Results 35,761-35,780 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is here, and the Taoiseach raised it previously. I have never said anything about it. For a long time, the Deputy's party has been soft on Russia. As recently as three years ago, Sinn Féin described the expulsion of a Russian diplomat as a violation of our neutrality. I welcome that on this issue Sinn Féin has finally come to its senses and finally realises what Putin is and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My understanding is that waiver is in place as of today. There are a small number of Irish citizens in Ukraine. We need to make sure that they can leave if they choose to do so and we also need to make sure that their families can get out if they need to do so. There is ongoing engagement today involving the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I agree that we have the benefit of a Ukrainian community here in Ireland who are an important part of our country and have served us well, not only during the pandemic but also before. We are keen to make sure the family members of Ukrainian citizens who have settled here in Ireland are also assisted to leave Ukraine if they need to do so. It will be complicated. We have a very small...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The lights are not going to go off. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has signed off on the commissioning and construction of nine new gas plants in Ireland in the coming years. We acknowledge that natural gas is a transition fuel that we are going to need over the next 20 or 30 years while we decarbonise the country and the economy. If the crisis and the war in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Thankfully, we do not import very much gas at all from Russia. Roughly half our gas supplies come from our own source north of Mayo and the other half comes from the UK, mainly via Qatar and the North Sea. Thankfully, we are not particularly dependent on Russian gas in this country, but obviously if the gas were to stop flowing into eastern Europe, that would have an effect on the price and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is correct that these are emerging technologies, but they are not that far away. There is enormous confidence that we can do what we want to do off the west coast, which is a floating offshore wind plant plugging into Moneypoint and Tarbert where the grid connection exists and where we can store wind energy in the form of battery power and hydrogen. It is not our intention to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy makes a very reasonable point around the cost of food. Like him, I do not believe food security or food shortages are going to be a problem, in Ireland anyway. However, if what is happening with energy prices continues and if what is happening in Russia and Ukraine unfolds, then there is a real probability that the price of food will go up here in Ireland and in western Europe....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme provides relief from vehicle registration tax and VAT on the purchase and use of an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is very aware of the importance of the scheme to those who benefit from it. He is also aware of the disquiet expressed by many in respect of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Whatever we decide to do, we will do on a European level because that is the only way it is going to be effective. We need to hit Russia and we need to hit Putin where it hurts, and that is going to include financial sanctions and sanctions against the flow of money and banking activities. That may have a negative impact on our State, but we have to do it because it is the right thing to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It was the Attorney General in the previous Government who determined that inquests should take place in regard to the Stardust fire and tragedy. I very much support that decision. The Government wants to make sure the inquests happen and that they are conducted quickly and conducted properly. We fully support the work of the coroner in that regard. It is not something we can interfere...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Certainly, Ireland will accept refugees from Ukraine. Whatever we do will have to be done on a European basis as part of a European agreement. It is fair to say that we were one of the leading countries in the EU when it came to accepting refugees from Afghanistan. This is a European country. It is much nearer. There is a significant Ukrainian community in Ireland already. We will be...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to check that out and come back to the Deputy. I think the regulations are done. I am not sure if they have been officially signed off or published. South Dublin County Council is advertising affordable homes for people to purchase. It will happen in Waterford quite soon. I had thought they were done but I will find out and come back to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I want to acknowledge that we have a problem with the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, the medical card scheme for dental services. We have about 1,150 dentists who are part of the scheme. About 300 have left in recent times. That means that in large parts of the country people cannot get a dentist or the dental care that they need. However, it is not fair to say that nothing is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have given that issue some consideration. It has been discussed with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. Her view, which I agree with, is that the existing community welfare service is the service that we should continue to use to issue exceptional needs payments. It does not require a separate fund because there is already a fund for exceptional needs payments which...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Devlin for raising this. We have a small but active and very welcome Ukrainian community here in Ireland, many of whom are established here for some time. There is a moral obligation on us to assist them to have their relatives, especially those who are dependent on them, to come to Ireland. It is complicated because we have a very small embassy in Kyiv. It only opened in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This is genuinely one of those moments where I am glad that we are part of the EU and we do not stand alone. The EU does not just ensure and underpin our economic prosperity but it also helps to underpin our security and allows us to act with solidarity when it comes to issues such as this. There will be a meeting of the European Council this evening in Brussels. The Taoiseach will...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We are doing that. There are more members of An Garda Síochána than was ever the case before. A very significant recruitment campaign is under way, having been launched by the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, only a few days ago. That will help us to continue to increase the visibility of policing in urban and rural areas, especially when it comes to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----but then not to want any of the responsibility around being a data controller, because this is video footage and it can be misused.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. A new non-domestic water tariff framework was introduced by Irish Water on 1 October. The CRU determines the charges and charging arrangements that apply to non-domestic customers. There will be three-year transition arrangement. What is happening essentially is 57 different charging regimes and more than 900 different charges are being...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Feb 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The matter is currently under consideration by Government. I agree with his basic argument that it is important we maintain a strong post office network throughout the country. It may be the case some post offices just are not viable because of a lack of customers but we want to maintain as many as possible, especially when the redundancy or retirement arrangement comes...