Results 31,321-31,340 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has not taken a formal position on the matter of vouchers or refunds. There may be something at Department level. I will have to check, but, even so, I doubt that any law could be changed retrospectively. I may be wrong about that but I have never come across anyone changing a consumer protection law retrospectively. It might be changed prospectively but I do not see how it...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Leo Varadkar: -----is because of a virus. Regardless of whether they are national carriers, public companies or private companies, they have all been downed because of a virus, not because of any ideology.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Lowry for reminding us about Brexit because it has not gone away, you know. In many ways, we planned for a potential shock to our economy to occur in early 2020. We thought that might be Brexit and managed to avoid it, and instead we found ourselves dealing with a much sharper shock in the form of Covid-19, which has affected the economy in the way that it has. The joint...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On the regulations, I asked the Attorney General, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice and Equality to examine this issue several days ago, which they have. Having looked at the different options, it is their view that the regulations do not need to be amended. However, what is required is greater co-operation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána. People coming...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly seek advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, on mayfly fishing. The issue of solitary fishing in general - people fishing on a local lake or river on their own - has come up on a number occasions. It is something that I will seek advice on. Deputy Harkin mentioned the issue of domestic violence. There is a concern at present that the fact that...

European Council Meeting: Statements (6 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On Thursday, 23 April, I joined other members of the European Council by video conference to discuss the coronavirus emergency and to chart a path towards economic and social recovery. This is the fourth such meeting, with previous meetings having taken place on 10, 17 and 26 March. I welcome the opportunity to provide an account of these meetings to the Dáil and to exchange views and...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Gabhaim buíochas le muintir na hÉireann as ucht na difríochta móire a rinne siad chun dul i ngleic le Covid-19. Tá an cuar á mhaolú againn agus tá an chuid is measa den ráig thart. Tá na mílte daoine sábháilte againn. Níor sháraigh obair na foirne ospidéil agus an lucht cúram sláinte orthu. In...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The temporary wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment of €350 per week have protected those who have lost their jobs in a way that was appropriate and was right to do. I think we all acknowledge that it cannot last forever. It was an unprecedented action and it is not affordable for it to last forever, and I think the vast majority of people in the country...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: No decisions have yet been made on the rates or on the timelines. That may yet be a decision to be made by the next Government, if we have a new Government by then. If we do not, then obviously this continuing Government will have to make that decision, and it will make it well before mid-June and will give people plenty of time for that. It is a great thing that people provide food...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: People need to see through this. Everyone in this Chamber does.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am afraid I cannot confirm those exact numbers. I do not have them in front of me but they may well be correct. They certainly sound like they are correct. The definition of a household or a bubble, as some countries term it, is not unique to Ireland. Essentially from a public health point of view, someone's household or bubble is the people he or she lives with....

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: A plan for what?

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On a point of order, I would have been happy to answer some of Deputy Kelly's questions had I been allowed time to do so.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: If I was a cynical man, I would think the Deputy asked me questions he knows I cannot answer so that he could then accuse me of not answering them.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy asked me questions about what happened at meetings I do not attend. The Deputy knows I cannot answer.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am not all-seeing and all-knowing.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have them. How can I publish them when I do not have them?

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her questions. Our strategy is to have the capacity to test 100,000 people per week-----

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: -----and to do so with a rapid turnaround, followed by rapid and aggressive tracing. That is not contrary to the medical advice or the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, as the Deputy contends. The testing centres have been underutilised in the past couple of weeks because of the clinical criteria for testing. Now that they have been relaxed by the NPHET and the CMO, I expect to...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (7 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The decision on the criteria for testing is entirely one for the CMO and the NPHET. The CMO is best placed to answer that question. It is not a Government decision at all in any way. On the three-week interval, the World Health Organization recommends two and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, recommends four. The incubation period is between five and 11...