Results 35,001-35,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (29 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that the Deputy has clarified that she is seeking details of the total amount spent by my Department on external consultancy contracts and legal services in the years in question.  In 2018, the total spent on external consultancy contracts in the Department was €1,112,563. The total spent on external legal services was €1,419,612. In 2019 the total spent on...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Regarding the mica issue he mentioned, I have not seen that report, so I cannot confirm whether what is being reported is correct. I can state the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, thanked the members of the working group at yesterday's meeting for its involvement and engagement in the process in recent months. He acknowledged, in particular, the stress and hardship...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not interested in Deputy Doherty's swipes against me either, but I am going to call out populism when I see it. It is a classic tactic of populist politicians from the far left and the far right and everything in between, all around the world, to display this tactic. You tell your opponents what they think and believe, and then you tell them how awful they are for believing or thinking...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Attorney General is finishing out a number of cases which he had taken on prior to his appointment as Attorney General to this Government. That is not unprecedented. I understand it has happened in the past with former Attorneys General, that they are allowed to finish out cases that they were involved in prior to their appointment. It is something the party leaders and the Cabinet...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am absolutely certain the Attorney General will be very careful to avoid any conflict of interest or any perception of that. He is a person of the highest integrity and ability and I have full confidence he will make sure there is no conflict of interest. I will endeavour to find answers to the Deputy's questions as soon as I can. I cannot promise it will be today. I do not know if a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I remember that speech well and I remember visiting Bausch & Lomb that day. It was a very positive day. We were announcing additional jobs for the region, and those jobs have been delivered and have happened. In the past couple of years, there have been some very significant and positive developments for Waterford, which I know the Deputy will acknowledge....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The M20 project between Limerick and Cork is one that I strongly support and I know the Deputy does too. It is important to bear in mind that there have been very significant motorway projects that benefit Waterford. The Dublin to Waterford motorway is complete and it was done before the Cork to Limerick one. Just in recent times, we have done New Ross, and while New...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I have had a chance over the past couple of days to study the presentations that EirGrid and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities have provided to the Government. Having looked at those presentations, I am confident that we will avoid blackouts and brownouts this winter, but nobody can guarantee it for certain because there are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I very much agree that we need to upgrade, improve and modernise our grid but I would not agree with the Deputy saying that nobody has been talking about it. Very ambitious plans have been published to improve and modernise the grid, including the North-South interconnector, the Celtic interconnector between Ireland and France, and Grid West. At times they are controversial but no one can...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It would be appropriate and reasonable to have a debate on that. I am sure that can be taken up by the Business Committee. As I said earlier, based on the presentations that I have seen from EirGrid, the regulator and the Department, I am confident that the plan that is being put in place will enable us to avoid blackouts or brownouts this winter but nobody can absolutely guarantee that...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am frustrated about this too, but not in any way as frustrated as someone who is pregnant or their partner must be when it comes to this issue, which has been going on for a long time. Our vaccine programme is an extraordinary success, with more than 90% of over-16s fully vaccinated and the number of cases stable, albeit still high. We are on track to open the remaining parts of our...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Once again, I wish to state clearly on the record of the House that I am confident that the Attorney General will avoid any conflict of interest. As I said earlier, he is a man of the highest integrity and I am confident he will avoid any such conflict.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of the detail of any particular case in which he is involved. I am certainly not aware of any agreement made prior to his appointment of the nature the Deputy mentioned.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will say to every Deputy in advance that I cannot make commitments today in respect of the budget. The budget will be announced by the Ministers, Deputies Michael McGrath and Donohoe, shortly. Regarding data centres, the Deputy is right. Data centres and, more importantly, the retention of data - it has to be retained somewhere - are contributing to the increased demand for...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There are many lessons that the pandemic has taught us, one of which is the value of migrant labour to Ireland, be it people from Brazil or people from central and eastern Europe coming to Ireland to take up employment. That labour has been significantly reduced in large part by the travel restrictions that were in place and the number of flights that were cancelled or air services that are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with the Deputy that community welfare officers around the country do an excellent job helping people at a time when they need help the most. My understanding is that they are trying to move towards a more efficient service that involves greater use of telephones and electronic communications but will still provide for in-person clinics where necessary and even home visits on...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he mentioned, we have ambitious plans to retrofit as many as 500,000 homes between now and 2030. This will be hard to do, particularly at a time when we need to build hundreds of thousands of new homes as well, but we are determined to press on with both objectives. I am not as up to date on the issue as maybe I should be, but I know some work is being done on a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I have not had an opportunity to study that research. I have seen some news reports, but I do not know about it in any detail. In almost every budget and finance Bill there are proposals to close loopholes where tax avoidance and tax evasion is occurring. I am confident the Deputy will see some measures in that space in the Budget...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I was struck by the CSO data as well and by anecdotal evidence from people telling me about an increase in the number of scam attempts to which they have been subjected. I am not entirely sure what the Government can do about it, particularly when so much of this originates from overseas but I will discuss it with my colleagues at...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am afraid I do not have an update on that important matter, but I will let the Minister for Justice know it was raised and ask her to come back to Deputy directly on it.