Results 34,101-34,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: We want people to be able to have a private property in which they can live and raise their family before passing it to their children when they pass on themselves. That is not the policy of Sinn Féin or many of the left-wing parties in this Chamber, although they try to pretend otherwise. What happened in Maynooth and Hollystown is not right. We do not want investment funds in any...

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

Leo Varadkar: With the greatest respect to the Deputy, it is the ideology of everybody in this House that people who work hard, with a decent average or lower than average income, should be able to buy their own home. It is the case that in this country, 65% to 70% of people own their own home. That was not achieved by the Social Democrats; that has been a feature of long-standing policy by Governments...

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

Leo Varadkar: I may be incorrect but I thought that Bill relates to a different matter, which is the leasing of properties for social housing.

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

Leo Varadkar: That is a different matter. As I understand it the Government is not opposing that but it is a separate matter and it is wrong to conflate the two.

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

Leo Varadkar: What the Deputy said about affordable housing is a bit misleading. The average home in Ireland changed hands last year for about €270,000. We would envisage that the vast majority of affordable housing scheme properties that are provided would be in and around that figure or lower. There are parts of the country where house prices are high, however, and the false impression and...

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

Leo Varadkar: We were in a different situation ten years ago. There were no homes at all being built in Ireland and there was no property at all moving. The policy solutions that might have been required ten years ago may not be the same as we require now and that may change again. Going back to that period ten years ago misunderstands the situation we faced then when no homes were being built and no...

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

Leo Varadkar: It is great rhetoric but there is little reality behind that. It has been the case since time began that houses and apartments cost different amounts in different places. There are places in the country, in Dublin and in the world-----

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

Leo Varadkar: -----where there is a higher demand for housing and where there is a lower demand for housing.

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

Leo Varadkar: There are places where there is no public land and in those places the land cost impacts on the price of affordable housing. It is not that affordable housing will only be built on public land. It will also require the acquisition of land in some cases and it may be built on private land as well. I will go back to the NAMA portfolio, which was not mentioned by the Deputy. It is the...

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

Leo Varadkar: They would have had to be serviced, at the cost of public services or higher taxes for ordinary people.

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

Leo Varadkar: I have not changed my mind on this since last year. I still think it is a weakness that our Defence Forces do not have an aircraft available at all times that could get our troops out of Lebanon in a hurry if we had to, carry out a major evacuation of Irish citizens from somewhere in the world if we had to, or to have an aircraft available that could, for example, bring supplies such as...

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

Leo Varadkar: I will definitely raise it with the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney. As I said earlier, my mind has not changed on this matter but I appreciate that funds are limited and there may be other higher priorities, such as, for example, maritime patrol, search and rescue and the modernisation and replacement of existing equipment. Having read the report, although it was a year ago, I do not...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I have to say the Government and I, personally, were deeply alarmed by reports we read about the possibility the British Government may consider providing an amnesty or putting in place a statute of limitations on offences that occurred during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This would fly in the face of the Stormont House...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I know it is of enormous interest to many people in the House. I will check up on this. My understanding was that partners could attend for the birth of their child and we were to revise the guidelines so that they could attend other appointments as well, such as the 20-week scan and some antenatal appointments.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have heard and understand there may be different policies being operated in different maternity hospitals, but I agree that a standard approach would be better and favourable. I will take it up with the Department of Health and with the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, in the next couple of days.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, this matter is an EU competence. Ireland does not have a seat at the WTO. We are represented by the EU. There are no Covid vaccines made or developed in Ireland and, to my knowledge, the intellectual property is not held here. The statement by Ms Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, and the decision of the US Administration is very significant and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: -----is to involve the pharmaceutical companies, scientists and universities in a solution that will allow more vaccines to be made, and particularly in the global south.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The President of the Commission made a statement on this this morning and made it clear that the European Union is open to discussions on this matter. We want a practical solution that actually means that more vaccines will be produced in the global south and that needs to go beyond a TRIPS waiver. The EU position is we are committed and open to trying to reach an agreement with all members...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: This would be achieved not only by waiving patent rights but also by facilitating technology transfer within the framework of multilateral rules.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Traditional main streets and traditional shopping streets are really under pressure around Ireland. Whether it is in small towns and rural towns around the country or whether it is in places such as Henry Street here in Dublin, we now see a growing issue of vacancy on main streets and on traditional shopping streets. That is really for two reasons. One is the move...