Results 31,421-31,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure if it is possible to get a political consensus on the 1 m or 2 m guidance or the two-hour close contact rule. If there is a place to do that, it probably is the Covid committee that has been established. The committee seems to be working well and is very representative of the Dáil. I do not think it is something for the party leaders to be honest. Obviously some Members...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of anyone who is considering cutting Lisa's payment, if I accurately picked up the Deputy's description of her case. It sounds like she was earning €300 or €400 a week, and nobody I am aware of is considering cutting the pandemic unemployment payment in that circumstance, and certainly not in the near future when we are still in the early phases of the pandemic....

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: We are saying that that is not sustainable and is not what was intended in the first place, though it was done for the right reasons.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is making a different argument, that everyone should be paid the exact same no matter what job they do. I appreciate that is his political position but it is not one shared by many people in this country. When we discuss tapering, it is important to bear in mind that the only people who are now getting less than they were earning before the pandemic are those who earned more...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am willing to live on whatever salary I am given for the job I am doing; that is how these things work. I appreciate that the Deputy's argument is that everyone should be paid the same but he does not say what that would be or how that would be funded. It is the Deputy's choice to take such an action and if he wants to demonstrate that, he should do it.

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot confirm or deny that. I do not have the report in front of me, although it was published either on Friday last or on the Friday before. If the Deputy has heard what I have said about this publicly on a number of occasions, I have acknowledged that there are people who would be better off on ordinary long-standing welfare payments than on the pandemic unemployment payment. There...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I agree with him on the overall point. If we can front-load bog rehabilitation, we should. It would be a great thing to do. It would secure jobs in Bord na Móna. It would also help to restore our natural heritage and promote tourism. The question the Government is grappling with now is that of how to fund it. The carbon tax revenues for 2020 have already been...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have those dates. It is reasonable to ask for them so I will check with the Minister and either he or I will contact the Deputy once I know what those dates are. I do know that the €11 million just transition fund for the midlands is there even if the ESB's €5 million has not yet arrived. The money is there and it is ring-fenced for just transition in the midlands....

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy knows, I am here for three hours today to hear Members' statements and answer questions. I am happy to do that and to be held to account for as long as I hold this office. I agree with the Deputy that it is sending the wrong message that I spent two hours in the Chamber and one hour here, but that happened because of a procedural row and a vote that went on for an hour and was...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: That is my view on that. With regard to the coláistí samhraidh, the Minister is working on a package to help them. We want to do something to help them because I realise they will be financially hit by having no income for the summer. However, we must ensure we do it in a way that is fair. There are many other groups in society and other businesses and organisations that will...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I will come back to her on the summer colleges once I have more information on what the package is and what may not be possible. On children with special needs, we are totally aligned on our concern about that issue. I share the Deputy's desire to do something for children with special needs over the summer to ensure they get the education, attention and therapy that...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I might be out of date on this but the last time I was briefed on this, which was a week or two ago, the estimate for the cost of testing for Covid this year will be somewhere between €400 million and €450 million. That is because of the fact that the tests cost about €200 a go, which is a lot of money. I might be out of date but that is the most...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I think the cost of tests will come down. Everything in healthcare is at a premium at the moment, whether PPE or testing kits. Everyone is looking for the same stuff and the cost is very high, but I think the cost of testing will come down. The Deputy is right that in Austria, one can have a test done in the airport but one has to bear the cost of €190. No work has been done in our...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: We hope to get driver testing going again as soon as possible when it is safe to do so. Somebody suggested that part of the solution might be a Perspex partition between the passenger seat and the driver's seat, and having a similar solution for taxis. That is being examined. I totally appreciate that we need to get testing started as soon as possible. A car means freedom in large parts...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Health provided the information outlined in the correspondence of the 29thApril 2020. I understand the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) recommendation to expand testing capacity to 100,000 tests per week is recorded in the minutes of 17thApril 2020. The NPHET provides direction, guidance, support and expert public health advice on responding to COVID-19 in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As I set out in a PQ reply on 20 May, I spoke with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday 15 May. We discussed the general Covid 19 situation and our respective experiences in seeking to contain the virus and manage its impacts. We shared information on our respective plans to start easing restrictionsas well as our respective approaches to related travel restrictions. We also...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On 14 May last I met (by video conference) with representatives of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly to share thoughts on the reopening of places of worship over the course of the summer. The Church shared information on the work that is being done at all levels to develop a national church plan for the safe...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In the past three months the main focus of the Government has been on the Covid-19 crisis. In that time there have been 22 Government meetings and the Cabinet Committee on Covid-19 has met five times - 9 March, 16 March, 2 April, 16 April and 20 April.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (27 May 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Charity in question has not confirmed with me the board members of a company, nor would I expect it to. Governance of Charities is the responsibility for the Charities Regulator which is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions under Section 14 (3) of the Charities Act 2009. Síle de Búrca 0872846235 Miriam Dollard 0876086785

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Advertising (3 Jun 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In 2020 so far my Department has spent €4,308.20 on social media buying. This relates to content produced in Autumn 2019. My Department is coordinating the National whole-of-government communications response to the COVID-19 emergency. There will continue to be expenditure on public information notices to ensure maximum clarity for citizens, businesses and our wider community. This...