Results 39,701-39,720 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the Deputy's passion on this issue and I know she feels strongly about it. If she thinks there is something the Irish Government can do to force the Israeli Government and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all those groups to agree a permanent ceasefire, that simply is not the case. We do what we can. That means assisting our citizens in Gaza to get out, and most of them are out now....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is something we gave careful consideration to. The first thing we are proposing is to delete the archaic sexist language in the Constitution with regard to a women's duties in the home and to replace it with a new article which gives constitutional protection and recognition to care within the family. It does not necessarily have to be within the home but it does have to be family care....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I had a very good meeting with the acting chairperson and the chief planner of An Bord Pleanála only last week or the week before. They have a full complement now of 15 board members. Their staff now is well above 300. They are starting to get on top of the backlog, which is encouraging. On the Deputy's question, we believe that requesting go-away money in order to withdraw a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have looked into that. The advice is as follows. Ireland is party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as are Israel and Palestine. All contracting parties to the convention undertake to prevent and punish genocide. If a party to the convention considers that another party is failing to meet its obligations, the injured party should initiate a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There is no legislation promised on this matter but I appreciate that it is an important issue and I will ask the Minister for Health to reply to the Deputy in writing.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Energy independence and all of the benefits that arise from that are our moonshot for the 21st century. That involves offshore wind, onshore wind, solar energy, interconnection, battery storage and all of those things put together. It makes sense to do this in a plan-led way, doing what is cheapest and quickest first and then doing what is most expensive and hardest to do thereafter. That...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will give any suggestions that the Deputy has proper and full consideration. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, is at COP28 but I know he will want to engage with the Deputy when he gets back. From talking to other Heads of Government all around the world, I hear that everyone is doing this. Everyone is doing solar energy and everyone is installing wind turbines, onshore and offshore. It makes...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to check with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, about the timeline. I had heard a suggestion that we would have it for the final Cabinet meeting just before Christmas but I do not know if that is still the case. I will check with him and come back to the Deputy directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Medical cards in Ireland are means-tested, so it is in almost all cases based on income. Medical cards are given to people who have a terminal illness. There are about 180,000 discretionary medical cards for other reasons. We did much work on this when I was Minister for Health. It is a detailed report and it is worth reading. It is over 100 pages along and was done by all the medical...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for the various issues they raised. Deputy Moynihan mentioned the ongoing issue of boil water notices in Cork North-West. I agree that is not satisfactory. I will alert the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to the issue once again and ask him to engage with Irish Water on it. On Deputy O'Reilly's question about X, formerly known as Twitter, the Minister, Deputy McEntee,...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh 1 go 14, le chéile. The Government is making good progress in implementing the programme for Government. We led Ireland through the pandemic, saving lives and livelihoods. Over 500,000 more people are at work today than on the day the Government took office, and we are now at full employment. We are implementing far-reaching reforms like sick...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Dillon raised the important issue of mental health and deficits in CAMHS. We have real difficulties there, as Deputies will know, in securing skilled and qualified staff for those teams, but I assure the Deputy and the House that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is committed to making all the reforms necessary and possible to improve...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We do not when it comes to An Bord Pleanála and that is the whole point. To respond to Deputy Conway-Walsh, I cannot and will not be answering questions on behalf of Mr. Watt. What I can say is that the health budget for 2024 will be the highest ever. Waiting lists are down 20% from their post-pandemic peak. Health outcomes are improving and life expectancy in Ireland has never...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 20, inclusive, together. I met with a group of resident Arab ambassadors and representatives of countries from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Government Buildings on Tuesday, 21 November to discuss the situation in the Middle East, and in particular the ongoing conflict between Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups and Israel, and the...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I hear a recurring theme from Deputies opposite. I think half of them are half-saying it and the other half are saying they are not saying it. It is that they seem to think that there is some sort of action the Government could take this evening or tomorrow that would cause the Prime Minister of Israel to think again and change his policy. Half the Opposition Deputies seem to be...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The view was that the only thing that is going to change this is a change of public opinion in Israel, and that is a very different thing-----

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and something very different from change. Again, it is sad we have got to the point where people are so keen to score political points on an issue like this-----

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----that they somehow want to blame the Government for what is happening in Gaza.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness, I do not think the Deputy is doing so, but I think some other people are. I think that is wrong and I find it objectionable because when I meet people-----

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Foreign policy is important, and what we hear from the far left here are just gestures and pantomime. It does not serve the interests of the Palestinian people at all. When I meet with the Palestinian Authority and the Prime Minister of Palestine, they thank us for the position we are taking and the work we are doing. When I meet with Arab ambassadors, presidents and prime ministers, they...