Results 36,681-36,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: It would be appropriate and right for all Government bodies to adopt the national living wage, which is 60% of median earnings. There are many different voluntary groups and independent bodies that will say what they think the living wage should be. Deputy Cronin and I could set up a group tomorrow and determine what we think the living wage should be. When the UK established a national...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I am not sure what "general consensus" means. It might just be the people to whom the Deputy is speaking. The proposal is for four years, with 2023 being year one.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: The proposal-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I think it would be risky in the current economy. The Low Pay Commission has recommended four years, with 2023 being year one. I know the Deputy feels, as many people might, that the increase in the minimum wage of 7.6% is inadequate. I am hearing from many small employers that they are worried about their ability to pay it, particularly at a time of waning consumer confidence and rising...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I definitely am.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: They are not at the point they go to Cabinet because Cabinet memos are confidential.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: They are open to freedom of information, FOI, requests afterwards.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: To be honest, those gender analyses are perhaps not as thorough as I would like and the Deputy would expect.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: We have achieved a lot when it comes to balance on boards and we have done so through voluntary action. That includes State boards, which are reasonably gender balanced, and we have seen a lot of progress on those Irish Stock Exchange, ISEQ, big company boards. Having gone from 18% to 34% in only a few years I imagine we could get to 50% in a few more years but we need accelerators and...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: We could incentivise them with additional funding, yes. Something along those lines was done before, either by the Minster of State, Deputy Peter Burke, or the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, when there was a kind of top-up. Additional funding to reward parties that have gender-balanced tickets might be a good way to do it. The reason I like it as an idea is the stream of councillors...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: It is. I cannot remember which side the Senator was on in the referendum but I was in favour of abolition. A small country could get by just fine with one Chamber but I accept that the people have spoken on that, it is a settled issue now and the Seanad is here to stay. One of the views I had at the time was that I was sceptical as to whether we would get consensus on Seanad reform....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I know but the terms of reference were confined by the Constitution so absent a constitutional referendum we have to keep these five panels, which derive from a papal encyclical in the 1930s and do not reflect the modern world in my view. We need another referendum.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: It is strange that a papal encyclical from the 1930s has created these panels that are locked into our Constitution. If this is where you were starting, you would not start there.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I do not have an answer to the budgetary question so I will mention it to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, today and we will reply by email. On the right to maternity leave for local councillors, that is being done. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, has the legislation for that ready. I am not sure whether it has been approved by Cabinet yet; it is hard to remember with the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: I agree. The point I am making is the payment is not the hard problem to solve. It is a relatively straightforward solution. More complicated is the replacement issue. Who fills in for you, whether you are a Deputy, Senator or councillor? In countries with list systems, it is straightforward: the next person on the list fills in. In the European Parliament, where a B-list is elected on...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: You start with the objective, not the right. I am not against it but there is little point in securing a right that is meaningless. We need to think through the whole pathway. If we required employers to recognise a union when 50% of the workers want that, fine, but what then? Does it change anything if there is not good faith engagement?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: Do you not still have to have balance? Do you not still have to have shareholders-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: It might not. That is the point I am making.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: How do you force someone to talk to you?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)
Leo Varadkar: That is the stuff that has to be worked out.