Results 35,301-35,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: It is important that local authorities make submissions for additional money. There will be a budget for the LIS next year. It is important that the work gets started in the spring or summer and is not left until the end of the year when sometimes it is too late. I envisage through the course of 2022 that if we see there are underspends in particular Departments and those Departments are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. This is an important issue in my constituency as well as his. Many people, particularly living in apartments and high-density developments, face enormous bills which they often cannot afford to repair their homes and are stuck in a terrible limbo, even leaving aside the safety issues. The inability to sell on or move on until these defects are fixed is a huge problem...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will follow that up with the Minister for Health during the day. The point behind mandatory hotel quarantine, of which I am not a big fan, is that people are quarantined for ten to 14 days because they may be carrying a new variant of the virus. Unfortunately, while testing is very accurate, it is not 100%. That is the purpose of mandatory hotel quarantine and, for that reason, the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am not sure if legislation or a statutory instrument is pending, but I will ask the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to contact the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of it, but I have not yet had an opportunity to read it from cover to cover as it is about 60 pages long. The argument is that it could be legally possible for the State to purchase that land by CPO. I do not doubt that. I have said in this House previously that compulsory purchase of the land is an option, but it is an option that has consequences. It could delay the project...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is considering this matter at the moment. Deputies Carey and McHugh and others have made a similar case to that being made now by Deputy Pringle in regard to the sliding scale. The whole idea of having a cap per square foot, in terms of cost, is a sensible one so that we can contain costs and make sure the money is spent most efficiently. It is based...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I want to acknowledge that even though the Government has not closed any hospitality businesses, hotels, restaurants or bars, nor have we advised against international travel, the reality is that the public health advice has caused people to behave in a certain way, which is the way we have asked them to behave. I hate the word "behave"; perhaps "act" is a better word. That has had a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The EWSS may not be the best way to do it, but we will do something for sure.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: What has happened is that people have heeded the advice they received from the CMO and the Government. They are reducing their social contacts and, as a result, they are cancelling bookings in restaurants and pubs, attendance at events in bars and travel. In many ways, that sector, which has been the worst, hardest and longest hit, is now, once again, taking a hit for the team. That is why...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We need to make sure there is no dead weight and that is what we are working on at the moment.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I can do so. There is an initial allocation in the budget of €40 million for next year and, if that is needed and spent, then more can be found. We are not going to have a situation whereby we set up a scheme in the first few months of next year, get it up and running in the spring and summer and then tell people in the autumn it is being suspended. That is not going to happen. If...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I saw reports on the television news a few months ago about this adventure centre in County Wicklow closing. I had not heard that it has been able to secure insurance and can now reopen. That is really good news and very welcome. Having reopened, we want it stay opened, and having affordable and available insurance is going to be part of that. The first and biggest step in terms of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I certainly will raise this matter with the Minister for Health, whom I will see today or tomorrow when we discuss the new advice from NPHET. I really welcome the fact that Deputy Devlin used the term "third dose". I really think we should stop using the term "booster dose". It is increasingly clear that this is a three-course primary vaccination, as is the case with many other vaccines....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I will certainly take it up with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. We may well need to expand the capital budget of Irish Water so it can get more work done around the country. It has been expanded already. Initial indications suggest that Irish Water will underspend its capital budget by...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I received a briefing about it a week or so ago, but it is probably out of date at this stage. I will certainly talk to Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte about it, as she is the Minister of State with responsibility in this area. I will ask that she takes whatever necessary action is required to maintain and retain these important...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not an expert in the field at all, but what the Deputy said is concerning. The pattern of development in Dublin is unusual. It is almost as a low-rise city in the centre and it is increasingly becoming high-rise city around the M50 ring, which runs through the Deputy’s constituency and mine. Logic would suggest that some of the equipment would be in the M50 area to the west of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have not yet sent my letter, a Cheann Comhairle. On the Deputy’s question, I want to give him an assurance, and an assurance to the families and children of Ireland, that this matter is in hand. Santa, his wife and his staff are fully vaccinated and they will be exempt from any travel restrictions that have to be imposed between now and then. My Department will leave no stone...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: On Deputy Munster's query, there are ongoing delays at the Passport Office that we are all familiar when it comes to the processing of passports. The Department of Foreign Affairs is taking on additional staff, although there are some issues with people working from home, which is making a little bit more difficult. However, additional staff are being taken on to speed the process up. We...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Given the data being requested spans the past five years across the Department and each of its Offices, it is not possible to provide the full information to the Deputy in the timeframe provided to meet the deadline set by the Parliamentary Questions Office. I will arrange for the provision of the requested material to be provided to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity over the coming...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Properties (2 Dec 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. Typically, the Department and its Offices are in shared accommodation, either with other Government Departments, public bodies and/or the private sector. The Department and its Offices are located in 11 locations...