Results 34,581-34,600 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is just done for social media; you do not really care.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The modelling presented by NPHET to the Cabinet on Tuesday did not take account of the changes that NIAC has now permitted in relation to vaccines, nor could it have. We still do not know for sure what the changes that NIAC is now permitting will do in terms of the vaccination programme. We knew that the vaccination programme would slow down in July because we could not use the AstraZeneca...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The pandemic is unfair, as are viruses and, sometimes, science. Older people have borne the brunt of the pandemic by quite a distance with regard to illness, hospitalisation and deaths. Younger people have borne the brunt economically with regard to the impact on their incomes and on their freedoms. At the start of this pandemic, we told older people that they were the most vulnerable and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to the digital Covid certificate, we will give consideration to the testing option for the exact reasons the Deputy has mentioned. However, in giving that consideration, we also need to be honest with people. Nobody will ever say that any test, whether a PCR test or an antigen test, is as good as vaccination or immunity from exposure. We could do that in order to address the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is welcome that works are to be carried out on the runway of Cork Airport. This is a necessary investment in the airport. For obvious reasons, it is probably the right time to do it given that the level of air travel has reduced so much because of the pandemic. It is welcome that this work is taking place. As the Deputy pointed out, the aviation sector has received a lot of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: All of us in this House appreciate that the aviation sector is facing a very difficult period. It was booming before the pandemic but that has fundamentally changed. The pandemic has led to a dramatic reduction in air travel. It may be a very long time before it recovers because this pandemic will affect parts of the world for years. That will have an impact on air travel. I also believe...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of insurance costs for business in the Chamber again. I share his concerns about it, as Minister responsible for employment and enterprise. I assure the House that insurance reform is a priority for the Government. We established a Cabinet committee sub-group on insurance reform, which I chair. It met yesterday and is overseeing the implementation...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have heard of the practice of ghost brokering. It is illegal but it is often difficult to enforce the law against an Internet entity that may not be based in the State. I will take up the Deputy's suggestion of an information campaign to warn consumers about this scam so they might be able to avoid being ripped off in this way. I will speak to the Competition and Consumer Protection...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is a matter of opinion but my opinion is that nobody should be shouted at, shouted down or shouted over in their workplace. It constitutes workplace bullying in pretty much any other scenario and when the Deputy does it, he should apologise for it. Perhaps he does not think so and perhaps the Leas-Cheann Comhairle does not think so but I do. The standards we uphold in this House are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the Deputy's question, which I am trying to answer as he interrupts me again, we will have information on the revised roll-out of the vaccine programme in the next couple of days. That work is being done by the HSE at the moment.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Ferguson report on antigen testing recommended that an implementation group be established to implement the report. The group Professor Horgan is now chairing is that implementation group. It follows on from the Ferguson report. We have very advanced plans for antigen testing in third level institutions in September and October. That is part of this initiative. I have guidance on...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Hospitality certainly is also a potential option.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I take this opportunity to extend my condolences to Terence Wheelock's family and friends, who, I know, are still grieving and still have a lot of questions they would like answered. As the Deputy said, a GSOC investigation was carried out into his death. I am not sure whether an inquest took place. I certainly will ask the Minister for Justice to reply to the Deputy about his specific...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy knows, in the rent pressure zones, rents can only increase year on year by between zero and 4%. We are going to change that now so that prices are linked to the harmonised index of consumer prices - inflation, essentially - and that will mean rent increases, depending on inflation, of probably no more than 0.7% or just above 1%, which is where inflation is running at the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Doing what the Deputy proposes, which is just having flat rents, would mean some people cannot pay their mortgage and some would have their pension cut.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Covid-19 restrictions are gradually eased, there have been changes to the status of driver testing services. A gradual reopening of in-person driver theory test centres commenced on 8 June. Essential driver training for essential workers who have not completed their training recommended on 10 May. Driving tests for essential workers are being prioritised. There will be a gradual...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, we have a very ambitious plan in regard to apprenticeships, which involves getting up to 10,000 apprentices a year by 2025. It is being led by the Minister, Deputy Harris. We are now providing incentives and grant aid to employers to take on apprentices and that is showing some positive effects. In the context of the particular case the Deputy raised, if...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Thankfully, on the two occasions on which I was in Miltown Malbay, the sun was splitting the stones. It is a really beautiful place to be, particularly along the beach when the sun is shining. However, I know what Ireland is like in winter, as does the Deputy. We are all increasingly aware and cognisant of the importance of good ventilation in indoor settings. It is actually something...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am a huge fan of greenways. All Members have seen the enormous success the Great Western Greenway has been in Mayo, as has the Déise greenway in Waterford. I have been on the great southern trail with Deputy Griffin and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on a few occasions and I was delighted to hear that it is now being opened and extended. It is a long...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jul 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I appreciate the dilemma that exists. We did take a look at phasing out PUP on a sectoral basis but it is not as straightforward as that either. While retail may be open, many people formerly employed in the sector in the airport have not yet returned to work. While a handful of sandwich shops have re-opened, there are sandwich shops all over the city centre that are...