Results 33,941-33,960 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As you are aware I recently announced that applications are now open for the Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid (SBASC). Closing date for receipt of applications by Local Authorities is 21st April, 2021. The scheme is designed to support those who are ineligible for CRSS and other sectoral schemes. The scheme will provide a grant of €4,000 to businesses to assist with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Irish Sign Language (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is fully committed to ensuring that customers and members of the Deaf community who wish to conduct their business with my Department using Irish Sign Language can do so. My Department has engaged with the National Sign Language Interpreting Service for Ireland to provide access to our services through Irish Remote Interpreting Services. This is a free service for all Deaf...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Commencement of Legislation (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There are no Acts under the remit of my Department that have been signed into law but not commenced.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy is not stored in the format requested and therefore is currently being compiled and will be supplied to the Deputy over the next number of days.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that businesses are continuing to make massive sacrifices to protect their communities. Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. The measures in the Budget are in addition to those announced in the July Stimulus and include the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Grant Payments (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised that in all instances where financial assistance is approved by IDA Ireland for a company, the Agency and the client enter into a legal and binding contract (grant agreement). The contract which is confidential, between IDA Ireland and the client company, includes conditions and milestones that are required to be achieved before any financial assistance is paid. A company signs...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand this is an incredibly difficult time for families and businesses across the country and I would like to thank them for their efforts at this difficult time. By each of us following the spirit of the rules and working together we can hopefully ease some restrictions soon. S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 10) Regulations...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the difficulties that business owners continue to face and with that in mind the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC),...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Retail Sector (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware of the critical role that the retail sector plays, as the largest private sector employer in Ireland, in contributing to the Irish economy. The past year has been a difficult year for all businesses, including retailers. The impact of both the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit have posed significant challenges for businesses and it is vital that businesses continue to develop...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (31 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Bearing in mind the scope of the request from the Deputy it will not be possible to provide a breakdown of expenditure of the goods and services procured by my Department and its Offices over the past three years in the time available. I will arrange for the information being sought to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as available over the coming days.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Understandably, the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last week and the allegations contained within it have been distressing for many people. Parents and families will go to any length they can to protect their children's rights. Since last Thursday's broadcast, families have been wondering whether they are affected. Work is under way in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Those are all valid and reasonable questions but the answers are not in the briefing I have been given from the Department of Health and I am not able to give the Deputy the answers this morning. However, the Minister will be here this afternoon and I understand that nearly two hours have been set aside later in the day so that the line Ministers can answer any relevant questions and make...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to emphasise that the decision the Government made to revise the priority groups for vaccination was made based on public health advice and the advice of doctors and scientists, both in the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, and the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. I often hear in this House, Government and Opposition Members saying that we should...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy should get briefings on this. I will try to make arrangements with the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach's office to ensure that happens. On vaccines, 112,000 vaccines arrived last night which meant that we reached the target estimate of receiving 1.187 million vaccines in the first quarter. Supplies are now firming up. More than 800,000 vaccines have already been given...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I only heard about those events in the past hour or so. Without knowing all the facts, I do not want to comment any further. However, I am of the view that the former Debenhams workers were very badly treated by their employer in the way they were laid off over a year ago. The Government has done all that it can to ensure that their legal rights and entitlements were...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy knows full well that the legal entitlement to redundancy in Ireland is two weeks per year of service. That is statutory redundancy. If the House or the Government decides to increase that to three or four weeks, so be it. That cannot be applied retrospectively, however. The legal entitlement is two weeks per year of service. Sometimes people have collective agreements that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I answered some of those questions earlier but I am happy to expand further on them. First of all, the vaccine roll-out is going really well in Northern Ireland. I want to congratulate the authorities in Northern Ireland, and in Britain, on the fabulous job they have done in securing vaccines and getting them to people very quickly. That is happening because the UK had a different set of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is the case that Britain and Northern Ireland are going to open up faster than here, largely as a consequence of the fact that the vaccine roll-out is happening faster there. However, the difference is going to be a couple of weeks. If one goes to Northern Ireland or England now, one is not going to find restaurants or non-essential retail open. None of those services are open...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely acknowledge that there are many people who are annoyed or disappointed because they felt they were going to be prioritised for vaccination. Whether it was an assumption or an assurance they were given, many people believed they were going to be prioritised. It did not only apply to gardaí or teachers. The list mentioned by the Deputy could probably extend to hundreds of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My understanding is that the modelling done by NPHET and Professor Nolan does factor in our projections in respect of vaccination. The difficulty we have at the moment is that not enough people are vaccinated. Whereas vaccinating all those over 70 years reduces the number of deaths dramatically, it does not reduce the number of ICU admissions dramatically. That is why we need to vaccinate...