Results 36,341-36,360 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not directly involved in that but will speak about it to the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, and ask him to come back to the Deputy in more detail. I hear what she is saying about wanting to avoid a cliff-edge. We are trying to move away from the idea that Covid is a special illness that is treated differently to other illnesses. It will be with us forever and needs to be seen in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I was not aware of that being an issue. It has not come through my constituency service yet anyway. I thank the Deputy for bringing it to my attention. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and we will see what we can do to make sure people get the payments they are entitled to as soon as possible. They will get them in arrears but I am sure they would prefer them on time.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This issue was discussed at a meeting of my own parliamentary party a few weeks ago at which we adopted a policy of extending the short hop zone to anywhere within 50 km or so of Dublin. It is quite anomalous at the moment. Kilcoole in County Wicklow is in the short hop zone but Drogheda and areas in mid Kildare that are the same distance away from Dublin are not. We think that should be...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (29 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: 2021 was a record year for FDI in Ireland. IDA Ireland won 249 investments, increasing Ireland’s market share of investment into Europe in the face of global declines in FDI. The number of people directly employed in multinational companies in Ireland grew to over 275,000. FDI investment decisions were taken not only within the context of the OECD International Tax negotiations, but...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have not yet had the opportunity to discuss this with IDA Ireland but I have asked my officials to follow it up and will revert to the Deputy as soon as possible. As the Deputy is aware, there are 120 IDA supported companies in the West Region, employing 29,419 people in total. There are 94 IDA supported companies in Galway City and County, employing 22,801 in total. Ballinasloe is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Standards Authority of Ireland (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The NSAI Committee, NSAI TC 063, was and continues to be responsible for the development of I.S. 465. The table below lists companies and bodies represented on the technical committee which developed I.S. 465 in 2018 and its amendment in 2020. Chaired by retired structural engineer Association Consulting Engineers Ireland (ACEI) Cement...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (30 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: None of the state agencies under the aegis of my Department are registered as charities.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. We are seeing inflation at a level that has not been seen for almost 40 years. While this is driven by international factors in the main, it is very much being felt in every home across the State. Everyone is feeling the squeeze and, of course, those on lowest incomes are feeling it most acutely. The Government's response...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If there is one thing we absolutely agree on it is that back-to-school is really expensive for families, and so is back-to-college. That is why there is an increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance which will be paid from next week. It is why there is an increased SUSI grant for those going to third level and is why we changed the rules only in the last few weeks to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I again acknowledge on behalf of the Government that back-to-school is a very expensive time for families and puts much pressure on family budgets, as is also the case with back-to-college. The Government is responding. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance will be paid from next week. There is an increase to €160 for children aged four to 11 and €285 for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I understand it very well. The hot school meals programme, which is working extremely well, was introduced by my colleague, Senator Regina Doherty, when she was Minister for Social Protection. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance is being increased by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. The former Minister for Education, Deputy Joe McHugh, introduced the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important policy question. I agree that we should have better data on how money is spent and on where it is spent. That is something that we are very much aligned on. I also agree that Governments do not have any money. The only money that Governments have is the money that we take from people and business in the form of taxation. It is not our money....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not up to date nor have I been briefed on the issue relating to vascular services in Waterford. I will check up on that. I got the Deputy's email the other day regarding the staffing of the second cath lab in Waterford University Hospital not having proceeded. I am concerned about that too and I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and Senator Cummins about it. I will look...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----there are not many people in Ireland or the world who are currently looking for employment in the cardiology space. We need to begin that recruitment process to recruit as many staff as we can, however, and extend the hours of that service. That is something on which the Deputy can be sure I will follow up. With regard to the health service generally, the fact is that investment in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not interested in cherry-picking data or statistics. I am a medical doctor by training. I take science and data seriously and I always like to see and know the numbers. When I seek the data, I seek them from reputable independent bodies such as the Central Statistics Office, CSO, or the Central Bank, which act independently and produce robust data that we can stand over. I tend to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I can assure the Deputy that I talk to business owners all the time. I am the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and that is my job. What they are telling me is that, by and large, they are busy. The biggest problem they have at present is finding staff. That is the biggest issue that is brought to me from business, and not just in hospitality and retail but across the economy....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy goes to places closer to here and looks at the price of petrol and diesel, such as the North, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and other countries in our neighbourhood, he will see the price, unfortunately, is similar to here or higher.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have a very busy schedule this week. The Dáil will sit until 12 midnight tonight. It will resume at 9 o'clock in the morning and will sit until after 10 o'clock tomorrow night. It will resume at 9 o'clock on Thursday morning and sit until after 10 o'clock that night. I acknowledge that it is a busy schedule. However, there is important legislation that we need to pass, including...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----doing what parliaments are supposed to do, namely, spending time on legislation.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I agree. Again-----