Results 35,681-35,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do not have an update on that to hand. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who is in charge of that area to contact the Deputy directly to explain the delay. I agree with the Deputy that we should have it resolved by now.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I understand that legislation is currently awaiting pre-legislative scrutiny. It will take time for the committee to complete hearings and a report on it before we can bring it back into the Houses.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The Minister for Transport will shortly be making allocations for the maintenance and restoration of local and regional roads. There will be an increase in the budget on last year but I do not know how much of it will go to Wexford. There is a formula as to how that is determined. I appreciate the point the Deputy makes and I will make the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is time to do exactly that. As a Government, we want to make sure older people can live in their own homes for as long as is possible. In the past, we have a lot of additional resources into homecare for that reason. The barrier to receiving those services was a lack of finance, but it is now not a lack of finance but a shortage of homecare workers, which we are really struggling with...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has raised an important issue. I do not know what the situation is, but I will follow up with the HSE and the Department for an update not only for the Deputy but for myself because there are some people affected in my constituency too.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My thoughts are with Thomas Niland who was a victim of a horrific attack in his home. As there is an active Garda investigation under way, the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment in detail on the specific case, but I believe I speak for all in the House in sincerely hoping he makes a full recovery. I join with the Garda in appealing for any person who noticed anything unusual in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That is a cheap shot.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Like the Deputy, we come from our communities. We are elected by everyday people and we hear the concerns of our constituents and their real-life experiences every day, just as he does. The Deputy is on the same salary as everyone here behind me.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I ask the Deputy not to pretend he has a monopoly on knowledge or understanding. That is not fair.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is a cheap shot. It is populism and it is exactly what this country does not need.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I understand the Minister for Finance is working on that at the moment, both in terms of putting new members on the board and coming up with a long-term solution because it is important that we get that system up and running again. I will ask the Minister to provide more details to the Deputy in writing.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We have brought in stronger legislation to protect tenants. We have also provided additional resources to the Residential Tenancies Board to ensure those rights are enforced. I have not heard before of a landlord charging for a parking space as a way to get around HAP. That is an interesting and rather devious approach. I am not sure whether it is legal or not. I...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I honestly do not know when the inquiry is going to start but if it was committed to, it should start. I appreciate Deputy Tully also raised the issue. I will make contact with the Minister for Health and provide the Deputy with a proper answer as soon as I can.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, additional finance has been provided. In the past, additional money has not solved the problem, although, hopefully, it will on this occasion. I would not like us ever to be in a position where we are prioritising or pitting children who need different types of spinal surgery against each other. Children who need scoliosis surgery need scoliosis...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Programme for Government (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have spoken before about how the pandemic has caused many of us to reconsider and re-evaluate what an essential worker is. We now understand that it is a much broader group of workers than people would have originally described, many of whom are on low pay and in the private sector. The Government has been clear that a legacy of the pandemic must be better pay, terms and conditions for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Programme for Government (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government committed to promoting higher female labour market participation, as well as less commuting and greater regional balance, through increased remote, flexible and hub-working arrangements, to support families in their parenting and childcare choices. According to the latest available data from the Central Statistics Office’s Labour Force Survey, female...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The period since early 2020 has been a difficult one for many businesses, and some sectors have been more severely impacted by public health restrictions and for a more prolonged period. Throughout the pandemic my Department and its enterprise agencies have engaged with and supported businesses within their remit, and from last year there has been a recovery in employment across the economy....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have acknowledged the pressures people are feeling as the cost of living increases. I know that many costs have increased sharply and that those on lower incomes are being disproportionately affected. Relevant Government Departments have been tasked with developing proposals for a package to help families with the cost of living and my Government plans to finalise this package shortly. In...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has recently been awarded funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Fund to grant aid projects to accelerate decarbonisation of the enterprise sector. The details of the fund and how it will operate are currently being agreed and it is expected to launch mid-year. This initiative will have two components: 1. The Climate Enterprise Action Fund which will provide...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Data (10 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Central Statistics Office compiles statistical data in relation to Goods Exports and Imports. These statistics can be found on the website www.cso.ie. Trade data is collected by the Central Statistics Office at a country level, in this case for China as a whole, and so the more detailed breakdown requested by the Deputy is not available. As regards the substantive human rights issue...