Results 37,801-37,820 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: National Security Committee (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 13 go 17, go huile, le chéile. The national security committee is chaired by the Secretary General of the Government and comprises representatives at the highest level from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Defence, Environment, Climate and Communications, including the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, An Garda Síochána...

Ceisteanna - Questions: National Security Committee (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. The Government has invested considerably over the past number of years in the National Cyber Security Centre, which is currently operated at a high state of preparedness and response due to recent cyber incidents and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and related cyber and hybrid threats arising from that conflict. The NCSC monitors potential threats and is in ongoing...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna 18 agus 19 le chéile. The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. The Cabinet committee considers matters relating to climate change, biodiversity loss and the quality of our water and air. It is a forum for...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Mattie McGrath raised the issue of energy security. As a country, we are doing okay with energy security. I remember only a few months ago there was a real concern that we would be facing black-outs and brown-outs, but that has not happened. We have managed to get the necessary emergency generation in place and we are working to ensure it is in place for next winter and the one...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----on the right thing to do. The Deputy was cheeky enough to tell me what he thinks I think. He should let me tell him what I think he thinks, which is just to find any excuse to oppose anything and there is always a reason.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The most recent formal meeting between the Office of the Taoiseach and church leaders took place on 15 April 2021 - when the now Tánaiste met with the leaders of the all island Christian Churches including the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Irish Council of Churches. I understand that discussions covered the ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Parliamentary Liaison Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach assists the Government in its relationship with the Oireachtas. It works with the Office of the Government Chief Whip on issues that arise at the Business Committee and the Committee on Dáil Reform and Standing Orders, including Dáil reform proposals and amendments to Standing Orders. The Unit helps the Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cross-Border Co-operation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Inclusive dialogue with all communities and political traditions is central to the Government’s Shared Island approach as set out in the Programme for Government and will continue this year. 14 dialogues have been held to date, convened at Government level and engaging with more than 2,500 citizens and civic representatives, on how we can work for a shared future on the island in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a chuid ceiste. Rinne an Rialtas socrú deacair inniu. Tá buntáistí agus míbhuntáistí ag baint leis ach creidim gurb é an cinneadh ceart ar son leas an phobail. The Government today decided that the temporary eviction moratorium would end on a phased basis, as planned and previously announced, from the end of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There were about 2,700 exits from homelessness last year and 3,000 preventions. Perhaps the reason there were more exits from homelessness during the pandemic is that, because of the restrictions on domestic and international travel, there was simply more accommodation available, with people not coming into the country and tourists not taking up the accommodation. There were many other...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As I explained earlier, we made this decision because we believe it is the right one in the public interest, which is the only reason we would make a decision of this nature. We weighed up the pros and cons, listened to the arguments and decided, on balance, this was the right decision for the three reasons I outlined. It has not been effective in reducing the number of people in emergency...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The decision we made today was not just a decision to allow the moratorium to lapse. We also made a decision to buy 1,500 homes where the landlord is selling up and the tenant is a social housing tenant. That will prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of families from going into homelessness. We decided to increase the number of social homes we will provide this year to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I answered the Deputy's question in the first part. We have made this decision and we believe it is the right one in the public interest. We know it is controversial and is going to be difficult to defend, but it is nonetheless, in our honest view, the right decision and in the public interest. Deputy Cairns mentioned being a leader, and I congratulate her on her recent election. Being a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure I was quoted accurately on that. I do not believe this is about weighing up the balance between landlords and renters as if it is one versus the other. People need places to rent. If we do not have more places to rent, there will be longer queues of people trying to get rental properties and renters will pay higher rents. We need more landlords in the market in order to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: A decision has to be made. We believe this is the right decision, in the round, in the public interest for the reasons I have outlined. I will finish on one matter Deputy Pringle talked about. I know he is interested in ideology. I am not particularly interested in ideology; I am interested in outcomes for people. The Deputy stated that the Government has a neoliberal ideology. Would...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Would a neoliberal Government have introduced the help-to-buy scheme, which has helped 30,000 people buy their first homes? Those people know who they are and know they would not have a home today under a left Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the fact.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It might be useful to inform the House of how much has been done by the Government while the moratorium has been in place. In the past three to five months, 5,000 new social housing units were built. A further 600 were released, 500 were bought and 1,500 voids were returned to use. An additional 500 emergency beds and 150 cold-weather beds were provided. Nobody can say, at least not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As everyone in this House knows, we are in the teeth of a serious housing crisis. We need to build more homes, and we need to build them as quickly as possible. What councillors around the country have done is zone land around our towns, villages and cities for development. They have made the right decision in that regard. Of course, they have zoned the land that is most appropriate,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is reasonable for farmers to say, "This is my farm. I own this land. It has been in my family for generations and I don't want to develop it. I want to continue to farm it." That is why we have a mechanism in place to allow people to request that their land be dezoned. So far, 1,687 submissions have been submitted to local authorities by landowners. Local authorities are going to...