Results 2,481-2,500 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: A comprehensive evaluation of how the country managed COVID-19 will provide an opportunity to learn lessons from our experiences in dealing with a pandemic. It will include a review of the whole-of-government response to the pandemic and how we might do better and be in a stronger position if another pandemic or other similar type event were to occur. It will include a consideration of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Climate Action Plan (8 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of the Taoiseach prepares quarterly progress reports on the implementation of measures committed to under Climate Action Plans. The reports provide a detailed breakdown of completed and delayed actions each quarter. Once approved by Government, they are published online for full transparency on climate action delivery. The most recently compiled progress report was published...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (8 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Climate Action Unit is part of the Economic Division of the Department of the Taoiseach. It was established in 2019 to meet the challenges of climate change and drive the necessary transition to a climate-neutral economy. The Unit assists in coordinating a whole-of-government response to the climate crisis, including supporting the delivery of the Government’s climate commitments...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Tóibín referred to the term "transgenderism". I am not sure what that means. It is not an ideology nor a political philosophy. Trans people are people and they exist. I know people who are trans and perhaps the Deputy does too. They have always existed, although the may not have been acknowledged. When it comes to the education...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 32, inclusive, together. The newly-established Cabinet committee on children and education will oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education, including further and higher education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being. The first meeting of this committee will take place...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their questions. Last week or the previous week, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, and I had a meeting with the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the border management unit of the Department of Justice to discuss some of the issues raised by Deputy Mattie McGrath and to examine how we can improve border security and make sure that people who should not get...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. I was asked about concerns from businesses in relation to the housing crisis. It is certainly something that has been raised with me many times, certainly during my time as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I hear the concern being expressed by businesses regarding the housing crisis impacting on their ability to recruit and retain...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: One of the things I hope is that we will lessen the need for people to go into emergency accommodation by authorising local authorities to purchase the homes they are living in. If a landlord is selling up, if the tenant is a HAP or RAS tenant, the local authorities have the finance and are being encouraged to purchase those properties. The person will move from HAP to being a social...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: ----anywhere near emergency accommodation in that period. We also confirmed that we will lease an additional 1,000 social housing units, which will allow us to bring new social housing provision this year to something like 12,000 additional units. Probably more than one third of all new homes being provided in the State this year will be social housing. This has not been something we have...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I agree absolutely that small businesses are in need of support. They are the biggest employers in Ireland. If we add them up, they employ more people than IDA and Enterprise Ireland companies and the Government combined. They employ people all over Ireland. We are doing a lot already, with the VAT reductions staying in place for another period, the improvements in the temporary energy...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is the case, however, that they are not employees of the State. This is a simple fact. We are the funder or part funder of these bodies, and if employers were going into the WRC, they would not bring in their funders or their clients. It is a matter between the employer and the employees and their representatives. There is, of course, a role for the State to play, but this is an...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes. It is a court case and I am reluctant to say anything about a matter that is before the courts. I know the Deputy has engaged with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on it-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and he tells me that there are pertinent facts in relation to this case that the Deputy has not put on the record of the Dáil. I can speak to this afterwards, if the Deputy would like.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Tógfaidh mé ceisteanna Uimh. 14 go dtí 19 le chéile.   The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy and public services. The committee covers a range of topics, including immigration and integration, in the area of social policy, with a particular focus on...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Priorities (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 13, inclusive, together. The economic policy unit is part of the economic division of the Department. The unit assists me, as Taoiseach, in advancing the Government’s economic priorities. The unit also advises me on a broad range of economic policy areas and provides me with briefing and speech material on economic and related policy matters....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have not seen that response so I cannot comment on it directly. I would not be overly concerned about unnecessary trips, to be honest. I do not think many people are going around on buses and trains just for the craic, but there would be genuine problems with free public transport - cost and capacity. We could see capacity being overloaded, and that would not be an advantage to anyone,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have not read it, I am sorry. The Deputy may not have represented it fairly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am not up to date with our plans to bring proton therapy to Ireland. I think we will at some point, and we should sooner rather than later. I have seen it operating in a hospital I visited in Singapore, and it is really impressive. It does not work for every tumour but it does work for some. It means the tumour gets pinpointed, rather than the whole skin and the area around it. People...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Give us a few weeks to sort it out.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this issue. Peanut allergies are serious and in some cases are fatal. We have had a number of cases in recent years of people going into anaphylactic shock and, unfortunately, dying as a consequence of peanut allergies. I am not familiar with the new medicine or the particular business case Deputy Griffin has mentioned, but I will get my office to follow...