Results 34,121-34,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly look into it. If the Deputy wants to send me on some more information or some examples, I will take it up with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the regulator. I think I know what the response will be. The response will be that standing charges are there to pay for the infrastructure. They are there to pay for the pipes, the pylons and the wires.

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

Leo Varadkar: Even when they are not being used, they have to be paid for. I would be happy to look into it further.

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with the issue of mica in Donegal and in Mayo and I have been in houses in Donegal that have been affected. Unfortunately, I am not up to date on where we are in terms of the scheme and the working group. I will be talking to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, either today or tomorrow. I will let him know that the Deputy raised it here and ask him to respond...

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

Leo Varadkar: I would be happy to have a debate on this issue in Government time. Deputy Griffin will talk to Deputy Creed about organising that. It is already the case that being fully vaccinated exempts people from mandatory hotel quarantine. That makes sense and the vast majority of people agree with that. It is the intention of the Government to opt in to the green digital certificate being...

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

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, the announcement from the US yesterday is very significant and has caused the EU and other developed countries to reassess their position on this matter. This pandemic is raging across the world. Records are being broken every day in terms of the number of new cases. If we are going to get the virus under control, we need to get it under control everywhere. That...

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

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that the Deputy raised this matter with me previously. Deputy O'Dowd also raised it with me. Drogheda is a town of more than 40,000 people and I can see that there is a very strong case for having a vaccination centre there as well as in Dundalk. I will raise it with the HSE. As the Deputy knows, I do not have the authority to instruct the HSE on matters like this but I will...

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

Leo Varadkar: I understand there is nothing on the legislative programme as yet on this matter. It is the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and I understand he is of the view that those lands in Dublin 8 would be best used for regeneration with a mixed development, including housing, business and other uses. The best thing for me to do is...

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

Leo Varadkar: I understand that this is a burning issue. People need to get on the road, particularly younger people in rural Ireland but also in urban Ireland, to go to college and take up employment opportunities. We need to get on top of the backlog that was created by the pandemic. I am not 100% across the announcement yesterday but I understand that some services will reopen and an additional 40...

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

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, we have more special needs assistants working in our schools than ever before. That is a reflection of the level of need but, also, the level of commitment by Government to making sure children who have additional educational needs get the best chance in life. This matter falls under the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. I will take it up...

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

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, I appreciate this is a big problem and a burning issue. Young people, in particular, need to be able to get on the road in rural Ireland and in urban Ireland too, so they can access job opportunities, get to college or do whatever they need to do. Yesterday, an announcement was made by the Minister for Transport that an additional 40 staff would be taken on to try to...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Higgins for raising that and I know the Deputy raised it with me last night as well. I have not had a chance to follow up on it but I will. It is an important issue to which we need a solution because we need to make sure we do not miss any of those patients in groups 4 and 7, because they are the ones at highest medical need. The Deputy can be sure I will follow up on that...

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

Leo Varadkar: Certainly, the approach in my constituency is always to facilitate each other and allow each other to speak.

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

Leo Varadkar: Deputy O'Dea is quite right. This was an unintended consequence. An unintended consequence we want to avoid is a reduction in supply by banning forms of private investment but I am sure we can find a solution that gets the balance right. I cannot give the Deputy a timeline on it at present but I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The closure of the Aptar plant in Ballinasloe was a very disappointing development for the region and I am keenly aware of the blow this has been for the affected employees and their families. IDA Ireland has been working with the company to market the plant to potential investors, using the employee skills audit in their efforts to attract new investment to Ballinasloe. The IDA has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has introduced a range of business supports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including loan guarantee facilities for businesses of different sizes. This query may be in reference to either the COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme or the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, both of which offer state guaranteed lending to businesses impacted by the pandemic. The COVID-19 Working...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: No funding has been allocated by my Department or the agencies under its remit to An Taisce during the years in question. IDA Ireland have informed me that they made a payment to An Taisce in 2019 in the amount of €500 as part of their Green Schools Cycle Training in Mervue Business Park, Galway.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will recall that this particular Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment consists of two important and complementary components, namely a comprehensive analysis of the potential economic benefits as well as a robust sustainability impact assessment including social, human rights and environmental impacts that the trade Agreement could have in Ireland and the Mercosur...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will recall that this Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment consists of two important and complementary components, namely a comprehensive analysis of the potential economic benefits as well as a robust sustainability impact assessment including social, human rights and environmental impacts that the trade Agreement could have in Ireland and the Mercosur countries of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: While my Department does not generally provide direct funding to non-governmental organisations, it does fund the costs of Ireland’s membership of a number of international organisations (e.g. World Trade Organisation, International Labour Organisation, European Space Agency). The total funding provided to support these memberships in 2020 was €26.355 million. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (11 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Data captured as at 12 April 2021 provides for 930 employees with an annual salary cost of approximately €48M.