Results 34,061-34,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has not incurred any costs for public relations nor media advice since January 2020 to date, and consequently has not engaged any third-party companies to provide same.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Details of costs incurred by my Department from January 2020 to date in 2021 on advertising and public messaging in print, broadcast and online, and the companies engaged to assist with placing the advertisements and the companies advertised with are set out in the attached table.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Transport (28 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Department and its Offices, which include the Companies Registrations Office, the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, the Labour Court, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Workplace Relations Commission do not own or lease any vehicles.  The day-to-day operations of the Agencies are a matter for the relevant Board and senior management team and such...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I join with you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, by offering my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Helen McEntee who delivered a baby boy last night, and to her husband, Paul Hickey. They have made history. This is the first time that a serving member of the Government in Ireland has given birth. When it comes to equality and diversity it is often said that people need to see it before they...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I can give her an assurance that I will do exactly that. I will be speaking to business organisations this evening, after the Cabinet meeting. I will be meeting, in small-group format, as I often do, with the Labour Employer Economic Forum, which comprises unions and employers, next week. There will be detailed engagement with unions and employers over the next couple...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Shortall for raising this important matter. The programme for Government is explicit on this and states that the Government will develop inclusive and age-appropriate curricula for RSE and social, personal and health education, SPHE, across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships. That is the Government's policy and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is true that transfer of patronage has been very slow in the past couple of years but it is also important that transfer of patronage, where it occurs, should be done with consent. In my constituency we have a reasonable mix of schools, including community national schools, Educate Together national schools, Catholic diocese schools and a Church of Ireland school. When one talks to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. There is only one law and those are the laws that are passed by us, including the Deputy, here in this Oireachtas. The Garda is responsible for enforcing the laws we enact here in this Oireachtas. That is what gardaí have to do. Regarding taxi drivers, the Government acknowledges that they are among the groups that have suffered the most in this pandemic, not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I can only repeat what I said earlier, that is, that laws are passed here by us in the Houses of the Oireachtas. There is no law on Covid that did not come through this House. The Garda is responsible for enforcing the law. Statutory instruments can, of course, be revoked by this House. I have not yet seen a proposal to revoke any of the statutory instruments put in place since this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. There will be a formal announcement by the Taoiseach later today on the reopening of hotels, all the services associated with them and the hospitality industry more broadly, including pubs and restaurants. It relates to outdoor activities. I fully agree that we need a plan for aviation and a return to international travel. Airports have received very large amounts...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will, with the help of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, look into the issue the Deputy raised of people who are on the pandemic unemployment payment moving to a lower payment, maternity benefit, and we will see whether we can do anything on it. I had the privilege to be Taoiseach for three years and Minister for Social Protection for one year, and this is exactly the space I moved us...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Rents are too high in Ireland and in Dublin especially. I do not think anyone would dispute that statement. We have brought in rent controls to limit the extent to which rents can be increased, through the rent pressure zones. The problem of rents being too high is not going to be solved by tax credits or rent controls, which people can get around through subletting and do in other cities...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There is no solution to this without building more homes and more apartments of all types.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The matter of visits to maternity hospitals is under consideration, although I do not know whether there will be an announcement on it today. A strong case is being made for partners to be able to attend antenatal appointments and that is currently under consideration. The change in vaccine guidance is helpful. The national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, has now advised that...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: One thing we all need to acknowledge, when it comes to the miracle that is the development of these vaccines, is that they were developed by private enterprise and with the help of Government funding-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: -----and with the private and public sectors working together and we need to acknowledge that. Were it not for private enterprise, it is possible these vaccines would not have been developed. As it happens, none of the vaccines are made in Ireland and the intellectual property does not sit in Ireland, so our position on that has to be seen in that context. There are discussions on a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Network technicians at ESB Networks who are members of the Independent Workers Union are engaged in industrial action, including work-to-rule and work stoppages. Industrial relations within ESB Networks are a matter for the company, and while any industrial action is regrettable, the impact of this particular action is expected to be limited. The action has been taken by network technicians...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not familiar with the rapid one-hour PCR test but I will certainly check it out and follow up on it. It is not a secret that there are differences of opinion with regard to lateral flow rapid antigen testing and rapid antigen testing in general. In the main, public health doctors are not enthusiastic about it but scientists generally are. That has been an issue all along. The report...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to correct the record in that regard. What I meant to say was that the laws in question were passed by this Oireachtas. I did not suggest that everybody voted for them. I understand that in only one case was an attempt made to rescind a statutory instrument. That attempt was defeated in a democratic vote of this House. On the issue the Deputy raised, I concur with him....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I very much welcome the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly and I thank its members for the work they have done. They have produced a really excellent report, as did the Constitutional Convention and previous citizens' assemblies such as that which considered the eighth amendment. Government will consider these recommendations and the Oireachtas will also want to do so. We will be...