Results 35,121-35,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Properties (14 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Accommodation for my Department and its Offices is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. Neither the Department nor any of its Offices occupy any buildings in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (14 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In January 2021, the European Parliament published a proposed new directive on an EU-wide ‘right to disconnect’. Whilst it may be some time before we see progress on this at a European level, I wanted to progress at a national level our commitment in the Programme for Government to bring forward proposals on a right to disconnect. In November 2020, I requested that the WRC...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (20 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Neither I nor any officials from my Department have held meetings or conducted correspondence with the company in question in the period since the 1st January 2017. A search of records has indicated that the CEO of the company in question addressed an ‘Ambition North America’ Conference/Trade Mission in October 2019 which was attended by Minister Pat Breen, who was a Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Climate Change Policy (20 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My department is leading the transition to a low carbon green economy across the Irish enterprise base. We are integrating climate action into all aspects of the Department and its agencies’ activities. New jobs will emerge in the green economy in sectors such as renewable energies, environmental consultancy services, residential and commercial retrofitting and low carbon technology...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Programme (21 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The right to request remote work is part of the Government vision to make remote working a permanent feature of Ireland’s workforce in a way that can benefit all – economically, socially and environmentally.  The commitment to introduce legislation to underpin employees' right to request remote work was made in the national Remote Work Strategy published last January. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Universal Basic Income (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to ‘Request the Low Pay Commission to examine Universal Basic Income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government’. Earlier this year, I formally requested the Low Pay Commission to examine this issue. The Low Pay Commission has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Defective Building Materials (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: On and from 1 July 2013, under Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 (known as the Construction Products Regulation or the “CPR”), CE marking became mandatory for all construction products placed on the market in the European Economic Area for which there exists a harmonised European product standard.  The CPR provides for Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department published ‘Making Remote Work’, the National Remote Work Strategy on January 15th, 2021. The objective of the Strategy is to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits. The report is built on three pillars which are bolstered by underpinning conditions. These pillars are:...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland’s enterprise policy – Enterprise 2025 Renewed – was refreshed in March 2018 to ensure that policy remained robust in the face of then-emerging changes in the global landscape.  Subsequently, Future Jobs Ireland was published in 2019 setting out further enterprise policy ambitions to ensure resilient enterprises and jobs into the future with a focus on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Offices (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Office space for my Department and its Offices is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. Therefore, my Department does not own, purchase or rent office space. My Department works closely with OPW colleagues to ensure that the provision of such office space is appropriate, fit-for-purpose and every effort...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Offices (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Accommodation for my Department and its Offices is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. The Department does not own any properties and we fully utilise the accommodation provided by the OPW. Typically, the Department and its Offices are tenants in shared accommodation, either with other Government...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Working Groups (19 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Details of groups and forums led or chaired by my Department which include representatives from private companies or industry representative bodies are set out in the attached tables.   Note that my Department does not remunerate members of the groups listed, with the exception of the Low Pay Commission whose members do receive remuneration. Civil and public service members of some...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. For many in society, when it comes to the pandemic, things are largely back to normal. Many people are able to go back to their workplaces and schools, colleges, shops and businesses are open. For our hospitals, however, the pandemic is as bad as it ever was. There are 500 people in hospital with Covid today and almost 100 people in ICU. Hospitals are trying to manage...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. There will, of course, be engagement between the Minister and the HSE on one hand and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and SIPTU health on the other on this issue of student nurses and student midwives which, as the Deputy said, is an industrial relations issue. It is appropriate there should be further engagement. I do not know when the Minister, Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his questions. Nobody knows for sure what we are going to face into this winter with the health service. Much of that will depend on the pandemic and on whether cases peak and fall, continue to rise, or level off at a certain point. Looking around Europe and at other parts of the world, it is hard to know for sure what trajectory we are going to follow. We will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, it is really important to say that all four of the vaccines that have been used in Ireland are very effective, perhaps not as effective against transmission as we hoped but extremely effective in reducing hospitalisation and the need for ICU care and against death. What is remarkable is that, in the past two weeks or so, we have had as many cases of Covid detected as we did in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this issue and acknowledge his advocacy on this very sensitive matter. Anybody who has read or listened to reports on this issue will have been shocked and very upset at what happened and will struggle to understand how something like this could happen. When I heard about it, I was shocked and appalled that anything like this could happen anywhere at any...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly do that. The Government will press the HSE and the Garda to have this report published. It needs to be published for two reasons. The families concerned have a right to information and a right to know what happened, who knew what at what point, and how they acted. Anyone involved in this, including some of the staff members - some may have a case to answer and others may...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure those figures for the transport budget and the budget for roads in 2022 are correct. I will need to go back to office later and check on them. As far as I am aware, we have found additional funding for the remainder of this year for local and regional roads. That is coming from the Department of Transport budget, which will not be fully spent this year and will need to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that these are important questions and these are important projects for people living in west Cork but that question is probably best put to the Minister for Transport rather than me, as he would have the up-to-date information. I will certainly let him know the Deputy raised this question today in the Dáil. I am very aware of the strategic framework for land transport...