Results 35,921-35,940 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is why we increased the fuel allowance. It is why we had a pension increase in the budget.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is why we reduced income taxes for middle-income people, despite opposition from the Deputy's party. That we have acted in that way is evidence of the fact we get it. More than €1 billion is being used to reduce the cost of living for people, but we are not in a position to chase every increase and to fully compensate people for every increase.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We must be honest about this aspect.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Regarding engagement with the European Commission, there has been ongoing engagement on this matter by the Taoiseach and by the Minister for Finance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The reality is that the proposal the Deputy is and has been making-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----is in breach of the European VAT directive and the European excise directive.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The reason Deputy Doherty cannot let me finish-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The reason he will not let me speak and he continues to try to shout me down is that he does not want the Irish people to know-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----what a fake he is and that he keeps making proposals he knows cannot be implemented. That shows me he does not get it-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and he will not listen to what I have to say because he does not want people to get him.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with Deputy Bacik on a number of points but differ with her on a few others. It is absolutely correct to say that the cost of living impacts those on the lowest incomes the most. If we look at the data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, however, the differential is not as wide as people may think. The most recent data produced by the CSO, and it is a little out of date,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I agree that the best way to examine the situation is using purchasing power parity. That is fair. Irish people are paying more on average than our peers in Europe or across the OECD. We do have a higher cost of living and that needs to be factored in. What I do not think we should do is use relativities, because they can distort the picture. A small number of people who are paid an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I certainly agree with her initial statement that the IPCC report that came out the other day did not get the attention it deserved. It was very alarming, quite frankly, to read the summary, which I did. The Deputy is correct in her analysis that the war in Ukraine, the pandemic that still rages around the world, and the shocking rise in the cost of living meant it did...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I understand where the Deputy is coming from but I am just not sure what she is suggesting we do in practical terms. We have a really ambitious retrofit programme which is very much under way. The constraint there is not money. We will find it difficult to spend the money we have allocated towards retrofitting that comes from carbon taxes paid by businesses as well as households. Those...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Deputy's passion on climate action and I believe you are sincere on it. Not everyone in this House is but the Deputy is. I would love to know what she would do tomorrow to allow us to reduce our emissions suddenly and dramatically. You cannot replace everyone's car and all the heating systems in the country overnight, and you cannot just turn off all power stations. It...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is absolutely the case that the ESB is a very profitable State-owned company. It generates very significant profits each year. It may well be the case that it will generate larger profits this year than in previous years. It is important to put on the record of the House what it does with its profits. Its profits form part of its balance sheet. With them, it invests in the grid to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That is where the money goes. It is open to the Government to take a bigger dividend if it sees the ESB is making windfall or excessive profits and give it back to people, be it in the form of the fuel allowance or further reductions to bills.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Fundamentally, what drives the price of electricity in Ireland is the price of gas internationally. We make most of our electricity from gas and that is what determines the price point. The wholesale price of gas, which used to be 60p per therm, is now nearly £3 per therm. Therefore, we have seen an almost-fivefold increase in the cost of gas in international markets. Thankfully, we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We would be having a very different conversation if we were in that position today. What we see-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----across Europe, including in Northern Ireland and Britain, are price increases in the region of 30% to 40%. Unfortunately, Ireland is no different. We are not immune from the dramatic rise in the price of gas that is happening internationally. We totally acknowledge the impact it is having on household budgets and the cost of doing business, and that is why we are trying to act....