Results 39,961-39,980 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this matter and his consistency in raising it in the House. The in camerarule is there generally speaking to protect the identity of children and families in what can be very sensitive cases. To waive that would be something we would have to think about very carefully.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister is working on that legislation at the moment. We do not have a date yet for the publication but it is a legislative priority for the Department of Justice.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do not have an update on the bridge project to hand but I will follow up on it and get back to the Deputy directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have a direct role in deciding where post offices are located. It is a matter for An Post but I appreciate the feeling in the town. New Ross is a big town. It needs a post office, and post offices are much better located in the centre of the town than in other locations. I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, about it and ask him to get back to the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health last met on 7 December 2023 and is currently scheduled to next meet on 12 February of this year. The committee oversees the programme for Government commitments relating to health and receives detailed reports on identified policy areas. It considers the progress of health reforms, including...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Durkan raised the operation and layout of emergency departments. I very much agree with him that staff work very hard in emergency departments and are often subject to abuse and even violence from a minority of patients and their visitors and that is never acceptable. The NTPF is used to commission private healthcare for public patients and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE can recruit an additional 2,000 staff this year.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 23, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing met yesterday. The committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All and programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters. Our latest update on progress achieved under Housing for All was published last Thursday. Despite...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Durkan raised the issue of institutional investors. The Government recognises the need for protections to prevent institutional investors displacing owner occupiers. For this reason, we introduced tax and planning changes to protect traditional family houses from bulk purchase. These include changes introduced in May 2021 to the rate of stamp duty on bulk purchases. A 10% stamp...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 to 27, inclusive, together. The Government has established ten Cabinet committees. These are Brexit and Northern Ireland, children and education, economy and investment, environment and climate change, EU and international affairs, Government co-ordination, health, housing, humanitarian response to Ukraine, and social affairs and public services. I am...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: On the St. Patrick's Day events in the White House, I have not yet received an invitation. If I am invited, I will accept and, as always, use it as an opportunity to speak to the US President and Administration about matters of interest and concern to the Irish people. Those conversations are not always pleasant ones. While we agree on the majority of things, we do not agree on everything....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Of course. We are getting our own legal advice.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Child Poverty (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The work of the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office is to prioritise action across government in areas that will have the greatest affect for children and families experiencing poverty. From Poverty to Potential: A Programme Plan for Child Well-being 2023-2025was published last year and is the initial Programme Plan for the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos from 17 to 19 January. My programme included an IDA Ireland event where I met with business leaders from the manufacturing, chemical, technology, and finance sectors. I attended a foreign policy-focused event organised by the Washington Post, with other European leaders, heads of prominent international organisations, and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos from 17 to 19 January. My programme included an IDA Ireland event where I met with business leaders from the manufacturing, chemical, technology, and finance sectors. I attended a foreign policy-focused event organised by the Washington Post, with other European leaders, heads of prominent international organisations, and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Mother and Baby Homes (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: In advance of the Government considering the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation on Mother and Baby Homes certain information relating to matters in the Report was disclosed in a newspaper article. In that context, the then Taoiseach requested that an investigation be carried out. The investigation was conducted by a senior official in my Department and received full...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I welcomed Premier Li Qiang to Ireland on 17 January for a working visit which marked 45 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and China. In addition to our bilateral meeting, there was a working lunch which included several Chinese ministers; the Governor of the Central Bank of China; the Tánaiste; and Ministers Ryan, Foley, McConalogue and Coveney. I had a productive meeting...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of the Taoiseach has not availed of any services or consultancy for the past five years to date from the companies in question nor has any expenditure been incurred.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Travel (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: On the 20th September last year, I travelled to Miami to officially open the Consulate General of Ireland there. During my visit I met with members of the Irish community and local political leaders. The Consulate is the eighth Consulate in Ireland’s US network and was established under the Global Ireland strategy (2018) which commits to doubling Ireland’s diplomatic footprint....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Citizens' Assembly (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government commits to establishing four Citizens’ Assemblies, on the topics of Biodiversity Loss; the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin; Matters relating to Drugs Use; and the Future of Education. With the publication last week of the Citizens’ Assembly report on Matters relating to Drugs Use, three of the...