Results 37,401-37,420 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Child Poverty (31 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Farrell raised the children's disability network teams. They will not specifically fall under the remit of the new unit. They will fall to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, with the transfer of disability functions to her and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, which will happen on 1 March, but it...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Child Poverty (31 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 23, inclusive, together. Our vision is to make Ireland the best country in Europe in which to be a child. The role of the Department of the Taoiseach is to pull things together and co-ordinate Government action so that it is targeted. Poverty restricts a child's opportunities. The new unit will build on what has been achieved by Government and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Seanad Reform (31 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The current 26thSeanad has made good progress on Seanad reform. A number of measures have been put in place to give effect to the non-electoral recommendations arising from the Manning and McDowell reports on Seanad reform. These include the establishment last year of the Seanad Select Committee on the Scrutiny of Draft EU Statutory Instruments. The Seanad has also put in place procedures...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The persons currently employed in the Department of the Taoiseach as Special Advisers are detailed in the table following. The appointment of special advisors are made in line with the Public Service Management Act, 1997 and subject to Government approval. The relevant contracts will be laid before the House of the Oireachtas in due course. Office Holder Special Adviser...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Travel (31 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Circular 01/2020 requires all Government Departments, Offices and agencies to record, monitor and value the emissions associated with official air travel. The procedures to be followed in calculating the offsets for both commercial and Ministerial Air Transport travel are also set out in the Circular. In accordance with the Circular, payments, as set out in the table below, related to these...

Pause for Peace (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Is ionann Lá Fhéile Bríde, nó Imbolc, an chéad lá de mhí Feabhra agus an t-earrach agus an tús nua. Beidh lá saoire poiblí nua againn ar an Luan seo chugainn. It bookmarks the start of the traditional Celtic new year as we move from winter into a period of light and hope. In this pause for peace, we are asking people to come together to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I still cannot fathom why the Deputy always feels the need to misrepresent what I say in this House and what the Government says. Obviously, I stand over what I said yesterday in regard to me being briefed and I am still trying to get the documents around that. What I can say is that regarding a document that appeared in the newspapers yesterday in relation to 2016, we have confirmed from...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I think Deputy McDonald is conflating two different issues, and they are different, namely, the historical nursing home charges and the issue of the DPMA. The legal advice is different. The legal advice on the DPMA was that the State did not have a leg to stand on. The legal advice on the nursing home charges is that those charges were not illegal.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That has never been established.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy McDonald is making an assertion that has not been established. She also made an assertion that people were prevented from going to court. Nobody is prevented from going to court. One cannot prevent somebody from going to court in Ireland. That is an entirely false statement.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There were cases that were settled and there are cases that have not been settled and they may yet go to court. That assertion is also false. I have been a member of three governments. More so than ever, and more so than other governments have done or governments around the world have done, we have put a huge amount of time, care and resources into putting right some of the wrongs of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That is something that must be done.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is very easy to lump all these different cases and issues together and say they are all the same. They are not. They are quite different. For example, when it comes to the nursing home charges issue, the legal advice from the Attorney General is very different from his legal advice on the DPMA.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think it is right to-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----put them all together.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am coming to that. I have been a member of three governments now, including a Government involving the Labour Party. We have put a huge amount of time, care and resources into putting right some of the wrongs of the past, even where there is no legal liability on the State. We have put in place a compensation scheme, for example, for symphysiotomy. In that case, the survivors went to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that it is the role of the Government to act in the common good. We may disagree on what the common good is from time to time. I accept it is the responsibility of the Government to act within the common good, which is why I do not accept this charge that has been made, namely, that the Government only does the right thing when it is dragged to court or loses a court case.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have given the Deputy several examples of cases where the Government put a redress scheme in place, even though the case was lost in court. Symphysiotomy is one example of that. The Government also decided to put in place compensation schemes in respect of mother and baby institutions, Magdalen laundries, mica, pyrite and apartment block defects, despite the fact that there was never a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Government recognises the need to ensure that there are accessible transport options and appropriate mobility supports for people with disabilities. The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme provides relief for vehicle registration tax and VAT on an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do not have answers to all the Deputy's questions but I will let the Minister for Finance know that the matter was brought up today. We will see if we can come back to him with some more details. It has taken longer than anticipated to recruit the new board. We hope the board can make inroads into the backlog over the next couple of months. As the Deputy said, there are...