Results 37,041-37,060 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: Pay increases for teachers kick in this week. Teachers will receive their pay increase from the Department of Education in their payslips this week and throughout the month. It includes the back pay to February, which will obviously help financially. We have a teacher shortage of which we are very much aware and we are working on solutions. I believe the IPPN conference is happening...

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

Leo Varadkar: We have not agreed dates for any of those referendums as of yet. It is fair to say that none of them will happen within six months. It takes a bit of time to plan for a referendum. My Department has begun the process of planning for the referendum on the patent court, which will happen no later than the local and European elections of 2024. We do not have dates for the referendums. We...

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

Leo Varadkar: These toll increases and their scale are very unwelcome. I am not happy about them at all. The M50 toll bridge is in my constituency and many people travel north and south through it twice per day. I am not happy with the toll increases at all. It is a statutory function of TII, not a Government decision, but we will take it up with TII when it publishes the details of the proposal, as...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am not fully up to date on that and will have to ask the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to respond to the Deputy.

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

Leo Varadkar: That certainly sounds strange and I doubt it was what was intended. I will certainly take it up with the Department of Transport. Even giving people reassurance that they do not have to reapply and the grant will be reissued might provide a solution, but I will certainly take it up with the Minister.

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

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about the experience of Jack and Aisling, but we have done trolley counts in children's hospitals for a long time now, perhaps ten or 20 years. Thankfully, it is a much less common experience than in our adult hospitals but it happens in the winter period in particular. A new children's hospital is under construction and, in a few weeks' time, I will able to tell the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Meetings (16 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Since my appointment as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in 2020 I have visited County Clare on two occasions. On 22 October 2021 I launched the Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy in Ennis. On 15 July 2022 I visited the Future Mobility Campus at Shannon, Co Clare and Ardnacrusha Power Station in Ardnacrusha, Co. Clare.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (17 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: According to the latest available national figures, from the Central Statistics Office’s Labour Force Survey, employment levels reached 2.55 million in Q2 2022. We now have more people employed in our country than ever before, while the latest monthly unemployment rate, for October 2022, stands at 4.4% - levels not seen since 2005. These results are a testament to the hard work and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (15 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together. IDA Ireland's results for 2021, showed that total employment in IDA client companies in Ireland now stands at 275,384, up 16,826 on 2020, the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) employment level ever. Employment growth was recorded in every region of the country. IDA has worked hard to create a welcoming environment for FDI in all...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (15 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: On Monday 7th November, senior officials from IDA Ireland briefed myself, and Ministers of State Damien English and Dara Calleary on the emerging situation in the global tech sector. This followed a series of direct contacts by my office and the agencies with the companies involved. My foremost concern is for the staff and their families who will be affected by re-sizing in certain tech...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Correspondence (23 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: To date I have received no communications in respect of the company referred to.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Defective Building Materials (23 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 50 together. NSAI, as the National Standards body for Ireland, nominated in accordance with the requirements of EC Regulation 1025 and as the Irish Member of the European standardisation organisations, CEN and Cenelec (CLC), is obligated to adhere to the standardization principles of the World Trade Organization, to comply with CEN/CLC Internal...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that Ireland faces a cost-of-living crisis, as does most of the world, and we are seeing inflation at levels not seen for a generation. That impacts different people and households in different ways. People who drive and commute are affected in a serious way because the price of petrol and diesel is so high at the moment, notwithstanding the reductions in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The briefing I was given was that there had not been an increase in the maximum toll for nine years. That may well be incorrect-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I will get that double-checked today. In terms of information, I was not informed, nor were the Taoiseach or the Cabinet, but I accept the doctrine of collective responsibility and if Ministers were aware, then the Government was collectively aware. The question now is what we can do about it. I would like to be able to give a cast-iron commitment today but it would not be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think it is correct to say what the Deputy said about every metric. I will just mention two, as she raised metrics. We anticipate this year between 20,000 and 28,000 new homes being built. That does not include derelict homes being brought back into use and student accommodation. Approximately 26,000 to 28,000 new houses and apartments will be built in Ireland this year. That is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I referred to two cities - Sydney, where the average house price is AUD1 million, and rents in New York. The Deputy has represented what I said in a way that was not said and certainly not the way I intended it. I believe Ireland is a great country in which to live. That is not just my opinion. The United Nations, which assesses these things objectively, put Ireland in the top ten...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Of course, it does; everyone's experience is different.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know he is doing a lot of work as an advocate to highlight this matter. COPD, formerly known as emphysema or bronchitis, has a considerable impact on the quality of life of patients, families and carers. The course of the disease involves ongoing medical care and, in the case of certain patients, frequent hospital admissions. It is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The idea is to manage COPD, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and other chronic illnesses in the community, insofar as is possible. If those diseases are well managed in the community, and they can be in the majority of cases, the number of hospital admissions will be very low. However, there will always be people who need specialist care and need to see a consultant or be admitted to...