Results 36,401-36,420 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have done a lot in two years and, yes, we have a lot more to do in the next two or three years. Allow me to put on record just a few examples of the good things this Government is doing. We have invested €40 billion to help businesses and workers get through Covid, doing so through the pandemic unemployment payment and the employment wage subsidy scheme. We have the highest...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to add those names to the list. The Deputy is making my point for me. All change is not change for the better.

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, Sinn Féin would mean radical change - radical change for the worse for the majority of people. Instated of being at the heart of Europe, where we are now, we would be on the periphery, led by a self-declared euro-critical party that opposed the euro, European citizenship and the Single Market, today opposes EU free trade agreements and only last week opposed European defence and...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That is because they take our economy for granted. They do not understand that before one can apportion or redistribute wealth, one has to create it, and one has to create it again and again. Under Sinn Féin, the cake would be smaller and that would mean less for everyone in due course. Finally, with regard to climate, it was significant that, as Deputy Bacik rightly pointed out,...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is opposed to any action that might be unpopular, even if it is one that saves the planet, whether it is carbon tax or a ban on wind farms. Sin é, a Cheann Comhairle.

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Tá mo mhuinín agus mo thacaíocht leis an Rialtas.

Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the House for its support for this motion. As the Minister of State said at the outset, the motion will resolve an issue that has been outstanding since the great era of space exploration back in the 1960s. The motion will also help Ireland to stimulate further space activity. The treaty itself dates back to a radically different time when space exploration was in its infancy...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Do I have it right in that this is the grouping of amendments Nos. 1 and 2?

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As I understand it, this group of amendments seeks to classify tips and gratuities as a gift from a customer. The Deputy's purpose is to extend the tax treatment of personal gifts to tips and gratuities received in the course of employment, which would mean that they would be liable for capital acquisitions tax, rather than income tax. Having considered this issue and consulted with the...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. We made a very significant change in this legislation as it developed on foot of the debate in the Seanad in particular but also the debate here. The original plan was proprietors or employers would just need to be clear about what a mandatory service charge was and where the money went. We have changed that now in this law. When this law is passed and fully...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for explaining the intention of the amendment. My understanding is it would place an obligation on employers to comply where it may not make sense to do so. The provisions of the Bill will be applied by means of ministerial regulation where it is appropriate to do so and in consultation with representative organisations representing both employers and employees. The...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If I can give reassurance to the Deputy, I hope and anticipate I will be the Minister who is signing these regulations in a few weeks' time or a few months' time. I want to be very clear the regulations will apply to the hospitality sector, including restaurants, hotels, cafes, pubs etc. I also intend they should apply to personal services where people often leave a tip, for example a...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge at the outset that tip theft is a problem. It is real, and we would not be introducing this legislation if it was not. We do not have reliable data as to how common it is or if it is more common in the case of electronic tips or cash tips but we think it is more likely to be common in the case of electronic tips because they go through the books, if you like, of the employer...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have some sympathy with the arguments being made. I have given this matter some consideration and discussed it with my officials and advisers. The advice I have is that it would not be practical to enforce this particular provision. I refer to the report of the Low Pay Commission in that regard. It is also possible that the circumstances...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Amendments Nos. 6, 13 and 16 would require the employer to negotiate and obtain an agreement of employees on the matter of the distribution of tips and gratuities. As it stands, the Bill provides that the employer must consult their employees. It also establishes a legal entitlement for workers to receive their tips and gratuities paid in electronic form with the provision that these tips...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I understand and appreciate the intentions behind the amendments. However, I cannot accept them for two reasons. The requirement that the consent of all employees would be required for a change in policy is too onerous. We are not talking about a majority here; we are talking about unanimity. I just do not think that is a practical provision when it comes to amendments Nos. 6, 13 and 16,...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputies are saying in respect of this being about theft and robbed money. I agree with that assessment, by the way. If money is intended for a person but another person takes it, that is larceny. I would be curious to know whether any complaints have been taken to An Garda or whether there have been any investigations under larceny provisions and what the case law is in...

Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of the Terms of the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects: Motion (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Article 29.5.2° of Bunreacht na hÉireann, approves the terms of the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, signed by the Government of Ireland on 29th March, 1972, and laid before Dáil Éireann on 29th June, 2022.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: IDA’s property investment in the regions is aimed at supporting economic development and job creation across IDA’s, Enterprise Ireland and local LEO’s respective client base. It is essential that the West Region and Mayo has a competitive, sustainable property offering to enable the attraction and retention of investment and jobs. IDA Ireland have publicly committed to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has engaged the services of Carr Communications on several occasions during the period in question. Records indicate that, during the period from 1 January 2020 to date, my Department has paid Carr Communications a total of €19,500 for the provision of a suite of preparatory training courses, including job application and interview skills training courses. My...