Results 2,241-2,260 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I totally agree with the Deputy that we need a holistic response that is about prevention and harm reduction and that treats this as a health issue as well as a criminal justice issue. The legislation the Minister has promised is on the way. I do not have a timeline for it yet but I know the Minister is committed to tightening our laws around people who direct others to commit crimes and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There are three different schemes involved. The first is the tenant in situ scheme with respect to social housing tenants. That is in operation. Dublin City Council alone is in the process of purchasing approximately 300 properties. We are confident we will meet the target of 1,500 homes purchased under the tenantin situscheme this year. We may even have to go higher if we are able to...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have not read the article, I have not heard either side of the story and I do not know the facts, so I do not want to comment on them in any detail. I will certainly let the Minister for Finance and the Chairman of the transport committee know that the Deputy raised it here and perhaps they can take it further.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the case. He has some links to my constituency and we have raised it with the UAE authorities. I had thought we had come to a resolution on it some months ago but perhaps that is not the case. I will follow up on it again.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I might follow up on this with the Deputy later. I have already seen around the country a number of buildings brought back into use in residential form, a number of pubs that have been turned into residential accommodation and office blocks in this city that have been turned into residential accommodation.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That I am not sure of, but I will follow up with the Deputy. It certainly sounds like a good idea to me. I thought there were already schemes to allow for that, but maybe not.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The LDA report, which, I am sure, the Deputy has read at this stage, states that approximately 66,000 homes could be built on public land, but that only in the region of 10,000 of those could be built in the next five to ten years as a result of the constraints relating to the sites involved. We will be scaling up our ambition in the context of what the LDA can achieve. We are examining the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, I was.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will say no more about it because it would be unkind.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is not possible to model that accurately. People in emergency accommodation are there for all sorts of reasons. The biggest reason in the past six months was family breakdowns and non-citizen families presenting for emergency accommodation. There is no way of predicting how many people will experience family breakdown or how many will apply for emergency accommodation. That is why...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The situation is that the school building programme is powering ahead. I have never seen more new schools built in the country or new schools extended than I have in the last couple of years. It has gone over budget for lots of reasons. The Department of Education's school building programme has gone over budget. It needs additional money to proceed with these projects. It will be...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have received a number of letters from Deputy Bacik on a number of items. I am not sure I have had a chance to respond to that one yet, but a response is coming. She will be aware that it was she in this Chamber back in October or November who called for a winter eviction ban.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: She now believes that winter is not the basis for a ban and she has a new proposal. I have explained in the Dáil-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have explained in the Dáil why I do not think this idea of a moratorium linked to four consecutive months of a particular index falling is the right way to go. I explained that last week. I will be happy to explain it to her in writing if she so wishes. I am advised by the Whip that over the past week and this week we will have 15 hours of debate in total on this issue, housing,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I believe we have adequate resources, but I am not sure what resources we would need, depending on how severe the event is. We do not believe any event would be likely or, if it did happen, would have a major impact on Ireland. We cannot take that for granted. The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence and I have plans to have a further briefing on this over the Easter...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am 100% in agreement with the Deputy on Putin. Appeasement has failed. I understand why sometimes people promote appeasement but just as it failed in the 1930s and 1940s, it has failed here. Russia was allowed to control part of Moldova, then it was allowed to invade Georgia and control part of Georgia, then it was allowed to take Crimea. The West did not act sufficiently, nor did the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I answered the Deputy's question. I said that every case is individual and people should seek the best advice they can get from organisations such as Threshold, Free Legal Advice Centres and others. In some cases, people overhold, and in some cases the landlord will accept that, may say he or she understands they have not found a place yet and will let them overhold as long as they continue...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will probably be the only one to survive. All Sinn Féin wishes to do-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Absolutely.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have increased my vote in every election I have run in.