Results 36,741-36,760 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: Thankfully, evictions in this country are relatively uncommon. They need to be done through courts and judges look very favourably on very difficult situations in that regard. Notices to quit are a bit different but if somebody is given a notice to quit, they have rights and they are given a period of time before they have to leave the property they are in. The difficulty with a blanket...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is right that part of the solution is buying some of these properties. He raised this issue with me in the Chamber not too long ago. I raised it with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and a circular now has issued to local authorities stating that if somebody is served with a notice to quit and there is a risk that they could be evicted into homelessness the local authority...

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

Leo Varadkar: I extend my sympathies to the family of the victim following the fatal stabbing at Rathass Cemetery near Tralee in Kerry. As the Deputy will appreciate, a Garda investigation is under way and I am confined in what I can say about it. I absolutely encourage anyone who has any information to contact the Garda and bring the people who carried out this terrible crime to justice. On the...

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

Leo Varadkar: There were actually 15 things in the budget last week that helped businesses. The biggest element was up to €10,000 a month to help small businesses with their energy costs. That will be backdated to September and businesses will receive that money by November. It is true that we have seen an increase in business failures around the country over the past few weeks. I have seen it...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this important issue relating to Carlow. I am afraid I do not have any information on it to hand. I note that the Deputy has raised it already with the Ministers, Deputy Darragh O'Brien and Deputy Humphreys, and I will make them aware that it was raised again here in the Chamber. I hope we can find a satisfactory solution.

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

Leo Varadkar: The reduction in public transport fares has been a real success, both the general reduction and also the reduction for young people. I know governments in other countries have done more radical things, for example in Germany, but in fact they have had to reverse them. What we have done makes more sense, which is a sustainable reduction in public transport costs. We are facing some...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am very much aware of the problems people are facing. We need to get on top of it as it is impeding people from getting to college if they need to drive to college and getting to work if they need to drive to work and the situation is not at all acceptable. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is working on the matter with the Road Safety Authority, RSA, which is trying to hire...

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

Leo Varadkar: I agree that it must be a principle of this Government that every child gets a fair start in life and the best start in life that is possible. I am familiar with the work of the Fine Gael policy lab and also the care of the child document, which sets out a roadmap as to how we can improve services and supports for children. The reduction in childcare fees of approximately 25% next year is...

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

Leo Varadkar: That is just not accurate. Those power plants in the midlands were closed on foot of a court order in a planning decision. It was not an evil plot by the Green Party or the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. That is just not true.

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

Leo Varadkar: They were closed on foot of a court decision. We are going to use the infrastructure there for battery storage, which will be helpful for dealing with our energy needs and energy security. The reasons the demand for electricity has increased so much in Ireland are simple: our population is growing rapidly, our economy is growing fast and we are moving away from fossil fuels to electric...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry but I did not get the question.

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

Leo Varadkar: I might ask the Minister for Finance to come back to the Deputy on this, given that it falls under his remit. My understanding is that this was well flagged a number of years ago and is designed to align the benefit-in-kind system with environmental objectives. It was designed to encourage company cars to be electric or low emission and it was well flagged a number of years ago. That is my...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the increase in overcrowding in our emergency departments in recent weeks. We are concerned going into winter, with Covid cases rising again and the risk of a flu season, that our hospitals could be extremely busy. With that in mind, the Minister for Health and the HSE have developed a winter plan and there will be bespoke plans for particular hospitals and regions. That is...

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

Leo Varadkar: To respond to Deputy Martin Browne, the budget provides for a €500 payment for carers, not means-tested, which they will receive before Christmas, and a €12 increase in the carer's allowance and the carer's benefit from the new year. There is additional funding for respite too. I fully appreciate how important it is that carers be able to get a break from caring. That is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Update on Quarters 1 and 2: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Chairman for the invitation to update the committee on the Department's work so far this year and what we have planned for the remainder of it. As he mentioned, I am joined by Mr. John Newham, who is in charge of commerce, consumer and competition law; Ms Tara Coogan, who is responsible for industrial relations and workplace relations; and Ms Jill Colquhoun, who is here from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Update on Quarters 1 and 2: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have not seen that article, the objection from IBEC or whatever observations it has made. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is working on that legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Update on Quarters 1 and 2: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It falls under his remit rather than mine. I am inclined to agree with Deputy O'Reilly. I do not see how people could produce proof of abuse or, particularly, coercive control, which is quite hard to prove. One might do so in a court but an employer is not a court of law.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Update on Quarters 1 and 2: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That is absolutely right. I am sure there will have to be some mechanism, as there is for any form of leave, whether it is sick leave, maternity benefit or paternity leave. I do not see how evidential proof could be a requirement of the legislation. That would make it almost unworkable.