Results 40,061-40,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their questions. As was said earlier there are lots of conspiracy theories about Davos and the World Economic Forum, and particularly online. No big decisions are made there. In fact no decisions are made at all. If that was the case I would stay for the whole thing. As it happens I had to leave early and arrive late. I arrived late because the Chinese Prime...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I proposes to take Questions Nos. 9 to 15, inclusive, together. 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 that included several Chinese ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank of China, the Tánaiste and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Decisions on security matters, including road closures such as, for example, in the Phoenix Park, are not made by me. They are security matters, they are dealt with by the Garda and the Defence Forces and they must, of course, remain confidential. At my meeting with the Chinese Premier, I raised our concerns about the treatment of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang. Premier Li disputed the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 20, inclusive, together. I visited the western Balkans from 10 to 12 January 2024. My visit to Kosovo was an opportunity, in particular, to thank the Irish members of the Defence Forces serving with the Kosovo Force, KFOR, and the Irish people serving with the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, for the vital work they do in...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their remarks. I do not think Deputy Boyd Barrett meant to say it but, just in case I misheard him, I do not think we should in any way equate the expansion of NATO to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is part of the Russian narrative and a Russian speaking point, to blame NATO expansion or use it as an excuse for what it has done in Ukraine. I would hope that none of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: That is a different thing. I am glad that is clear because it is a Russian speaking point. Aside from the historical lectures that one gets from Russia, one of its speaking points is that the expansion of NATO forced them to invade Ukraine-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: -----in order to prevent it from joining NATO, which would be its choice, not Russia's, in my view. Whether we agree with NATO expansion or not, I think it is up to individual countries and their democratically elected governments to decide whether they want to join. It should not be decided in Russia or other places. We of course discussed NATO in our conversations. All three are...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Referendum Campaigns (14 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: In accordance with standing procedure, the Department of the Taoiseach issues guidance to all Ministers and Government Departments in respect of the application of the principles of the various Court judgments relevant to the Government’s role in referendum campaigns (these are generally referred to as the ‘McKenna/McCrystal principles’). The guidance note is based on...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I take this opportunity to note the passing of Michael O'Regan. I know his friends, colleagues and the people of Kerry, who will be well familiar with the Dáil hour programme on the radio, will mourn his loss. I understand there will be a moment of silence at the end of Leaders' Questions to pay our respects to him and his family and colleagues. On the Deputy's...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, met the director general on the day the McCann report was published. That report dealt with the voluntary redundancy schemes of 2017 and 2020. Yesterday's meeting between the Minister, the DG and the chairperson was in relation to termination packages. We need all transparency on this to the extent that is possible within the law....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: There are people behind her who have sued RTÉ and taken a lot of money out of it, which is ultimately taxpayers' money,as the Deputy has pointed out.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: That is a real concern. We see all over the western world democracies being undermined by governments that want to control the purse strings around the media. I would be really concerned if we were to go down that route.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Yes.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy started the question by referring to the annual report card on Government performance that the Children's Rights Alliance produces. This is an independent body and issues its report card every year. It might be useful for people to know that of the 16 measures the Children's Rights Alliance rates the Government on, our grades are up in four, the same in 12 and not down in any...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. It is a little bit of stretch for her to accuse me of spin when she is quite the Social Democrat spinmeister herself. She is the one who brought up the Children's Rights Alliance report, not me, and she did not acknowledge that of the 16 areas under which it assesses us, our grades are up in four and down in none. Of the 16 areas, there are no fail grades but there is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: -----and we absolutely take on board that criticism. In terms of a date for the report, I do not have it but I will check with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and come back to the Deputy as soon as I can.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the really important issue of stroke on Leaders' Questions. I know the topic has been raised previously but not for a long time. We all know the extent to which stroke affects people and their families. We know people who have died as a result of stroke, people who are surviving with the effects of stroke or who are at risk of stroke. We have a national...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I assure him absolutely that stroke care and treatment form an area in which we will continue to invest. We will invest more this year and indeed in the coming years. Somebody who has a stroke today in Ireland is 40% more likely to survive it than in 2011. Since 2011, we have gone from tenth place to fifth place in the EU 18. This is one of the many areas where we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of the St. John of God Community Services and for contacting me about it during the week, as other Deputies did. Everyone here is aware there is a dispute between the HSE on one side and the board of St. John of God on the other. Both sides are putting their best foot forward and negotiating hard so that we can come to a resolution. What...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can be assured that along with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, I am working hard as Taoiseach to make sure this matter is resolved as soon as possible. As I mentioned earlier, the CEO of the HSE met with the board on Sunday. A proposal has been made to St. John of God that includes additional funding and a pathway to deal with legacy...