Results 4,481-4,500 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: That was before the PSO levy increase. The Minister is fantasising again.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: I refer to the Minister's own answers to parliamentary questions. His figures are from before the PSO levy increase.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Will the real Eamon Ryan please stand up? Is it the aforementioned answer or the one about which the Minister is now fantasising?

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister is desperate.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Before the recent increase.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: That was before the recent increase.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: It would.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: No subsidies are proposed in the NewERA policy. The NewERA policy does not require subsidies.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: It is the policy that is written down.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to share time with Deputy Catherine Byrne.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: I despair of the Minister. For somebody who preaches about consensus and everybody working together to agree a budgetary strategy, he is showing a great contempt for the Opposition and a great ability to misrepresent other people's positions and make assumptions based on attitudes that are not correct.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: It shows how phoney the Green Party is that it demands consensus in regard to difficult decisions but in the case of other policy issues, it just wants to slag people off. It is very disappointing. I thank Deputy McManus and the Labour Party for bringing forward this important motion, which we support. I propose to address three issues. First, I will refer to the truth about energy prices,...

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: I do, but that is not our position. We are proposing to defer the increase and in the meantime, if needs be, to take that money out of the massive profits of the utility companies. The Minister needs to review aspects of the PSO levy. Under the old system, when the price of energy was high, the owners of wind power plants had to pay something back into the fund, but that is no longer the...

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: It would be. It is a debate we have had at committee, which the Minister does not attend. The Joint Committees on Climate Change and Energy Security and on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources have debated the matter of super-subsidies, such as those of 14 cent and 27 cent per kilowatt hour which are twice the market price of energy, and whether such subsidies make sense. Can we be...

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: We should have that debate. I hope the Minister, having said that, now has a slightly more advanced understanding of Fine Gael thinking on this. We understand the issues. We have studied them in detail. We are not total idiots.

Fuel Poverty: Motion (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: When the Minister comes to that debate I hope he will bring his figures and his calculators. I am not anti-ideology. I am interested in political idealism and ideology but there is nothing worse than having an ideology and ignoring the numbers. Whatever ideological or philosophical position one has must make economic sense. The numbers must add up. Some of what the Minister is doing on...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Question 90: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to request the US Secretary of State and her NI envoy (details supplied) to promote the Border region as a location for new foreign direct investment at the Northern Ireland enterprise conference that they will host in Washington on 19 October 2010; to acknowledge the importance of same in the context of the bilateral 2006 comprehensive...

Written Answers — Schools Admissions: Schools Admissions (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Question 152: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills with regard to admissions policies of community colleges, if these admissions policies have to be agreed or approved by the relevant Vocational Education Committee and if the VEC has the power to intervene to require schools in adjoining or overlapping areas to co-ordinate their admissions policies or agree a common...

Written Answers — Schools Admissions: Schools Admissions (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Question 184: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills with regard to admissions policies of community colleges, if these admissions policies have to be agreed or approved by the relevant Vocational Educational Committees; if the VEC has the power to intervene to require schools in adjoining or overlapping areas to co-ordinate their admissions policies or agree a common...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (12 Oct 2010)

Leo Varadkar: Question 186: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools here that have access to broadband and have speeds of more than 10Mbit/sec; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35846/10]