it is important. I will ask the Minister for Education and Skills or the Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues to provide him with a written response.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Like everyone in this House, I am very aware of the pressures beef farmers and the wider beef industry are under at the moment as a result of low prices, competition from other countries, and climate change. At the same time, the industry is heavily protected through trade restrictions and tariffs. It is one of the most subsidised industries in the country. When it came to the trade deals...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Minister, Deputy McHugh, intends to bring that Bill to Cabinet in July.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about that case. However, the Deputy will appreciate I am not in a position to comment about individual cases without having all the information and without having the right to waive privacy and all those things of which he will be aware. We all acknowledge, notwithstanding the additional resources and staff, that the current system is just not working, which is why...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to ask the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, to reply to the Deputy because I do not know the details. However, we ensure that if an appeal is made in somebody's favour, that they receive the payment in arrears. I know that is not much good for someone who is waiting for it, but it ensures that nobody loses out if their appeal is upheld.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I cannot intervene on such a matter. The decision to license a medicine is for the Health Products Regulatory Authority or the European Medicines Agency. The Oireachtas passed legislation to ensure that decisions on which medicines are reimbursed are not political decisions and should be made objectively by the HSE on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics....