Results 34,081-34,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her work on this topic. Anybody who has looked into the matter will understand the complexity of it all. Something being complex is not, however, an excuse not to act. It is our intention to put in place more permanent and durable solutions as opposed to the sticking-plaster version put in place for the Minister and for councillors around the country. One thing we...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure if there are any specific plans for the Meelick site but I will let the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, know that the Deputy has raised the matter and has some suggestions as to how it could be put into use for the benefit of the community. I am sure he will want to consider them. It is the Government's policy to phase out...

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

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is developing our first autism-specific strategy. It will be an important step forward. Work on that is under way. I am sorry to hear about the individual cases that the Deputy raised, but the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who has responsibility for disability services, is taking a real interest in this matter and will do her best to...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I heard the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, speaking authoritatively on it a few weeks ago. The PUP is paid directly to the individual and should not fall into this at all. However, there is a basic principle that, when it comes to an insurance policy, one cannot be compensated for the same thing twice. That is why insurers will, in some...

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

Leo Varadkar: This is a fraught area and it requires some discussion, including perhaps in this House. Using vaccine passports or vaccine green passes could have the benefit of allowing us to open up our society more quickly and allow more people to return to work and businesses to open. On the down side, it would create a division in our society between people who are vaccinated and people who choose...

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

Leo Varadkar: This is the first time in a long while when the issue of trolleys or hospital overcrowding has been raised with me in the House. It used to be something that was raised nearly every week when I was on my feet. That tells a story in itself. The problem of trolleys and hospital overcrowding has not gone away by any means, but it is considerably less than it was before the pandemic. Even...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Higgins for raising this issue. It is something on which the Government is working. Young people in particular need to be able to get on the road, especially in rural areas but also in urban areas, such as our shared constituencies in west Dublin. We are keen to see a return to driving lessons and driving tests and to enable theory tests to be done online, which would help....

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

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of whether there is an appeals process. I will ask the Minister to respond to the Deputy's letter. I am aware of this issue. It has been raised with me by Deputy O'Dowd, among others, and we agreed on the need to build that road for many different reasons. It seems to fall between two stools. It is really a transport project, but the application was made under the urban...

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

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly give the matter consideration. I am not sure we can waive the fee for five years but perhaps we can do a bit better than what we have done to date. As a result of the pandemic, many businesses have changed their models. Restaurants are doing dinner boxes and takeaways when they never did so before because they have been allowed to do so. Hospitality businesses are using...

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

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Bríd Smith asked about the three-year review of the abortion legislation. That is planned. I understand the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has done some initial work on it. I will ask him to provide the Deputy with more detail on that. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, is aware of the anomaly...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: IDA Ireland (29 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland’s overseas teams and office network are vital to support the agency’s efforts in winning new Foreign Direct Investment across the world.  From time-to-time the Agency seeks to expand its global network of offices and teams.  Many firms are looking to expand into new markets and Ireland is a proven location for global companies to grow and serve their...

Seanad: Business and Covid-19: Statements (30 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on business and Covid-19. This may be the first time I have addressed the Twenty-sixth Seanad. It is also a pleasure to be back in the Dáil Chamber. I am not sure I have been here this year. We have been exiled to the convention centre but I am glad Senators are making good use of the Chamber during our brief exile. I...

Seanad: Business and Covid-19: Statements (30 Apr 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I also thank Senators for a very interesting and informed debate. It is nice to come to the Seanad. I must come to the House more often because it is less adversarial and, therefore, sometimes a little more grown-up. I appreciate the comments and remarks of Senators. Senator Ahearn has often mentioned the Ballingarrane campus to me.There is specific...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: North-South Ministerial Council (5 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: On 21 April I chaired the 21st North South Ministerial Council Trade and Business Development meeting. The Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy Diane Dodds, accompanied by the NI Minister of Finance Conor Murphy, represented the Northern Ireland Executive at this meeting. The North South Ministerial Council was established under the Good Friday Agreement to develop consultation,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Investigations (5 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that no staff member of my Department has had access to files and/or email restricted and/or revoked as part of a disciplinary process or preceding, or following a disciplinary process, during the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (5 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that Fáilte Ireland, which operates under the aegis of my colleague Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, has published re-opening guidelines tailored to various sectors of the Irish hospitality and tourism industry. These guidelines are available on the Fáilte Ireland website. Fáilte Ireland has worked closely...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 247 together. The Government has worked to support businesses through this difficult time with a comprehensive range of measures for firms of all sizes. The measures include the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) now extended until the 30th of June, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Industrial Relations (5 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish Constitution. However, our Superior Courts have established that the Constitutional guarantee of the freedom of association does not guarantee workers the right to have their union recognised for the purpose of collective bargaining. Notwithstanding this, it has been the consistent...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Ba chóir go mbeadh gach duine ábalta úinéireacht a bheith aige nó aici ar a theach nó a teach cónaithe agus ní mór dúinn an deis sin a thabhairt do dhaoine. Is muidne an Rialtas atá i bhfabhar úinéireacht ar thithe cónaithe agus creidim gur maith an rud é go mbeadh úinéireacht ag duine ar a mhian nó a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: That is a further misrepresentation. I did not say "restrict". I said it would be wrong to ban them outright and I explained the role they have to play and have had to play. I was interested to hear Deputy Ó Broin on "Prime Time" only the other night, for the first time ever that I have heard him, advocating for private investment and long-term investment by pension funds in housing....