Results 36,661-36,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (28 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Officials from my Department as well as Ministers of State and I personally have ongoing engagement with the business community. This engagement has been particularly useful in understanding the impact of rising energy costs on businesses, including for energy-intensive industries, large multinational corporations as well as Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and these issues have now...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (28 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Officials from my Department as well as Ministers of State and I personally have ongoing engagement with the business community. This engagement has been particularly useful in understanding the impact of rising energy costs on businesses, including for energy-intensive industries, large multinational corporations as well as Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and these issues have now...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (28 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Following detailed consideration of the issues surrounding the implementation of the statutory sick leave scheme, the Sick Leave Act will commence on 1st January 2023. The Act is intended to provide a level of protection to employees who do not currently have employer-paid sick pay schemes, many of whom are low-paid and cannot afford to miss work. As a starting point, this scheme will cover...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (28 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Prior to enactment of the Sick Pay Act 2022, my Department undertook a full public consultation, reviewed international best practice, and formed an interdepartmental group to ensure that all views from stakeholders were properly considered in the development of the statutory sick pay scheme. The Bill also went through pre-legislative scrutiny which was carried out by the Joint Oireachtas...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Chairperson and members of the committee for inviting me to discuss the Citizens' Assembly’s recommendations on gender equality and the work that my Department is doing to achieve gender equality in the workplace. I am joined on my left by Ms Fiona O'Dea who covers company law matters at the Department and Ms Helena Quilty from the enterprise division, which monitors and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Regarding the impact of the reforms we are undertaking in the workers' rights area, including the move to a living wage, the introduction of sick pay and also the commencement of auto-enrolment and every worker having a pension fund to top up their State pension, and this will all be the reality by 2024, which is not that far away, this will help with the achievement of gender equality. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: People face all sorts of barriers, depending on their circumstances. There are socio-economic barriers and barriers related to race and membership of minorities. Therefore, we need to see things in the round. As the Deputy knows, three of our seven Cabinet Ministers are female. We have 66 female councillors, which is more than any other party. We have more female MEPs than any other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: No, I would love to have more people to promote. I am working on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As she knows, the rates for paternity, maternity and parental benefits are the same for women and men. The maximum is around €250, which I believe is what she said. I am a supporter of pay-related benefits. We used to have them in Ireland but do not anymore. They are actually recommended by the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, which has some very positive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We can do that. I am aware of the campaign but do not want to give an incorrect answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am told the Department has been going through a consultation phase with regard to the ratification process. It was between 5 September and 26 September. The information is published on the Department's website. That is to do with the convention rather than White Ribbon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I should say I had the privilege of being able to appoint four Members to the Seanad as Taoiseach's nominees in 2020 and all four were female. I also had the privilege to nominate the Leader of the Seanad, who is female, so I do have to promote men the odd time as well. Certainly, on the Seanad side at least, I think my record is okay in that regard. On the referendum, we considered this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The proposal is that within the 40 years, a person can count 15 or 20 years of care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: On the final question, we have secured an additional €8 million for staff next year. Given they will not all be hired on 1 January, the figure is higher because those additional staff will be hired throughout the course of the year, but that will have to be divided among the Department and all our agencies, including the Health and Safety Authority, the Workplace Relations Commission,...