Results 36,521-36,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We will certainly give it consideration. The Government has been criticised in the past, by the way, for buying properties on the private market for social housing as opposed to building them. The Deputy may even have been one of those who has been critical of us for doing so.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Sometimes it does make sense to buy properties on the private market, in the instances the Deputy has mentioned, for example, or where a particular type of property may be needed for a large family or a family who has a member with disabilities. What the Deputy has said about corporate tax is also valid. We should not rely on our corporate tax receipts to fund day-to-day spending. Capital...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am very alarmed to hear this situation has arisen in his constituency. I am sure we will have to find a solution to it. If I have picked up the Deputy right, it is not so much an issue of finance as the availability of a bus. I cannot give an answer on it here but I appreciate the fact he has raised it. Perhaps we will engage offline or with the Minister, Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We very much value the essential work that family carers do. Of course we will give consideration in the budget as to how we can help them out. Everyone, particularly carers and some other groups, are feeling the bite of the cost of living much harder, especially people who have to be at home a lot and generate costs relating to heating. We will absolutely bear this in mind in the budget...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly work on this issue over the coming weeks. I know the Minister, Deputy Foley, will testify before committee about it. There are an additional 21,000 tickets this year and plans were made for additional demand. Unfortunately, those 21,000 are not enough. Everyone entitled to the service, as I understand, will get it. However, we have a particular issue with - Deputy Smyth...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is past time already, given that the new school year is now well under way. I do not know exactly all of the rules and regulations around school transport. I know most Deputies here do. It would not be as big of an issue in my constituency, perhaps, as in the Deputy's. I do not, however, see the logic in telling somebody not to get on a bus if the bus has empty spaces on it. Whatever...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that many people feel public transport is unsafe, especially at night and for women. That is a real problem and it is not just a perception. People see incidents occur on the Luas, buses and on trains and it makes them very worried. It also very much goes against what we are trying to do in encouraging people to use public transport more often, which is why we brought down...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I was not aware that meeting was happening today but I am glad to hear that it is. It would probably not be right for me to prejudge the outcome but I hope it is a positive one. I know there was an arbitration process under John Rogers SC many years ago, which did not come to a conclusion. I hope we will get a conclusion on that issue under this Government.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There will be an income tax package in the budget. It will be the largest income tax reduction package in any budget for quite a number of years. I guarantee the Deputy it will never go as far as we want it to go, which is always the case, but it will be significant and, of course, the objective is to make sure that people get to keep more of their own hard-earned money and especially that...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the problems that we face in providing home help for people who need it. As the Deputy says, it is a vital service. It keeps people out of hospitals. It makes considerable sense that we fund it well and, indeed, we do, but there is a shortage of people willing to work in the area. Among issues being examined at present by the Minister is whether we need to improve pay or...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have not seen the numbers but if they add up it would make sense to do it. We want to move freight off the roads and on to rail but we do not want to spend considerable money building a train line which is uneconomic and then requires many more subsidies. As the Deputy points out, capital is a one-off, but subsidies are not. Thus, if we open a rail line and it can wash its face that is...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That is a fair point but-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Luas is the example - both lines.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of defective apartments. It is a big issue in my constituency too. Many of the homes in my constituency were built around the same time as many of those in her constituency and unfortunately there are a lot of problems with fire risk, water ingress and other issues. We helped people with pyrite, we are helping people with mica and it is important we...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not familiar with the report so I am reluctant to comment on it. I will let the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and indeed the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, know the Deputy raised it in the Dáil and we will see what response is possible.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for sharing that story. I should say that the domiciliary care allowance, DCA, is not means-tested but the carer's allowance is. I would love it if it were possible for there to be no means tests but unfortunately they are necessary because financial resources, even in a very wealthy country, are limited. However, sometimes means tests are too mean and when knocking on...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Carey asked about Croí Conaithe, which as we know is a grant of between €30,000 and €50,000 to repair and bring back into use a building for residential purposes in small towns and villages. The Deputy proposes extending it to rural areas. I like that idea and think it makes a lot of sense but we need to take a little time to see what the take-up is like on the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of a cheaper, easier way to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I was deeply saddened by the announcement earlier this year by B.Braun and my sympathies are with the employees and their families. IDA Ireland has been working closely with the company to try to find a solution for the company but unfortunately, a solution could not be found. As the Deputy is aware, the company made the decision to move a significant portion of its operations to third...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of a cheaper, easier way to...