Results 38,241-38,260 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and pitting people who want to buy their home against people on the housing list. We need to help everyone. The plan is Housing for All; it is public and private and involves us doing as much as we can possibly do on both tracks. I disagree with the Deputy's analysis. Housing for All has had a very good start. More social housing was built last year than in any year since the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There was no political pressure applied. I am happy to confirm that once again. The Labour Party has six or seven Deputies. She may not know this yet, but I imagine she will find that two of those will not be contesting the next election. That is roughly a third, which is quite a lot. People move on and retire, and they have the right to do so. Tá an plean Tithíocht do...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Under the current Government, and indeed the previous one I led, living standards rose and poverty rates went down. This is a simple fact that the Deputy can check if he chooses to do so. In most years since 2014, we have seen incomes or wages rising faster than inflation, or faster than increases in the cost of living, and as a result we have seen incomes and living standards rise and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Bill will be published and enacted before the summer recess, with the co-operation of the House, and will raise money we can use to help families with the high cost of living. I expect to see energy prices fall. We are already seeing petrol and diesel prices fall and I expect to see electricity and gas prices fall throughout the course of the year.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am not arguing with the OECD. The OECD report says that incomes rose last year but the cost of living rose faster. However, that was the first year where that was true since the crash about ten or 15 years ago. Under this Government and the previous one, almost every year, incomes have been rising faster than the cost of living and poverty rates have been falling. There was a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I think Macra na Feirme is a very impressive organisation. I have met Macra on many occasions. I have had them into Government Buildings and I have met them at the Ploughing Championships. It represents roughly 10,000 people in rural Ireland, some of whom are farmers and some who are not. I would be very happy to meet them again. I understand they expect to be at the Dáil around 1...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for the compliments he has bestowed on the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who is certainly one of the stellar members of my Cabinet. In relation to rural housing, I do not have the exact figures, but I remember discussing this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, not too long ago. I think approximately 1,000 one-off rural homes get planning permission...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----in fairness, we have the Minister, Deputy Foley, who has taken enormous action on school transport, which is of particular benefit to people in rural Ireland. I mentioned the actions that have already been taken by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to improve public transport in rural Ireland-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I know the work that is being done by other Ministers in that regard.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I might ask the Chief Whip to respond on the food ombudsman Bill because I was not involved in the discussions on the scheduling of it. If it is possible to find another hour or two for it, by all means, but I will ask the Whip to come back to Deputy McNamara on that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: In respect of the development levies, this applies to all residential development that commences within a year from today. It applies to local authority development levies and Uisce Éireann-Irish Water connection charges, and they will be fully refunded by central government. Irish Water will not lose out - it will be able to continue with its investments - and local authorities will...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I am somebody who has been subjected to it. This place is a Parliament. It is not a kangaroo court.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As I said earlier, we expect energy prices to come down. We have made that very clear to the electricity and gas companies. We have already seen petrol and diesel prices come down. We have extended the low VAT rate of 9% on electricity and gas through to the autumn. This week, over 1 million people - pensioners, people on social welfare and families - will receive a €200 payment...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: This is a very serious matter. I can absolutely guarantee that the Government and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, are taking it very seriously. There is already a Garda investigation under way. That is the appropriate investigation, in my view, because this is potentially a criminal matter. As the Deputy knows, only the Garda can carry out investigations into criminal matters....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Government considered the report earlier today. The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, will publish it tomorrow and people will have a chance to read it then. He has referred it to the Joint Committee on Health for its advice and deliberations. It will be up to the committee to decide how long it takes to do that. Obviously, it is an all-party committee. On operational...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am disappointed that the Deputy has decided to personalise an important and very sensitive issue. She does a disservice to women when she tries to personalise an issue such as this.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I just expressed my regret.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy was having a go at me. The Deputy has plenty of opportunities to do that on other issues. Nobody should personalise this debate. Everyone has their views on this matter. People are entitled to their views and those views should be respected. I am sorry the Deputy is not able to do that. I will leave it at that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Roughly 250 women travel abroad for abortions every year. They do so for many different reasons, which are detailed and explained in the report. Like I said, the report will be published tomorrow. People will have a chance to read it, and it is being referred to the Joint Committee on Health for further consideration.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That is a false trope that gets thrown about by the Opposition a lot. I have never blamed the Opposition for the housing crisis.