Results 301-320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 508: To ask the Minister for Defence if his Department has a policy with regard to frequent flyer points accrued by Ministers or civil servants; if these must be signed over to his Department or if they can be retained by the individual concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24893/07]

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 532: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his Department has a policy with regard to frequent flyer points accrued by Ministers or civil servants; if these must be signed over to his Department or if they can be retained by the individual concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24900/07]

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 584: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that buyers of affordable housing can not change their mortgage provider; if he will make changes to the scheme to enable them to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24785/07]

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 585: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will enact section 22 of the Local Government Act, 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24786/07]

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 586: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has produced guidelines for local authorities in setting the level of bonds that must be paid by developers of new residential developments; if he has satisfied himself at the level at which bonds are being set; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24787/07]

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 587: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when current district electoral divisions for the purpose of the census were last reviewed; if he will carry out a review of the same in view of the change in the pattern of development across Ireland in the past few decades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24788/07]

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 594: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has a policy with regard to frequent flyer points accrued by Ministers or civil servants; if these must be signed over to his Department or if they can be retained by the individual concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24896/07]

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (23 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 629: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department has a policy with regard to frequent flyer points accrued by Ministers or civil servants; if these must be signed over to his Department or if they can be retained by the individual concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24891/07]

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 74: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will implement the single recommendation of the business regulation forum that he established in 2005 to introduce a standard cost model as used in Denmark and the Netherlands to objectively assess the administrative cost for businesses to comply with new and current regulations; and if he will make a statement on...

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Minister and look forward to our engagements. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the report in front of me, but my understanding is that five recommendations were made and among those was the use of the standard cost model in assessing regulatory impact. Will the Minister introduce this model and if not, why not? Will he follow the example of the Netherlands by setting a real...

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I understand what the Taoiseach has said to be somewhat different. He stated Ireland will play its part in reducing the cost of regulation. That is what one says when there is no plan to do anything. Has the Government formally signed up to a 25% reduction target and if not, when is it intended to do so? I accept the Minister's statement on not implementing the standard cost model in the...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 76: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action he will take to tackle the projected rise in unemployment in 2008; his views on the ESRI forecast in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25673/07]

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I am prepared to deal with the questions out of sequence.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Another Minister had a similar problem last week. However, I understand Amgen is now making a tablet to help people overcome these difficulties.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I was shocked by the statistics contained in the pre-budget outlook and the ESRI report. Unemployment has risen from 3.7% in 2001 when it bottomed out to 4.7% today. The Government seems to have thrown in the towel when it comes to employment and has clearly admitted that unemployment will rise to 5.5% next year. The latter will mean that there will be in the region of 200,000 on the live...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister's words are very nice and if I did not know better, I would be re-assured by them. However, like everything else, it is lip-service. The Minister suggests the economy is robust and the Minister for Finance suggests that it has not been stronger for ten years. In reality, we see that the Minister's own Government accepts that unemployment is going to increase, tax receipts are...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I accept that France, which is a country with a long history of structural socialism, and we all know what that does, has a higher rate of unemployment. I will cite some other examples. Does the Minister accept that the UK has an unemployment rate of 5.4%, the US has an unemployment rate of 4.6%, Australia has an unemployment rate of 4.3%, South Korea has an unemployment rate of 3.7% and...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, but the Minister is accepting that we are going to overtake all those countries next year. That is a serious problem.

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 78: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to increase funding and resources for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25674/07]

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: My question particularly related to recent court decisions in the Airspace versus Powertech case and the Panabridge case where essentially Ms Justice Laffoy, in her wisdom, decided perhaps that it is no longer appropriate for companies to seek actions, under sections 150 and 160 of the Companies Act, to have a company reinstated. The effect of that decision is that it falls entirely on the...