Results 38,161-38,180 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Cabinet Committees (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I would need another ten minutes to answer that one. The Deputy asked about several criteria-----

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Cabinet Committees (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----concerning two different schemes.

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Departmental Properties (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 22, inclusive, together. The Department's 2022 resource-efficiency action plan sets out a range of actions to improve the management of energy, water, material and waste resources within the Department and to increase sustainability awareness among staff. It also includes measures on levels of energy and water usage and waste produced by the...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Departmental Properties (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. On the question on protecting multinationals, the Government works with multinationals. We encourage them to invest here. There are 300,000 people in the State who work for multinationals, including in my constituency and that of the Deputy. Owing to the number employed and the contracts the multinationals issue, there are probably another 200,000 or 300,000 people...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Departmental Properties (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I believe my Department has green procurement policies. I am not 100% sure, but I am not 100% sure for a very good reason, that is, the fact that I have no role in procurement. That is a matter for the Secretary General. I have no role whatsoever in awarding any contracts to any companies on behalf of my Department. I was asked about vehicles. The Department does not have any vehicles,...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 27, inclusive, together. I hosted the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, for a working lunch in Government Buildings on Thursday, 2 March. Ireland is currently marking 50 years of EU membership and Spain is advancing preparations for its Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year. Both our countries have...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is a fair question. He will not agree with the answer but I will give him one: there are differences. Ukraine, for a start, is a European country. It is a EU candidate country. It is an established recognised independent state, recognised by Ireland. It is a democratic state. It is one that upholds the human rights of its citizens. Also, Russia's expansion and imperialism does not...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The difference is that they were looked after. They were not forced to remain refugees for generations which sadly is what has happened to Palestinians in many other parts of the region. So there are parallels but there are also huge differences and I have just touched on a few. Deputy Haughey raised Melilla and Ceuta and migration. The recent tragic events in the Mediterranean...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It was discussed. The view from President Sánchez was that we should reform the entire EU energy market and the way it works. There are different views on that. We would regard the Iberian exception as exactly that. One of the issues that has arisen as a consequence of the price cap, and this was accepted and discussed at the meeting, is a big increase in the use of gas by Spain and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet Committee on Housing last met on 2nd of March. This Committee works to ensure a coordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All. The next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Housing is scheduled for 17thof April.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet Committee on Housing last met on 2nd of March. This Committee works to ensure a coordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All. The next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Housing is scheduled for 17thof April.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Social Media (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is not the practice to comment on the technical measures that are put in place to protect official devices and communications. The NCSC does issues guidance to Government Departments and office holders on the security of mobile devices. This guidance is based on risk assessments appropriate to the circumstances and is kept under continuous review by the NCSC. The Department of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Public Procurement Contracts (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: None of the companies in question have won contracts with the Department of the Taoiseach.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Travel (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: St. Patrick's Day offers a unique opportunity to engage with the global Irish community and to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas. My visit to Washington DC this year, from 14-19 March, also provided an opportunity to recognise the steadfast and invaluable support and engagement of the United States in the peace process over the decades, particularly this year...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Housing is my priority and is a priority for the whole of the Government. I can absolutely guarantee that. We appreciate that the country is in the middle of a very deep housing crisis, a housing emergency that affects people in lots of different ways, including younger people and not-so-young people struggling to buy their first home, people paying high rents and people who are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will tell the Deputy what is happening in the real world. Last year, about 30,000 new homes were built in Ireland. In those homes are real people, with 30,000 families living in a home that did not exist last year. It is the kind of house-building we have not seen in this country in a very long time and we are going to build on that. Last year, more new social housing was provided than...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: ----and that is why I will oppose its motion in this week.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: No, I do not accept that. We are making real progress and we need to build on the progress that has been made to date. These are ambitious targets. Let us not forget that we met our key target to build more new homes of different types last year. We built roughly 30,000 new homes in Ireland last year, exceeding our target. It should be borne in mind that this does not include student...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is a fair question.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: If anyone is politically point scoring, Deputy Ó Ríordáin is-----