Results 30,601-30,620 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----with a good spread around the country. I can certainly make a commitment that the Minister before making any changes to fees or regulations will consult the Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU, and take on board its views.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I am not across the detail of this. The Minister, Deputy Creed, is out of the country at the moment, but I will inform him the Deputy raised the matter in the Chamber and we will make sure she gets a reply to her query.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Services last met on 21 October and is scheduled to meet again before the year end. The committee covers issues relating to health and Sláintecare, education, children, equality, social inclusion; immigration; Irish language, arts and culture; and continued improvements and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their questions. Deputy Burton raised the issue of undocumented minors living in Ireland. From time to time, we introduce schemes to regularise undocumented migrants in the country. This is not an amnesty. It has been agreed at EU level that there will not be amnesties. That is part of our commitment to our European partners. Any time we have a scheme to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The number of medical cards goes up and down. It generally goes down when there are more people in work. That is what one would expect.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The thresholds have stayed the same. The reason why the numbers have gone down is because incomes have gone up. That is the reason why the numbers have gone down. I would have thought most people would believe that is a good development. The fair deal is a form of universal healthcare with co-payment systems. We need to do something similar around home care. We are also examining...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are meeting our targets in social housing. The special adviser to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, is a secondee from another part of the public service. As is the norm when somebody is seconded from one part of the public service to another, they stay on the same salary.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness, there are never five questions. Usually between 15 and 20 are asked.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on security deals with issues relating to justice, defence, Garda reform and national security. It last met on Wednesday, 30 October 2019 and the next meeting of the committee will be scheduled in the next few weeks. It encompasses matters that were previously under the remit of Cabinet committees G,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. On the Shane O'Farrell case, which will be debated later in the House, we all accept that the process has taken much longer than any of us would have liked. However, Deputies will appreciate that the terms of the reference of the scoping exercise - it is normal to do a scoping exercise before a commission of inquiry - must be compliant and in line...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the question that was asked, the number of gardaí has increased every year for four or five years ago now. I think the strength is above 14,000. As part of the reform being led by the Garda Commissioner, more civilian staff are also being hired, which frees gardaí to be out on the front line doing policing, which is what people want them to do; they want to see them in...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is a fact, I am afraid, I know the Deputy is not into them but it is a fact.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I was, yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: What is good for the goose is good for the gander on that remark by Deputy Howlin. I absolutely accept the collective responsibility for that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I very much support the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne's approach. While I appreciate that some community groups and local drugs task forces would like full autonomy on how they spend the money they are given, she is of a different view. She wants to make sure the money given to the task forces gets to the people for whom it is intended - those who are addicts and drug users -...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When I do it, the Deputy gets upset about it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is certainly not a sin but when the shoe is on the other foot, the Deputy has a bee in his bonnet about it too.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government Implementation (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 13, inclusive, together. A Programme for a Partnership Government was agreed in May 2016 during the formation of the Government. This is a five-year programme of work being undertaken for the duration of the present Dáil. The Government publishes an annual report each year on the implementation of the programme. The third such report was approved...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government Implementation (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The first question was about education. There are also challenges within that sector, but it is one in which the country is doing well. We know, for example, how well children are performing relative to their counterparts in maths and reading. The education budget this year is €11 billion and will go up again next year. It is the biggest ever education budget in the history of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government Implementation (12 Nov 2019)

Leo Varadkar: This will create a pathway by which people will be able to contact a 24/7 helpline in two weeks, time to access the services they need.