Results 36,721-36,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment finalised its Blended Working policy on the 30th June 2022. The application process was subsequently opened on 12thSeptember, and the Department has received 433 applications up to the 30th September. More are expected and the Department is currently processing these applications. There are currently 11 officers working in our Office in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department nor any of its Offices, which include the Companies Registration Office, the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission, has not procured any services from the company referred to over the period concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Recycling Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: For the past number of years there has been an extensive recycling regime across the buildings occupied by my Department and it’s Offices, which include the Companies Registration Office, the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission. Through a dedicated internal “Green Team”, and in conjunction with the facilities...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the question. First, I acknowledge the fact that energy and gas prices are very high. They are likely to rise more in the months ahead before they level off and start falling again. I also remind the Deputy that we had a budget only last week which gave every household, including households that use pay-as-you-go meters, €600 in energy credits over the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes" but because of how pay-as-you-go works, we have to find a viable mechanism to achieve exactly that. The energy credit is €600. In addition to that, people can overrun by €20 without being disconnected. They cannot be disconnected at weekends and we are looking at mechanisms to make sure we can extend the treatment that bill-pay...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: These are working poor people. We provided a €500 lump sum. For people living alone, the Deputy's party proposed a €2.50 increase in the living alone allowance.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We will provide a lump sum of €200 before Christmas. Based on Sinn Féin's proposals-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----somebody would have to live alone for another year and a half-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I will certainly take a look at the motion and respond to it. It is not entirely accurate to describe people as having been outsourced. That does a disservice to them and even the bodies for which they work. It has always been the case in this State and almost every other democratic state that some services are provided directly by the State and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This is not just done in Ireland. The NHS provides services through hospitals with royal charters and has done so since its establishment. In France and Germany, nearly one third of public health services are provided through voluntary bodies that have an agreement with the state payer. It is similar in Australia. One would have go to eastern Europe 30 years ago to find a set of public...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There is a lot in that question and it is hard to answer comprehensively in the time allowed. I do not think her characterisation of our regulatory structures is entirely fair. They are not perfect but many of them have served us very well in recent years. That is not to say there have not been flaws and failings. It is important to bear in mind that some of these regulators are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that the Regional Group is putting forward solutions in this regard and they need to be considered. One of the reasons keeping Derrybrien going does not necessarily make sense is that when the energy system is short of generating capacity is when the wind is not blowing. That is at the heart of many of the problems we have. We have a lot of renewable energy. The risk of a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: What we plan to do with some of the plants in the midlands is that one will go to biomass and the others will be used for battery storage, so we can use the wind power and renewables, which are not dispatchable but can be stored. That might make more sense in terms of energy security and for the environment.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. My county, Dublin Fingal, went through the revaluation process some years ago. I know how traumatic and frightening it can be from some business people when they receive a letter in the post telling them their rates are to go up by a dramatic amount. There is, as the Deputy noted, an appeals process. I encourage anyone who has had a valuation...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to point out again that this is being done on a revenue-neutral basis. There is no tax increase here and two thirds of businesses in Kerry will see their rates go down. I appreciate that we are hearing from the one third who are not, particularly those who are seeing a big increase, but two thirds are seeing their rates go down. To defer the revaluation would adversely...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think it is appropriate for the Deputy to engage in party political shots when it comes to housing or homelessness. Yes, it is true that the Government is providing 10,000 people with emergency accommodation at the moment. That is not a position we want to be in. Numbers had been falling for quite some time and for many reasons they are now rising again. Let us not forget that in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are 20,000 people homeless in Northern Ireland based on the way it is measured there. If this were a simple problem to solve but, unfortunately, almost all countries in the world face homelessness to a certain extent. We are doing the best we can to resolve it. We are putting unprecedented resources into it.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If it was a problem that could be so easily solved by Sinn Féin, surely it would have solved it in the 20 years it has been in government in the North.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness, in the past two years, nobody can say that there has not been very significant investment in cycling facilities, improvements to footpaths and pedestrian facilities. There has been huge investment, through both the Departments of Transport and Rural and Community Development, in improving facilities for cyclists, footpaths and pedestrian facilities. Every day more people cross...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We are up to the point now where we are producing about 40% of all of our electricity from renewables. Not that long ago it was only a few percent. We are now up to 40% and we intend to get to 80% by 2030. That is hugely ambitious and something that we can achieve. We will do it through the ESB and other State companies and also through the private sector. Having both the State and the...