Results 36,841-36,860 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, we hear the voice of the students who have been protesting today. Students are being affected by the cost-of-living crisis just like almost everyone else in our society. We are helping by increasing the student grant and making more people eligible for it, reducing the cost of student fees, reducing the cost of public transport and, crucially, the Minister for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I hear the voice of students today. I understand that they are being affected by the cost-of-living crisis, as are most people in our society. What was done in the budget was significant and should not be dismissed in the way the Deputy has dismissed it. What was done will be worth hundreds of euro to some students and thousands to others. There is a €1,000 reduction in the student...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The second cath lab in Waterford is nearing completion. We expect-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We expect the handover to be completed as early as this month. In addition, the modular emergency department and outpatient facility are scheduled to be equipped and commissioned in the first quarter of next year. That will facilitate the expansion of the hours of the permanent pacemaker implantation, PPI, service and the cardiology service in Waterford. There will be a challenge around...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are 451 beds in the hospital.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I join the Deputy in welcoming the students from Skibbereen. It is a very fine town. I had a chance to visit it a couple months ago. They are most welcome on their visit to Dublin. What are we doing to help students? There is a €1,000 reduction in the student fee, and a permanent reduction of €500 will kick in from next year. Bear in mind that student fees in Northern...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not a dentist, so I cannot comment on the dental question. As a doctor, the jury is out on the idea of an annual checkup, quite frankly. Sometimes annual checkups pick up illnesses and abnormalities that would not be picked up until later. Sometimes early intervention can result in better outcomes, but it can also result in a large number of unnecessary investigations. The Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am afraid that I do not have a timeline on it. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, or the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to revert to the Deputy in that regard. The Government acknowledges, however, that the cost of running a nursing home has increased, whether that is staff costs, energy costs or regulatory costs, and that needs be reflected in the payments...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have not set a date for those referendums at this stage. As the Deputy is aware, keeping Irish Water in public ownership is very much there in the law. I am not sure who is proposing to privatise it. I have not heard anyone suggest that. As regards housing, the Housing Commission is doing very good work on the wording of that amendment and has just completed a public consultation....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a ceist faoi fhógraí uisce ar na hoileáin. I can certainly raise the matter with Irish Water and ask it to provide níos mó eolais, more information on those services.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the issue and I understand, and we all accept, that the water supply is safe in south Dublin and north Wicklow. Safe is not the same as high quality, however, and people have a right to expect water that is of high quality and does not taste bad or smell offensive. I do not know the story behind that or why it has happened but I will certainly get my office to make inquiries...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is very important that public transport services, such as buses, trains or Luas services, are reliable. That is one of the reasons people take public transport - they can avoid the traffic and have some reliability in terms of when they leave and when they arrive. We have a lot of real-time passenger information to help passengers in that regard. I hear what the Deputy says, however,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: From what the Deputy has told me, it does not make sense, quite frankly, but it is very difficult for me to comment on an individual case. If the Deputy passes the details on to my office, we will look into it and see if something can be done.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As a person who has worked in and used the health system, I do have confidence in it. One only has to look at the outcomes. Whether it is life expectancy, cancer survival, stroke, heart disease, maternal mortality or neonatal mortality, we have much better patient outcomes compared with the National Health Service of our nearest neighbour. That does not mean that I am for one second blind...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----whether it is as a result of overcrowding in emergency departments or being on waiting lists. I do not discount what the Deputy says for a second.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I appreciate that it is one that is causing some concern for local authority and Garda staff. We are trying to make reforms in these areas by making Irish Water a stand-alone utility and semi-State company and by bringing civilian Garda staff and gardaí together into a single service. That makes sense from a public interest point of view....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Ward. I join him in welcoming everyone from the High Five Boxing Academy. As both the Deputy and I know, boxing is a very inclusive sport. It has always been good at including people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, but also people who may be disadvantaged in other ways. I am a strong supporter of the sport. We have a great club in Mulhuddart in my...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy may be aware, in the budget, the Minister for Justice secured funding to recruit 1,000 new gardaí next year. Those gardaí will obviously be distributed across the country in accordance with what the Garda Commissioner considers right. We have never had more gardaí or a better-funded Garda Síochána service. I appreciate that this is also against the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for making a very valid and prescient point. We need to build a great deal more homes. We will probably build approximately 25,000 to 28,000 houses this year. That is nowhere near enough when we think about what we need. However, by building homes, we increase emissions. We cannot build homes without using concrete, timber and steel or without roads and emissions. It...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I can certainly confirm that that is not HSE or Government policy. I am very sorry to hear of the experience that lady has had. Again, it is very difficult for me to comment on individual cases in the absence of details. If the Deputy would like to pass on more information, either to my office or to that of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, we will certainly look...