Results 38,281-38,300 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 21, inclusive, together. The Cabinet Committee on the economy and investment was re-established in January 2023 and is due to meet on 25 May. The committee has a function similar to that of the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and investment, which met six times during the course of 2022. Membership of the committee comprises the Taoiseach;...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Given the limited time available to me, I will focus in my reply on matters relating to the economy and investment. There were some questions about the tech sector. The assessment I gave many months ago was that I thought the tech sector was down-sizing or re-sizing by about 10% or 15%. This is not too far off the mark. It comes after a period of rapid expansion. Tech companies that...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: For the record, I answered questions earlier on the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. That last lot of questions was supposed to be on the Cabinet committee on economy and investment. I think the Deputy is abusing the procedures of the House and is abusing privilege.

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 to 30, inclusive, together. I attended the meeting of the European Council on 23 and 24 March in Brussels. We discussed Ukraine, competitiveness, the Single Market, the economy, energy issues and external relations. Leaders met with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. In our meeting with him, we discussed the impact on global food...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (25 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On Deputy Durkan's question about the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, it is fair to say there was much consensus around the table at the European Council that the efforts we are making to assist both Turkey and Syria were the right ones. However, there was a definite degree of frustration that we were not able to get access to northern Syria for reasons linked to the conflict in that...

Rent Reduction Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is on the world wide web if anybody wants to see it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her question. I start by acknowledging the presence of a large number of third year students from CBS Portlaoise who are in the Visitors Gallery. They are most welcome. The Deputy mentioned evidence relating to the housing crisis in her introductory remarks. There is real evidence today of the kind of progress we are now making when it comes to housing, released...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: She can also acknowledge that there has been a 40% increase in the number of apartments built in the first quarter of this year compared with last year. She may wish to acknowledge as well that the number of new apartments built is double what it was three years ago and five times what it was five years ago. At regional level, it is the south-west region, covering counties Cork and Kerry,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: My answer is twofold. In the last budget, which only kicked in in January, there was a tax package that I fought hard for. That tax package resulted in income tax being reduced for 2 million people, including the vast majority of mortgage holders in the State and Deputy McDonald's party voted against that. It is a simple fact that workers in Ireland would pay more income tax under Sinn...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Sinn Féin voted against that. People today would pay more income tax under Sinn Féin than they do under the current coalition. When it comes to the next budget, there will be a tax package.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It will be as generous as we can afford, but we will have to take into account all of the other suggestions that are put forward for tax concessions. It does not make sense, and it would not be prudent or responsible, for us to come into this House every month or every other month and make income tax changes. That is not the way to run a country. I hope if Deputy McDonald ever has the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: First, I acknowledge the fact that prices are rising and rising rapidly in Ireland. For the first time in a long time we are seeing prices rise faster than incomes, but we think that will not be the case this year. Inflation will show down this year and we do expect to see not just nominal wage growth but real wage growth this year. To give one small example, the minimum wage increased by...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We have a retail forum through which the Government engages with retailers. It is very much on the agenda of the forum to ensure that prices will not increase too much or by more than is justified, given the input costs. The Deputy is not entirely correct in what he said about the national minimum wage. Since the national minimum wage was established, it has gone up by more than the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick for raising this important issue. I acknowledge, on behalf of the Government, that we have a very genuine teacher recruitment and retention challenge. I also acknowledge that this is not unique. We are in a period of full employment. There is no sector of the economy in which we do not have labour shortages. Whether it is well-paid jobs or poorly paid jobs, the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputy is saying about housing. It bothers me deeply that so many young and even not so young people find it so difficult to buy their first home. What gives me great encouragement is that we are now seeing about 400 first-time buyers per week, a really encouraging figure that is the highest since the Celtic tiger period. Because couples are counted as one person and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I again thank Deputy Harkin for raising this important issue. I do not dispute the numbers quoted by the Deputy and I agree with her that strong regions benefit the entire country. However, as I often say and as is often said to me, GDP is not everything. GDP must come with a very big health warning. The presence of Apple alone throws the numbers for GDP in the south-west region while the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: If the assembly requests a meeting in the normal way, I will certainly give it favourable consideration but it is not my practice to agree to meetings in the Chamber. It is not fair on other people or bodies that do not have a TD to make the request for them in the Chamber. The point I was making as is often made to me is that GDP is not everything, whether it is comparisons within...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There are now university towns all over Ireland and that will make a big difference into the future. There is also the Department of Rural and Community Development, which I established in 2017, which was initially under Deputy Ring and now under the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. Everyone acknowledges the amount of investment we are seeing in our towns, villages and rural counties, whether it...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Alongside the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I will meet with Macra later. I would like to be able to meet their members at the gates but, as the Deputy knows, I will be in the Chamber until 3 p.m. or so. However, I will meet them to discuss their ideas and suggestions this afternoon and will be happy to greet them in Government Buildings and not for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Apr 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That is important and it goes against the false narrative that Sinn Féin tries to put across regularly. We know from the CSO figures that unemployment in every county in Ireland is close to an all-time low.