Results 30,921-30,940 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: Department officials met an Irish Pharmacy Union delegation on two occasions and received a detailed submission from the IPU on 8 November. The submission is being considered by the Department in the context of the statutory fee-setting process under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest, FEMPI, Acts. The Minster for Health is...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: We are increasing funding to the National Ambulance Service every year. Only last week I was with the staff at the main call centre in Tallaght. Decisions on where services are located are really best made by them rather than us. I am advised that there are new centres at Tuam and Mulranny that have assisted. I will certainly make the National Ambulance Service aware of what the Deputy...
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I am not sure about the exact timelines but I will check with the Minister and ask him to correspond with the Deputy. It sounds like our submission may be a little delayed. I will double-check that and let the Deputy know.
- An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and I will inform the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport that he raised this matter. I will ask the Minister to reply to the Deputy directly.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Biotechnology Industry (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. My Department co-ordinated the development of the national policy statement on the bioeconomy which was published in March 2018. This delivered on commitments given in the Action Plan for Jobs and the Action Plan for Rural Development and built on actions in Food Wise 2025. The policy statement sets out Ireland's ambition...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Biotechnology Industry (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. The bioeconomy plan is being implemented. To give some examples of the progress being made, we have significant actions across the bioeconomy policy framework, including the development of physical infrastructure and the creation of piloting facilities such as the Lisheen national bioeconomy campus and the Páirc na Mara marine project, as well...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 10, inclusive, together. The international, EU and Northern Ireland division of my Department covers work on all international, EU and British-Irish and Northern Ireland affairs within the Department, including Brexit issues. There are 26 staff in total, headed by a second Secretary General. Included in this are seven staff in the British-Irish and...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: Earlier, Deputy Martin asked about the future structure of British-Irish relations after Brexit. He rightly pointed out that after Brexit we will not be in a position to meet British Ministers in the way we do now, three or four times a year at Council of Ministers meetings in Brussels or more frequently at the European Council. One of the suggestions we are working on is to strengthen and...
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak in this debate. I thank the many Deputies who have rearranged their schedules to travel to be here for this debate and for tonight's vote.
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I am not going to speak at length, but I will make a few points. The first thing that needs to be said is that tonight's motion will not pass and was never going to pass. It was just a stunt to gain publicity and coverage for its proposers. It has succeeded in that respect because it secured precious airtime on television and radio, sometimes with a by-election candidate in the doughnut....
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: This motion does none of that. I give the Deputies no marks in that regard. I respect the views of Members of this House. I always try to reflect on what they say. I have not forgotten the advice provided by one of our colleagues two years ago last week, when it looked like the country would be plunged into an election before Christmas because of false allegations made against the then...
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I do not need to remind anyone that the allegations in question were subsequently proven to be without foundation. Deputy Shortall advised me at that time that the country could not afford to have a general election and that a Christmas election would do huge damage to the country. I have not forgotten her wisdom or her certainty about what was needed for the country at that time. It is a...
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: We are talking about six Cabinet Ministers from three parties with different ideologies, perspectives and personalities.
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The housing crisis was not caused by any one party, ideology or person. Its roots lie in the economic crisis and crash that occurred ten years ago. The Government of the time was broke and could not afford to build houses for many years. The banks were bust and could not finance housing. The construction industry had gone bust and was unable to build anything. Some 100,000 construction...
- Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The help-to-buy scheme, which has helped 15,000 young people to purchase their own homes, will run for another two years. The Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme has enabled 2,600 people to get low-interest loans, thereby allowing them to afford new homes. We are three and a half years into a five-year housing plan. It has got off to a slow start. That was always going to be the case. We...
- Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: Arising from the experience of previous years, a new approach was taken to the Government’s presence at NPC 2019. The broad objectives of this approach were to maximise the opportunity for citizen engagement (visitors to NPC – approx. 300k) to make the overall approach more cost effective, and to have a targeted presence to help citizens get ready for Brexit. This approach...
- Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Reports (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The following table details the external consultant reports, including external Information Technology (IT) consultancy, commissioned by my Department in each of the years from March 2011 to 2018 and to date in 2019. Name Costs Date of Commission Date of Publication Consultant Health and Safety Statement 2011 €1,270 ...
- Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legislative Measures (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: My Department has not sponsored any Bills that have been enacted since November 2013.
- Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Programme for Government Priorities (3 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: The exact information requested by the Deputy is not available. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey which provides quarterly statistics on employment and unemployment and is the official source of labour market estimates in the State. The primary classification used for the LFS results is the ILO (International Labour Organisation) labour force classification. The most recent...
- Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Dec 2019)
Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Martin. As he will be aware, Dara Murphy has resigned from the Dáil and is no longer a Member of the House or the Fine Gael parliamentary party. He is taking up a new role in the European Commission, a job he applied for and got. It is not a Government appointment. In relation to his remuneration and expenses, I spoke to him last night and last weekend. Last night...