Results 30,061-30,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I met the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, on Tuesday 3 September. The Vice President was on an official visit to Ireland, marking the latest in a series of high-level visits by representatives of the US Government this year, including President Trump and Speaker Pelosi. I was pleased to host the Vice President, the Second Lady and other family members for a lunch, which...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I met DUP Leader Arlene Foster when we both attended the funeral of Ms Lyra McKee in Belfast in April. I also met with her in Washington in March during my visit for St Patricks Day. I expect to meet her again soon. The Government is in ongoing contact with the Northern Ireland parties, both through the work undertaken by the Tánaiste to progress the restoration of the NI institutions...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Citizens Assembly (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: At its meeting on the 11 June 2019, the Government agreed to the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly on gender equality and noted that a further Citizens Assembly would subsequently be established to consider the best model of local government for Dublin and, in particular but not exclusively, the issue of a directly elected mayor and his or her powers. The Government agreed...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (17 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet Committee on Health met on six occasions in 2016: on 12 May, 16 June, 21 July, 22 September, 7 November and 13 December. In 2017, it met on 11 January, 2 February, 21 March, 27 April and 30 May. It met twice more in 2017 as Cabinet Committee E (Health) on 12 September and 23 November. Cabinet Committee E met twice in 2018 - on 11 April and 22 November. Following a Government...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his question. The matter of special needs is very important and I know that, as a former Minister for Education, the Deputy has had a real and genuine interest in that area down the years. All of us in this House are very aware of the struggles that many parents face in trying to ensure that their children receive the special education they need. While I do not want...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. That change to the law - the new section 37A of the Education Act - gave the Minister, for the first time, the power to instruct schools to take new special classes. That power was used this summer for the first time.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It was used in my own constituency to require schools to take on-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and open additional special classes and that has caused some difficulty and consternation among school principals and also boards of management.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, some of them were on holidays when they were asked to take on a special class, but I am glad the Minister has invoked that power to require schools to open new special classes and used it. We will work with the principals and boards of management to allay their concerns about taking on additional special classes. Where I differ with the Deputy is that I do not think global figures...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Like the majority of people in this House, I am a big supporter of the public services card. I think it has worked extremely well. More than 3 million people in this country now have a public services card, including me, and when people were asked what they think about the public services card they have, more than 80% of people were satisfied with it and prefer it to what they had before,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As Deputy Brady is aware, the national childcare scheme is coming into effect later this year. It will provide increased subsidies for childcare for tens of thousands of families across the State and, for the first time, some 10,000 middle income families will qualify for childcare subsidies. The vast majority of these families, about 80%, have the public services card already and will be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. To go back to his earlier comments, I do not think there is any Minister in the Government who is subject to more scrutiny than Deputy Harris, whether it is in the media, taking questions in this Chamber or appearing before the committee, so I do not accept that at all. I also do not agree with the Deputy's assertion that publishing a document during the summer recess is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When it came to the HSE capital plan, which runs for three years starting this year, I was there myself and so was the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. I guarantee the Deputy that when we try to hide something, we do not send the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance alongside the Minister for Health.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is not just for this year; it is for three years. What that HSE capital plan contains is the 250 projects that will go ahead over the next three years and answers that bogus claim that the overrun on the children's hospital has somehow caused all other projects to be stopped or delayed. Yes, it does have an impact, it does require some projects to be reprofiled, but we have set out in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The winter plan will be published before the winter. As for wishing to bury a document, here are the facts: four Ministers, including the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Health, went out to Dún Laoghaire-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and to the wonderful new national rehab hospital that is now almost completed and that will replace the Victorian facilities there.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely guarantee the Deputy that we were disappointed the visit did not get more coverage than it did.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not take half a day out with four Ministers when I want to bury something. I absolutely guarantee the Deputy that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We were disappointed it did not get more coverage. Why did it not get more coverage? Because it is good news. These are the 250 healthcare capital projects that are going ahead-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----over the course of the next three years.