Results 37,021-37,040 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: For the record, I am not a supporter of any political party in the United States. I will check with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, on the issue of reliefs. This is a tax that I agree with. Land that is zoned for housing should be developed for housing and people should not hang on to it. If they want to dezone land, that is fair enough. If, however, land is zoned for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Like the Deputy, I understand that insurance companies have to make a profit. If they do not make a profit, they cannot operate or function. If the latter were the case, there would not be any insurance companies or insurance policies and there would certainly be no competition. Obviously, they should be making reasonable rather than excessive profits. It is encouraging to have seen...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and somebody who has an issue with flooding. If they are willing to share that detail with us - it would be with the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming - we can take the matter up with the regulator and the industry and see what they have to say.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: A regular smear test should not be grounds for refusing insurance. Insurers must price in risk. If somebody is very ill or terminally ill they do have to take it into account. An irregular smear test does not fit into that category, or certainly does not in my mind. I am genuinely interested and if the Deputy could pass on the information, with the permission of that person, we will take...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am informed the setting of tolls is not a Government decision. It is a statutory function of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, although there are some procedural differences between the two public roads, which are the M50 and the Dublin Port tunnel, and the eight PPP roads. Obviously, news of the increase is not welcome. The M50 toll is in my constituency. The...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Bacik. I certainly hope they have been implemented or, if not, that they are in the process of being implemented. I cannot confirm that now for the Deputy. I will certainly let the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, know Deputy Bacik has raised it and I will ask him to come back to her directly.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about Miley's experience. I was not aware of the case, although I appreciate Deputy Whitmore has raised it previously. As the Deputy knows, wait times for scoliosis have improved and reduced in the past year or so, but often there are individual cases and very complex cases that take longer because of the number of different specialists that need to be involved. I...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I will have to check with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who is attending COP 27 at present, to see what solution we came up with. I know it turned out to be quite complicated given the nature of bill pay being different from pay-as-you-go. As the Deputy acknowledged, there are no disconnections at certain times such as weekends. We were trying to make it easier for people...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We are actively recruiting people for our health service domestically and abroad. Approximately 130,000 or 135,000 people work in our health service, which is more than ever before. There are 81,000 nurses and midwives, which is more than ever before. We have never had more doctors or consultants working on our health service than is the case now. This, of course,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate this is an important issue for people on Dursey Island and in Castletownbere. I do not have an update to hand and do not want to give information that may turn out to be false. However, I will get my office to follow up with the Deputy on this to see if we can find more information.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry to hear about this man’s experience and that of his family. As the Deputy will understand, it is not within the power of a Minister to intervene to allocate people housing or residential care. This is not how the system works, and I am not sure it would be fair if politicians were the ones who decided who got residential care and who did not.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy passes on the details, we will definitely follow up on it and will be happy to. Again, I do not want to create the impression that Ministers allocate housing. That is not the case.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We discussed this at the Cabinet subcommittee on health on Monday, trying to figure out and carry out a review into how we might be able to speed up capital development in the health sector. The Deputy will be painfully aware that the development of an emergency department and of maternity and paediatric services in University Hospital Galway seem to be going on forever, which is extremely...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I very much agree that if a person’s mobile home is his or her principal residence, he or she should benefit from the €600 credit. I think a solution has been worked out on Traveller accommodation, although I am not sure how that works. I know both Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and Ryan, are trying to work out a solution through energy bills or the social welfare system. I...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have a successful programme of building primary care centres throughout the country. I have three in my own constituency, all of which are working very well.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know about Portlaoise, to be honest-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I am not sure when the next capital programme is coming out. However, I will check it and get back to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I will.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In making the decision to merge the two Bills, we took on board the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, of which the Deputy is a member, and listened to the views of employer groups and unions through the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF. The plan is to insert the remote working provision into the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman's, Bill on Report...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am a big supporter of the Government's plan to build elective hospitals in Dublin, Cork and Galway to reduce waiting lists. Bearing in mind what Deputy Ó Cuív said earlier, I am realistic and I believe these new elective hospitals will be five or six years in planning, design and building. That is not good enough, so we need interim solutions as well. We already have elective...