Results 39,981-40,000 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Staff (30 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: As Taoiseach, I am provided with Ministerial transport driven by Garda protection officers. Ministerial transport driven by Garda protection officers is also provided to the Government Chief Whip who attends Cabinet. The arrangements for the civilian drivers for the Minister of State for European Affairs are a matter for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Responsibility for provision of...

Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: A Cheann Comhairle, mar Thaoiseach agus mar Cheannaire Fhine Gael, déanaim comhbhrón ó chroí le teaghlach, cairde agus comhghleacaithe John Bruton. Molaim tírghráthóir a chaith saol seirbhíse poiblí iontach. Chuir sé go buan lenár dtír agus d'fhág sé oidhreacht shuntasach. As Taoiseach and as leader of Fine Gael, I...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Travel (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: As Taoiseach, I regularly travel to participate in formal and informal meetings of the European Council, in Brussels and elsewhere. In keeping with the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy, I also place a high importance on engaging actively with fellow Heads of State and Government, both within the EU and more widely. I also use international visits to promote Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Advertising (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The historical information requested by the Deputy has been set out in previous replies, the most recent of which was provided to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question 37918/22 on 12 July 2022. Advertising expenditure in 2022 was €1,791,238 with €4,808 in 2023 and €490 to end of January 2024. The bulk of this expenditure relates to the dissemination of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The historical information requested by the Deputy has been set out in previous replies, the most recent of which was provided to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question 39981/22 on 26 July 2022. The Department of the Taoiseach has no expenditure on Ministerial or Departmental public relations. The Citizens’ Assemblies, which are staffed by the Department of the Taoiseach,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The historical information requested by the Deputy has been set out in previous replies, the most recent of which was provided to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question 40017/22 on 26 July 2022. There has been no further legal costs or expenditure on legal services since that time. Separately, legal costs and services relating to independent Commissions, Tribunals and inquiries...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (7 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The historical information requested by the Deputy has been set out in previous replies, the most recent of which was provided to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question 40035/22 of 26 July, 2022. The Department of the Taoiseach purchases office furniture and general office equipment such as computers and IT accessories as required. Expenditure on these items was €242,064.02 in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The new national children's hospital will be completed later this year and will be open and treating children next year. When it is open, it will be an incredible state-of-the-art hospital. It will care for our children for the next 50 to 100 years and it will be comparable if not superior to many of the best children's hospitals in Europe and around the world. It will be our first digital...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The hospital will be open later this year. October is the target month. It will be open to patients in 2025. The sum of €2.2 billion is the maximum allocation made by the Government for this project; we will not be allocating any more. Some €1.4 billion has been drawn down already and an additional €0.8 billion is available to complete the project, commission it and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I share the Deputy’s distress and horror at the events that we are seeing unfold in Gaza. The ground assault on Rafah should not happen; 1.5 million people are taking refuge there, most of them already displaced from other parts of Gaza and some displaced on more than one occasion. There is a serious risk of a massacre occurring in Rafah if a ground assault were to occur, and that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: We have taken considerable actions to date and we will take more. As I stated, the Attorney General will represent Ireland at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on 22 February to make the case against the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. We are in discussions with other EU member states about recognising statehood and doing it in a meaningful way. Spain is the main country...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: As I said earlier, there is a ceasefire proposal on the table negotiated by the Egyptians, Qataris and Americans. It is our strong view that Israel and Hamas should both accept that ceasefire proposal. It will allow the killing to stop. It will allow refugees, or at least some of them, to return to their homes and it will allow aid, which is desperately needed by Palestinian civilians, to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: There are countries in the world that invade other countries, that engage in international terrorism - countries like Russia and Iran for example - and they do not need the sanction or tacit support of the west or western countries to do that. That is a position Deputy Boyd Barrett is entitled to hold, but it is not the case that there are not countries that are anti-west, that do not invade...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the single-state solution, I think that is naive. It is a really nice idea. It might be the kind of thing that Deputy Boyd Barrett and I would sign up to, being secular people, but it is very evident to me that the people of Israel do not want a single-state solution, they want a Jewish state, and most Palestinians, many of whom voted for Hamas in the last election, want an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: As I said before and will continue to say, migration is a very sensitive issue and is abused by politicians all over the world to gain votes. Often, that is based on misinformation and hate-mongering. I will say it again - migration, in the round, has been a very good thing for Ireland. If it was not for migrants coming here to work in our health service, build our houses and look after...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: There are now gardaí in airports in other parts of Europe working with authorities there. We increasingly check people coming off planes, not just at border control. We are liaising with airlines to make sure their staff are properly trained. There are fines which we impose on airlines if they allow people onto aircraft undocumented. We are seeing a reduction in the number of people...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy was in full flow and speaking very quickly so I may have misunderstood him but I think I heard him say that the numbers were 4,000 in 2022 and 3,000 in 2023. That is a drop. Moving from 4,000 to 3,000 is a drop.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I have explained to the Deputy exactly why that drop has occurred.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: It is because of actions taken by the Government. If somebody enters the country through Dublin Airport without documents, one of two things happens. Either they get sent back, and that happens all the time, or alternatively, if they apply for international protection, they are entitled to have that application assessed properly and as quickly as we can. That is what we do. It is not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Many of these people, perhaps even most of them, are trafficked. That is the truth.