Results 34,141-34,160 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: Within my Department’s Communications Unit, there are currently seven staff employed to deal with press and public relations. A breakdown of staff by grade is set out below. My Department has not engaged any third-party companies to deal with public relations and, therefore, no costs have been incurred. Grade Number Principal Officer 1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Tourism Policy (12 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The impact of COVID-19 has not been uniform across areas of economic activity and affected sectors such as the events sector will continue to face challenges due to ongoing distancing requirements, changed consumer behaviour and lower demand. The outlook for internationally traded sectors is also uncertain and will depend on developments in export markets. Nevertheless, I would like to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Advertising (12 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Details of costs incurred by my Department on advertising and awareness raising initiatives related to Covid-19 from March 2020 to date are set out in detail in the attached table. Table 1 Expenditure from 1 March 2020 – 11 May 2021 Date Campaign Print/Online/Broadcast Outlet Cost € April 2020 Graphic Design of COVID-19...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has laid out some facts. Many of them are correct but they are also one-sided. It is true that house prices have increased by about 90% since the trough in 2013, but what the Deputy did not mention - and this is relevant - is that they are still lower than the peak 12 or 13 years ago. We certainly do not want to see them go back to that level. House prices have gone up by about...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I do, but I am bound by Cabinet confidentiality and I am not in a position to discuss them with the Deputy until they are agreed by the Cabinet next Tuesday. The Deputy knows that well, so he should stop the theatrics. The Government is making progress on housing. It is not enough, and I accept that. Family homelessness is at its lowest level in five years. The Deputy did not acknowledge...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Kelly for sharing that story. Often, it is only when we look at individual and real life examples that we understand how our policies and laws affect people and, sometimes, how they must change. I express my condolences to John, his family and the wider community in Nenagh. If I understand what Deputy Kelly said correctly, John does not qualify for the widower's pension,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Social protection is an area that is very much defined in law and by regulation. There is little or no discretion for Ministers in that regard, with the exception of exceptional needs payments. He might have already applied for that, but perhaps not. That might be one option as an interim solution. Without knowing the details of the case, I do not wish to comment on it in detail, but it...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his questions. The Government is committed to a two-state solution in the Middle East of a democratic Israel living side-by-side with a democratic Palestine, peacefully co-operating together. Like the Deputy, I have been to the region, have met people who are Israeli and Palestinian and I admire their culture very much. It is impressive to see the state that has been...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy again and I welcome his criticism of Hamas and of its ideology. I note that he has yet to say anything about the other occupations that exist around the world and I often wonder why so little is said about them and so much about this particular one. That does not, however, in any way take away from the fact that what is happening in Israel and what the Israeli Government...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government is engaged in a huge programme of capital investment in public infrastructure under the banner of Project Ireland 2040. It is €10 billion a year, money which we may struggle to spend this year because of the delays in construction but still a massive budget of €10 billion a year. It is the biggest ever investment programme in public infrastructure, creating jobs...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I broadly agree with the remarks of the Deputy. We do, of course, have systems to monitor capital spending, not just the Committee of Public Accounts but also the Comptroller and Auditor General, although that is largely retrospective, and also the Project Ireland 2040 delivery board. There are mechanisms in place. Could there be greater transparency or can they be improved? I think they...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy makes a very good point and suggestion. We released a plan to have an outdoor summer and that may have issues that need to be dealt with. Local authorities are providing more bins and public toilets. I welcome that. We need more of that from local authorities. As regards gardaí, the budget for the Garda and the number of gardaí have never been higher. We are at...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that the Government target has not changed. That target is that 82% of adults should either have had one dose, be fully vaccinated or have been offered a vaccine by the end of June. I was speaking yesterday about the possibility of opening the portal to all adults before the end of June so everyone will be able to book their appointment. They might not have the vaccine by the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will ask the Minister for Finance to give the Deputy a more detailed reply on this, but my understanding from the Minister is that Home Building Finance Ireland, HBFI, was established to do exactly that. It provides finance, which of course has to repaid, to large, medium and small builders to help them fund the construction of new homes for people to buy. My understanding is that there...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We have passed some extraordinary laws in this House and signed into law some extraordinary regulations I never thought we would because of the pandemic. We have curtailed people's freedom in a way I never thought we would in the past year or so and we have given the Garda powers to do things I never thought we would give it the power to do. However, this is an unprecedented situation....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I agree we need to resolve this issue quickly. Many people in Ireland feel that they can neither plant nor fell a tree. That situation cannot persist for too long. We need the timber for construction and we need to plant more trees in order to help us meet our climate ambitions. The Government accepts that an appropriate assessment procedure is needed for forestry-related licences and we...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate this is an ongoing issue causing much distress to people, both mothers and their partners. The national guidance is that partners should be able to attend the birth of their child and the 20-week scan, and should have full access to the neonatal ICU if there are any problems after birth and their child has to be there. It is still possible for hospitals at local level, for...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot give the Deputy a commitment right here right now but I will certainly speak to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, about it. I am familiar with the issue with pyrite and mica. Pyrite occurred in my constituency and people were included in the assistance scheme. I have been in houses with mica in them in Donegal and I worked very hard...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I remember when the vaccine programme started in January, the Deputy raised this issue and was of the view that the racecourse would be a better site for a vaccine centre than the Radisson Blu Hotel, because the latter is hard to access. I am advised that the vaccine centre will move out of the Radisson Blu Hotel, which will go back to being a hotel, and will be relocated to the Limerick...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: This matter was discussed earlier on. To recap, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, has made a clear and strong statement on this matter on behalf of the Government. We will use our influence on the UN Security Council, which will meet on this quite soon. The Israeli ambassador has been called in for some very difficult discussions with the Minister. We intend to co-ordinate...