Results 33,421-33,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Future Growth Loan Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes lending available to SMEs and small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) seeking financing for long-term strategic investment, including in response to the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19.  The volume of lending allocated to each lender participating under the scheme was determined as part of a competitive “open call” process operated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Future Growth Loan Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes lending available to SMEs and small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) seeking financing for long-term strategic investment, including in response to the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19.  The Future Growth Loan Scheme provides for a total of €800 million in lending through participating financial providers. As of the 29 of January 2021, 3,024...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Future Growth Loan Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes lending available to SMEs and small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) seeking financing for long-term strategic investment, including in response to the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19.  The volume of lending allocated to each lender was determined as part of a competitive “open call” process operated by the Strategic Banking Corporation...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Registrar of Companies is a statutory role and the Registrar has administrative independence in the exercise of this function.  In light of the Covid-19 situation, the Registrar had taken a number of decisions during 2020 to assist companies with the filing of annual returns. Most recently, in October 2020, the Registrar announced that any company with an Annual Return Date from...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department, together with its agencies, is carefully monitoring the impact of the new post-Brexit trading arrangements. At this point, I am not aware of any reports from companies in the pharmaceutical sector regarding shortages of medicines, ingredients or other intermediate inputs.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open.  Further information can be found on https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/.  The decision to move to full scale Level 5 was not taken lightly and all factors were considered. All measures in Level 5 will stay in place until at least March 5 2021. S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that businesses are making a massive sacrifice to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. My Department has worked to ensure that appropriate financial supports are in place for businesses that require finance as they develop their response to their exposure to impacts arising from...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I recognise the impact that this pandemic is having on businesses right across the country. I know that employers and employees want to get back to work and I support them in that ambition, but it must be safe to do so. In order to assist businesses to address the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Government has put in place a comprehensive suite of supports for firms of all sizes. These...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: IDA Ireland (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: When it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI), site visits represent a valuable tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas. However, site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as a significant percentage of all new FDI comes from existing IDA client companies.  2020 has presented undeniable challenges to our ongoing efforts...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought significant hardship to businesses right across our economy.  Whilst those businesses who have been forced to close have obviously been most impacted, Government appreciates that many businesses including those deemed ‘essential’ have also suffered greatly. It is important to note the wide range of aids that have been developed by...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time. The system is, by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the occupation lists: the critical...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Investor-State Dispute Settlement (3 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, commonly known as CETA, is one of the EU’s new generation of progressive free trade agreements.  CETA is designed to benefit EU and Canadian companies through improved trade flows in support of increased employment for our citizens.  The elimination of tariffs, reduced trade barriers and simplified customs procedures...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to say that the nation's vaccination programme is well under way. More than 200,000 vaccines have been given. Compared with our peer European countries, we are among the top countries in the EU in terms of getting the vaccines out to people once we have received them. By last Sunday, we had received 207,000 doses, 200,000 of which had been given. The only constraints at...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am advised that the vaccination of those aged over 85 will begin in the middle of February as planned but because we will have to use the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, of which there is less supply, as opposed to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the roll-out will be slower. I cannot give the Deputy exact timeframes and dates on it at this stage. It will allow us to speed up...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is the case that on occasion, and on more than one occasion, the facts are disputed. Scientists and doctors say they were not negligent.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy can come up with a solution to resolve this, I am all ears. Unfortunately, there will be individual cases where the facts are disputed.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Therefore, there has to be some sort of hearing, hopefully at a tribunal rather than in court.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy very much for raising this issue again. I agree with him that it is not something we should be sparring about. It is too sensitive for that. My thoughts are with Lynsey Bennett today and particularly with her daughters Zoe and Haley. I hope her treatment goes as well as possible and that she gets as much time as is possible with her daughters. I do not know the details...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, the Oireachtas some time ago decided that the management of medical negligence cases should be delegated to the State Claims Agency. That is the law. I think it might even have been brought in by Deputy Brendan Howlin as Minister, giving that power to the State Claims Agency to manage medical negligence cases on behalf of the State, so these are not dealt...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. More than 3,000 people in this State and nearly 5,000 people on this island have lost their lives as a consequence of, or at least with, Covid-19, and our condolences go to all of those families, and all who are still grieving in Ireland, North and South. Sadly, it is the case across the developed world that a very high proportion of people who have died from Covid, or...