Results 31,701-31,720 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for raising the important issue of younger people in nursing homes. There are also younger people staying in hospitals for a prolonged period, months or years in some cases, because there is nowhere for them to go other than a nursing home, which is inappropriate. This is an issue we will talk about a good deal in the next couple of months. The Ombudsman is doing a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: This is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Foley, and, representing Kerry, I am sure she is familiar with school transport and the issues around that. It is never an easily-solved problem. We have changed the rules on a few occasions. One rule is changed and a new anomaly or problem is created somewhere else. Then there is the difference between people who are entitled to a school pass and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. This is very much on the agenda of Government. We want those services to be open as soon as possible. We anticipate they will be open no later than the end of August or September. I know a lot of people want them open right away but there are different circumstances in different centres and different solutions are needed at different times. I hear what the Deputy is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. There is a very extensive, multibillion euro capital programme which Irish Water is implementing on an ongoing basis. Huge improvements have been made in recent years in terms of water quality, reduction in amounts of unaccounted water, reduction in number of boil notices and so on. However, a huge amount remains to be done because of the level...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: If my memory serves me correctly, the carer's allowance, although it was not increased this year, was increased last year. I think it was also increased each of the three years before that. The respite care grant, which was turned into the carer support grant, was restored back to what it was prior to the last financial crisis. On tax credits, I will come back to the Deputy. That is a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. This is an issue I am familiar with and it has been going on for a long time. We would very much like to see a solution to this issue, but I do not think that solution will be a legislative one. The relevant Labour Court recommendation called on the employer at the time to establish a pension scheme. The State is not the employer of CE scheme supervisors and,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The legislation we will introduce next week will not make that distinction, but I do not rule out the possibility, further down the line, of having different rules for different regions and different parts of Ireland. However, this is not straightforward. If we open pubs in one part of the country, we will see people travelling from other parts to where the measures are less restrictive....

Ban on Rent Increases Bill 2020: First Stage (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: No.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has introduced a €12bn package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment for the self-employed, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs. Full details on all COVID19 supports for business are available at:...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Recent global developments – both as a result of Brexit and of the COVID-19 pandemic – have undoubtedly complicated the market for international foreign direct investment (FDI). The challenges presented by Brexit in that context are well-known. The UK’s withdrawal from the EU does create commercial uncertainty and may affect investor decisions until there is clarity...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is currently engaged in final preparations on the July stimulus package and on preparations for the announcement of the National Recovery Plan on budget day in October. The purpose of the July package will be to save jobs and businesses, create new ones and to get people back to work. The National Recovery Plan will include the need for a major reskilling programme, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has already committed to a €12 billion package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment - available to the self-employed, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs. As businesses are reopening, what is now...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: IDA Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 49 together. There have been 31 site visits to County Tipperary since Continental Promotion International Limited dissolved in 2016. Specific information is not, however, available on IDA client site visits to the site in question or to other individual locations. The Agency compiles such data on a county-by-county basis only in the interests of...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Health and Safety Authority (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Health and Safety Authority currently has 175.5 whole-time equivalent staff which is made up of staff in administration and inspector grades. Inspectors operate across all of the Health and Safety Authority’s statutory mandates covering occupational health and safety, chemicals and market surveillance of products. These inspectors may also be involved in either general inspection,...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In June this year, the WRC reported a median time to a hearing of 3.5 months; this compares with 4 months for the same period in 2019. The emergency measures introduced in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus have imposed challenges on how to proceed with complaint adjudication in a fair and procedurally safe manner. This is likely to be reflected in median times later this...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Stimulus Package being announced by the Government is a culmination of work across a number of Government Departments . Each Government Department has carefully considered how the impact of COVID-19 along with associated economic challenges have affected the sectors under their remits. As part of this, Departments will have engaged across a range of stakeholders especially sectoral...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Under the terms and conditions of the current Restart Grant scheme and for further clarity, the qualifying criteria is essentially that the applicant business in its totality must not have more than 50 staff overall and have a maximum turnover of €5 million. A business with a number of stores in one Local Authority region or in several, that each has a rates bill, is eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Ministerial Responsibilities (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Mr Robert Troy, T.D., is the Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation and will chair the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Digital Single Market. The key focus of the Inter-Departmental Committee is on ensuring effective whole-of-Government engagement with the Digital Single Market agenda, particularly in terms of developing a coherent and coordinated...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Health and Safety Authority (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the views of ICTU concerning the requirements around the reporting of COVID-19 to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and, indeed, I intend to meet ICTU soon. Separately, I would like to advise the Deputy that COVID-19 has been included as a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020. Any infectious disease pandemic is first and foremost...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Ministerial Advisers (21 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval. It should be noted that the appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the terms...