Results 2,541-2,560 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It does not make sense.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am not familiar with the exact announcement to which the Deputy refers. My information is that this matter is still under consideration by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. The future is offshore wind - west, south and east coast. That is what will secure our energy independence and energy security and energy price stability.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes. This needs to be plan-led, however. It should not be a free-for-all led by investors and developers; it should be plan-led. That is why it is important we have a plan, but it has to be the right plan.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this issue. Attacks on the Garda or any of our uniformed services are unacceptable. They are not just attacks on an individual; they are also attacks on the wider community and on our State. The Minister, Deputy Harris, had a meeting with the Garda representative bodies very recently and assured them that we are taking this extremely seriously. Among the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Last week The Ditchpublished an article on the business interests of Sinn Féin's finance director. He is more than a mere employee; he is one of the eight grey eminences who manage the Sinn Féin Party, North and South. He was the executor of the estate of William Hampton, the Englishman who left millions of pounds to Sinn Féin in the Republic of Ireland, only for the money to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I agree that people should be able to get their driving tests in a timely manner. People in rural areas in particular need their cars to get to work, get to college and go about their business. This is a really big problem. I would be reluctant to make any commitment on waiving the requirement to have an accompanying driver. That is a road safety issue, and I would be reluctant to make...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have had the same experience the Deputy has had and have met many people in my constituency who have been really shocked by some of the utility bills that have landed in their letter boxes in recent weeks. These are the winter bills. They are extremely high. Unfortunately, there is another one on the way. The Government is acting. We have extended the 9% VAT rate on electricity and gas...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly examine that issue. I am not sure if it is possible for us to cap rate increases. Interest rates are set by the European Central Bank and not by the Government. Of course, banks and lenders are commercial entities and will set a rate that is above the ECB rate because they have to cover both their own costs and the fact some people are not able to repay, which means the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly take those suggestions under consideration. The Children's Rights Alliance gave us a B- last year for our plans to end the direct provision system and replace it with a not-for-profit accommodation model, which is Government policy. The report downgraded us to a D this year. That has happened because of a massive increase, a near trebling, in the number of people coming...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I could be wrong but my understanding is the Minister for Health has the report. It has not yet been shared with me or the Government. If the Minister has it, he is obviously giving it consideration but we will not delay it much further. I agree it is important the report is published as soon as possible.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The recruitment and retention of healthcare workers is a real problem. We now have a huge budget for our health service. It was €14 billion when I was the Minister for Health and is €22 billion now. There is no lack of money or political will when it comes to improving our health services but there are other restraints, one of which is the ability to train, recruit and retain...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not have the exact numbers she asked for but I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide them for her if they are available.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As regards the supply of housing, we are doing absolutely everything we can to increase the supply of housing for people who need it. We are seeing some good results - not enough, but some good results. There were 30,000 new homes built last year, more than in any other year in more than a decade. That does not include student accommodation or vacant or derelict homes being brought back...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We need to have regard for other factors. First, there is the exit of landlords from the market, which is a big problem. There are fewer rental properties available now than there were a few years ago. We need more of them, not fewer. People need to rent for different reasons at different points in their lives and, therefore, we need more landlords. The exit of landlords, particularly...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We have sourced more emergency accommodation. I do not have the exact figures or locations but I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide that information for the Deputy. It is important to state that although the number of people in State-provided emergency accommodation is at an all-time high, the number of people we are taking out of homelessness into...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I remember the pandemic very well. I remember it almost on a day-to-day basis and I remember the very difficult decisions and the different judgment calls that had to be made at different points in time, often without much information. At the very start we knew very little about the virus, as the Deputy will recall. It was not even clear at the start whether...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will have a full public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled in Ireland. This will include what happened in nursing homes, in hospitals and in the community, along with the wider economic and social response. We have not yet decided on the exact format of that. I do want it to be done properly, whether that is using the commission of investigation mechanism, which has pros and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Deputy Cairns on her election as leader of the Social Democrats. As one leader to another, it is an enormous honour to be chosen by one's party to lead them. It is a tough job and much of the work goes unrecognised whether it is fundraising, dealing with party accounts, disputes between public representatives, internal rows or...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and a very big job.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I honestly wish her a fair wind in that regard. I also want to take the opportunity to recognise the former leaders, Deputies Shortall and Catherine Murphy. We have not always seen eye to eye. I have seen many attempts to establish new parties in my time in politics, however, and very few survive eight years. Very few have six Teachtaí Dála after eight years. It is a success...