Results 40,001-40,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: We do not find bins full of destroyed passports or documents and we do not find them flushed down toilets. Most of these people, Deputy, are trafficked. They have been subject to a crime themselves and the Deputy should admit that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their contributions. It is not the practice of the Government to expel ambassadors. We still need to be able to speak to the Israeli ambassador about two things: first, the Irish citizens who are still caught up in Gaza-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: -----and, second, the safety of our troops on the border with Lebanon and on the Golan Heights. As Taoiseach, I have a responsibility to think about the safety of our citizens and our troops on the borders of Israel. Arson is a serious crime that is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Garda investigations are under way and we expect there will be prosecutions. I agree that we need...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I agree that the TV licence is outmoded. However, it remains the law. I encourage people to comply with the law and continue to pay it. It is not just about RTÉ; it is about other forms of public service broadcasting, Irish language programming and, indeed, programming for children and the arts. The Government will make a decision this year on a new funding model, which will either...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: There is a nice picture of the Deputy and Deputy Pearse Doherty in it but it is pretty comical. I am sorry to say that but it is.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Parts of it are copied and pasted from the Future of Media Commission report. Sinn Féin's proposal to introduce an amnesty for people who did not pay is deeply insulting to people who comply with the law and do pay.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Just think about all those people who collect the stamps or who pay their bills and have done so for years. It is an insult and a kick in the teeth for them. The oddest thing in the policy is the proposal that we continue to pay €12.5 million a year to An Post for not collecting the charge when it is abolished. I am all for supporting An Post but giving people €12 million a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: -----really is comical.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE hired 8,000 extra staff last year, which was probably the biggest increase in a very long time. The HSE service plan next year provides for it to hire an additional 2,000 to 3,000 staff. I do not know what the Deputy's definition of a recruitment freeze is but 8,000 extra staff last year and another 2,000 or 3,000 this year, to me, is not a recruitment freeze. However, it will not...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: We will continue to do what we have done to date, namely, use our voice and vote at the UN and EU in support of the Palestinian people and increase funding for agencies, such as UNRWA, when other countries have suspended their funding. We are working with other countries on the possibility of statehood recognition. We have clearly called for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be on the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: We are not going to introduce a digital tax. Ireland is a hub for digital and we have huge investments and huge numbers of people working in digital and tech. I do not want to undermine that by imposing a tax on them. There are levies for regulation but that is a different thing. We have also provided emergency funding to RTÉ, precisely because we want to protect employment there and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The capital budget for this year, which is money invested in public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, roads and transport, is €13 billion. That is four times the amount when I was first appointed to Government in 2011. That is the extent to which we have ramped up investment in public infrastructure in recent years. The additional amount to be allocated is €2.25 billion...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We are opening primary care centres all over the country, including in his constituency. We have increased the number of GPs being trained every year to more than 300. Two GPs are now qualifying every year for every one who retires. I appreciate that is against the backdrop of a rising population and increased demand. There are particular challenges in disadvantaged...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of that but I will certainly make inquiries. It has not been brought to my attention to date.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Let me get the facts first and then I can let the Deputy know.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. A number of years ago, the Department of Foreign Affairs commissioned a report on this and set out a number of actions that can be taken to assist Irish people returning home. Roughly 30,000 Irish citizens come home every year - 90,000 in the past three years. In many cases, they have not been away for long and so it can be...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I understand those allocations will be made on Thursday. I think the information the Deputy has been given is probably incorrect. I am not referring to national roads here; they are a separate pot. I am talking about local and regional roads. Sometimes restoration and maintenance of existing roads and funding for new local and regional roads get mixed up in the one pot which can create...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do not. A number of BusConnects projects are progressing around the country. I am not fully up to date on that one and do not want to mislead the Deputy but I will let the Minister, Deputy Ryan's, team know she raised it today and ask him to come back to her directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a cuid ceisteanna agus gabhaim buíochas don ateangaire. I am advised the planning system in Ireland recognises the importance of continued daily use of the Irish language, especially in Gaeltacht areas. Section 46 of the Bill places an obligation on planning authorities to prepare, as part of a city or county development plan, a strategy...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do no have the information Deputy Collins asked for. That sounds like a very good service and I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to come back to him directly during the week. On Deputy Clarke's question, I am advised there has been a change to the special education teacher allocation model. However, there are not cuts. There is an increase of 1,000 special...