Results 30,541-30,560 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I last met First Minister Sturgeon at the British-Irish Council in Manchester on 28 June. We subsequently spoke by phone on 7 August regarding political developments in the United Kingdom, including Scotland, and also Brexit developments. Prior to that, I met the First Minister over lunch in Farmleigh on Monday, 27 May last. We...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. I reassure them that the Government will not take sides in the UK general election. While individual parties might support other individual parties, as a Government, we certainly will not have any role or involvement in the UK election. If there is a conservative win, I would expect the withdrawal agreement to be ratified quickly, allowing us to move swiftly on to...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I only hope that the result is clear. In terms of our representation in Scotland, we have a consulate, not an embassy, in Edinburgh and we can certainly give consideration to additional staff there. We have just reopened the Cardiff consulate and I am glad that we were able to do that. We are also examining the possibility of opening a new consulate in the north of England, perhaps in...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is not something that should be-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There certainly is. By the way, I am not suggesting we would pay for it.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I can assure Deputy Howlin of that. If it comes to any cross-Border projects, our priorities, of course, are the A5-N2 to help us to connect better-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----to Derry and Donegal, and - something I would be very enthusiastic about doing - upgrading the train line from Belfast to Dublin and then on to Cork and Limerick Junction. We made a Cabinet decision the other day to go ahead with a feasibility study of high-speed rail between Belfast and Dublin, and then Dublin, Limerick Junction and Cork, looking at either the possibility of a...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----or upgrading the existing infrastructure to a higher speed. Those projects would be a much higher priority on my agenda than a bridge between Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland. To clarify what I stated earlier, I did not rule out a citizens' assembly on the future constitutional arrangements in Ireland but I remarked that there is a pipeline of citizens' assemblies under way-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and we only have the capacity to do one at a time. The one on gender equality, which is of great merit, is about to start. That will run for approximately six months. After that, we will have the one on local government in Dublin.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There are a number of suggestions about other citizens' assemblies that also have merit. There is a suggestion to have one on education. There is a suggestion that we have one on disability. There are lots of suggestions that have merit for a future citizens' assembly and they should not be dismissed. Regarding this particular proposal, I would only say that the timing is important....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Government Information Service (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There are 15 staff currently employed in the GIS. Responsibilities of the service include the running of the Government press office and the delivery of Government-wide communications reform. In line with the recommendations from a review conducted in 2018, the Department has reverted to the GIS model, with a smaller budget, fewer staff and a more limited role. In further alignment with the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Government Information Service (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: All parties in this House have shown themselves to be very capable and very adept at attacking their political opponents in any way they can on occasion. There is an advertisement up at the moment from a political party which states that I am against democracy and which compares me to Kim Jong-il. I do not get precious about these things so I hope other people do not either. If one is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Government Information Service (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Solidarity-People Before Profit. Legislation relating to the electoral commission is being worked on at present. We expect to have the heads of a Bill next year. We are working on other legislation that will come in before that. That was approved in principle by Government just this week. That legislation will require transparency when it comes to political advertising online. As we all...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Government Information Service (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and agree to be candidates. People who might consider being candidates look at the social media of politicians of all parties, read the comments people make about them and ask themselves if they really want to let themselves in for that. That is a problem we face. How we deal with that while still protecting freedom of expression and freedom of speech, which I am committed to, is a...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Brexit Preparations (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. My Department works closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has overall responsibility for Brexit. Within my Department, staff across several divisions contribute to the work on Brexit preparedness. Brexit is an important part of the work of the international, EU and Northern Ireland division in my Department,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Brexit Preparations (6 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We were prepared for a no-deal Brexit in March and in October, or were at least as prepared as we possibly could be. We will continue our preparations for a no-deal outcome in case we end up facing into that scenario again on 31 January. I have said it before but I want to say it again - being prepared for a no-deal outcome does not mean that there will be no disruption. It does not mean...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that rents relative to incomes are high, which is a real problem. They have become unaffordable for many, particularly those living in cities. In the Government’s view, the solution is twofold, namely, rent controls and an increase in housing supply. Rent controls which are in place mean that for an existing tenancy, the rent cannot be increased in any given year by...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Behind that, we see a 31% increase in the number of planning permissions. There have been commencement notices for 26,000 new homes in the past year, while planning permission has been granted for 31,000 right behind them. We see a strong pipeline of new housing. This covers social housing for people on housing lists and private housing for people to buy and rent. Fundamentally that is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is the report.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There is something a little bit odd about the Deputy referring back to 1987 or 1997. I am not sure which year he mentioned, but whichever year he chose was an interesting year to reference because he did not mention the 20 years of Fianna Fáil government that occurred after that period. During that period of government, Fianna Fáil was responsible for many of the policies that...