Results 36,221-36,240 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I cannot give the Deputy a date but I will ask the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, to contact him directly with the reply.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, a lot of work is already being done to bring derelict houses back into use. In some parts of the country, local authorities are placing buildings under compulsory purchase orders and bringing them back into use. Louth is a good example of that. There is also the repair and lease scheme, which people can use-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----to bring a house back into use and then lease it, but we need to do more. The kind of things we are working on at present include a general grant people will get if they buy a derelict house, bring it back into use and live in it, which is the carrot. A proposal being worked out, which would be the stick, is a tax on vacant residential properties.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I accept that.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The programme for Government commits us to move towards a living wage in Ireland over the period of this Government. I have the report of the Low Pay Commission in this regard, which sets out a roadmap as to how we can achieve that. I intend to bring those proposals to Government before the summer recess and then engage on a public consultation on them. It is to be hoped we will make an...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My plan is to bring it to Government in June. With its approval, I will publish the report and the research that backs it up, and also initiate a public consultation on it with a view to beginning to make it a reality in 2023.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputy is saying and I hear his concerns. I assure the House the Government's policy on special needs is one of integration, mainstreaming children in mainstream classes with a special needs assistant where appropriate, special classes in mainstream schools where appropriate - 300 more of those were provided in the past year alone - and only where there is no viable...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (31 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The total value of grants paid by IDA to PayPal for the period 2012-2021 is set out in the following tabular form. It should be noted that approval and payments do not usually fall within the same calendar year. Therefore, it was necessary to include 2010 approved grants as they were subsequently paid in 2012. Year Approved Grant Type Location Grants Paid ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (31 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have expressed my disappointment as this recent announcement and I know the news came as a real shock to the staff working at PayPal's Dundalk and Blanchardstown offices, their families and communities. Job creation and sustainability of these roles is always at the forefront of Government policy, and unexpected news like this is never welcome. I have been advised that an enhanced...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Missions (31 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Each year, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland collaborate on a programme of ministerial led trade missions and events which support the goal of securing high-level market access for companies based in Ireland who are aiming to grow business overseas and increase domestic employment.  In recent years the majority of Ministerial-led Trade Missions have taken place to the Eurozone, North...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Radon Gas Levels (2 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has a dedicated Health and Safety Unit with responsibility at Principal Officer level, whereby the objective is always to ensure a safe and appropriate working environment for all staff and visitors across our buildings. The Department and its Offices are tenants in eleven buildings across the country, six of these in Dublin and the other five being in Carlow, Cork,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Food Industry (2 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: No meetings have been held between officials of my Department and representatives of the food industry in relation to the issue of infant nutrition in Ireland during the period in question.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. That was a cheap shot. I hosted a dinner last night to thank colleagues for their years of service. There was no public money involved. Sinn Féin hosts dinners in America, charging people €1,000 per plate to attend, and the party leader flies first class to get there. That is what Sinn Féin does in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. I believe she...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and that is one of the biggest landlords in the State, owning 50 properties-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and from a person who operates his constituency office using public money from some sort of republican company. Cheap shots from Deputy Doherty should be seen for what they are by the Irish people.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I want to deal with the issue, having responded to the cheap shot. The ESRI report is stark. I do not think it is surprising to anyone in this House. We all know the extent to which petrol and diesel prices have soared in the past year. You only have to fill your tank or go into the forecourt to see that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We all know the extent to which the cost of electricity and gas has gone up. You only have to look at your utility bill to know that. People are feeling the squeeze. Some families are really struggling and having to make very difficult decisions about what they spend their money on because of the increase in the cost of living. These are largely driven by international factors, including...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We cannot go any lower. I have confirmation on that in relation to diesel from the Minister for Finance today. We have reduced VAT on electricity and gas to 9%, which is the lowest it has ever been. We have taken €200 off people's electricity bills and introduced a targeted measure giving people on fuel allowance an additional €100. That is what has been done so far. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That was another cheap shot-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and a very personal shot, which says a lot about the Deputy and the character of the kind of person he is. It is particularly strange coming from him because he was prosecuted. He abused and mistreated a member of An Garda Síochána. He was prosecuted for that and found guilty. He got away without a conviction because of his age at the time but he was actually prosecuted....