Results 2,361-2,380 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Meetings (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 18, inclusive, together. The climate action delivery board is jointly chaired by the Secretaries General of the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Membership of the delivery board consists of Secretaries General from those Government Departments which have the main responsibilities for...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland was reconstituted as one of ten Cabinet committees established in January 2023. It operates in accordance with established guidelines for Cabinet committees and, where appropriate, substantive issues are referred to Government for discussion and approval. The committee...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Between my office and the office of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, we will certainly look into that. The Deputy may have given the Minister of State the details already. If she has not, if she passes them on to both of us, we will try to make contact with the company.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy passes on Nicole's details to my office, with her permission to look into her case, I can certainly engage with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, about it and see if it can be resolved. I know from my own constituency service that it is often the case at this point in the year that children do not have a school place but long before September it is possible to find an...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about that lady's circumstances but without knowing all the facts, I cannot comment on the matter. I set out in response to Deputy McDonald earlier the four things Sinn Féin could do to help us. Please do them.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I want to acknowledge the Deputy's contribution. I have also heard from my constituency office about delays in processing SEAI applications. I will let the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, know that this was raised here and ask him to come back to the Deputy with a full reply.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I want to acknowledge that the Deputy and her party have a different view on this, but it is a different view from all the Government parties, Sinn Féin and the Labour Party, who all acknowledge that the eviction ban has to end at a certain point. I appreciate that People Before Profit-Solidarity has a different view even from the rest of the left on this. It is true there are...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and it would be unfair, I think.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I was in Wexford General Hospital and University Hospital Waterford in the past two weeks since the fire and I had a chance to speak to the management, doctors and other healthcare staff there about the situation. It is putting huge pressure on University Hospital Waterford, St. Luke's General Hospital Kilkenny and other hospitals. Part of what is happening is that a minor injuries unit has...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to confirm and give the reassurance that funding will be provided for those 58 schools to continue construction this year. The Department of Education is running over budget at the moment for lots of good reasons, mostly beyond its control, including higher construction costs. The Ministers for Education, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have answered that question on several occasions now and have done so very clearly. I do not know about individual responses from individual politicians, strategies, public relations or that type of thing but I do know the facts regarding the Standing Orders of this House and the Constitution, and Dáil motions are not binding. That is a simple fact.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have been very clear. Excuse me now, but if I was not clear, I do apologise. On every occasion that I have been asked this question I have been clear in answering it. It was a temporary winter eviction ban, it will end on a phased basis from 31 March, and Dáil motions are not binding.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their contributions. We have no objection on this side of the House to having a debate on the St. John Ambulance report. I am very conscious of the distress that the report's contents must have caused the victims and the survivors. It was only published last Thursday, so the appropriate first step is for Tusla to come into the committee. I understand that this is...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am not sure if this is a further Leaders' Question or a Question on Promised Legislation. I will be guided by the Leas-Cheann Comhairle as to the length of the response because that seemed to be a number of different questions.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Okay. We are going to have a debate on this today, as I understand it, and a vote on it tomorrow. We have instructed local authorities to provide additional emergency accommodation, if it is needed, and we have been very clear with them that the tenant in situscheme should be used. The resources are there to purchase 1,500 homes so if somebody is a social housing tenant, the house can be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy McNamara for raising the issue of the Limerick to Scarriff greenway. I am aware of the project, which is very exciting. I am a big fan of greenways both as a local active amenity for people who live in the area but also as something that can be very attractive for tourists. It very much speaks to the Government's current strategy of trying to get longer-stay tourists to come...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputy is saying. I know he is a strong advocate for this project. I do not know enough about the engineering pros and cons of this, but I will certainly make sure-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I would be happy to visit too. In the meantime, I will certainly speak to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about it and the ESB as well. I cannot tell them what to do or not do in engineering terms but I will certainly ask them to look at it in a favourable way, if that is possible.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is only right to recognise that there has been considerable investment in the hospital in recent years, with a 20% increase in staff and a 20% increase in the budget since the Government came into office. The new Dunmore wing is an impressive addition to the hospital, with extra bed capacity, as well as extra services in the palliative care wing. There is finally now a second cath lab in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Different mechanisms to kick the can down the road definitely will not work.