Results 2,561-2,580 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: We have a derelict sites levy. That applies to derelict houses and has been in place for a very long time.

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

Leo Varadkar: No, this a different one that has been in place even when I was on the county council. That is been around for 20 or 30 years. It is a levy on derelict properties and sites and increases every year. Councils are a bit slow putting properties on it, quite frankly-----

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

Leo Varadkar: -----but it does exist. We are bringing in a vacant property tax as well, initially at that rate. However, I have an open mind on whether we increase that rate into the future. As the Deputy will know from the same report she quoted earlier, levels of dereliction and vacancy in Ireland are actually falling. The levels of vacancy in areas where housing need is greatest, such as Dublin and...

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

Leo Varadkar: When we look at the exact same report, we will see that when houses are vacant, they are often vacant for a reason. They are for sale, to let, under renovation or the person who lived there has just died. That is all in the same report the Deputy quoted. It is worth pointing that out. Another thing we are doing, which is really important, is providing grants now to young people and older...

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

Leo Varadkar: -----to make them into homes. That is going really well. I am really encouraged with what can be achieved around that. As well as that, we are going to provide a fund to local authorities so they can apply a compulsory purchase order, CPO, to vacant and derelict properties and bring them into use. That can help too.

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It is a matter of great concern to me and the Government that approximately 6,000 people in the south east have been waiting several months for laboratory test results. I know that causes great anxiety for patients and runs the risk of delayed diagnoses and poorer outcomes, even though the samples are based on routine tests and are not...

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

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly speak to the hospital manager myself about the matter this week to get a better fix on the situation. There are many ways in which we can get on top of the backlog, one being the transfer of samples to other laboratories. I will inquire as to why that is not happening at an adequate pace. The other way is to transfer staff to the laboratory from other laboratories....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The most recent formal meeting between the Office of the Taoiseach and church leaders took place on 15 April 2021 - when the now Tánaiste met with the leaders of the all island Christian Churches including the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Irish Council of Churches. I understand that discussions covered the ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Offices (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Parliamentary Liaison Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach assists the Government in its relationship with the Oireachtas. It works with the Office of the Government Chief Whip on issues that arise at the Business Committee and the Committee on Dáil Reform and Standing Orders, including Dáil reform proposals and amendments to Standing Orders. The Unit helps the Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cross-Border Co-operation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Inclusive dialogue with all communities and political traditions is central to the Government’s Shared Island approach as set out in the Programme for Government and will continue this year. 14 dialogues have been held to date, convened at Government level and engaging with more than 2,500 citizens and civic representatives, on how we can work for a shared future on the island in...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I think I or my office may be partially to blame as we are the ones who do the grouping.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness to Deputies, on this occasion the questions were on topic but sometimes they are totally unrelated to the group.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Constitutional Amendments (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 29, inclusive, together. Various proposals for constitutional reform are currently under consideration. Some arise form the programme for Government and others from the work of citizens' assemblies, the Joint Committee on Gender Equality, and others such as the EU agreement on a unified patent court that arise from legal requirements. While no...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Constitutional Amendments (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. I will start with the proposed referendum on housing. The first step is for the Housing Commission to present its wording to the Government. That has not happened yet and we expect it will happen no later than July. There will then be consideration by the Government. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked if we will consult the Joint Committee on Housing,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Constitutional Amendments (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: One will hear stories, which I often hear, of people who have not paid their rent for two years using their rights to stay in situeven though they have not paid the rent for two or three years.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Constitutional Amendments (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There are already a lot of tenants' rights and there will be more. We have the rent pressure zones, compulsory purchase orders and fast-track planning and we have had eviction bans. There has been no constitutional bar on doing any of that. Private property rights in Ireland are subject to the common good so I think the question is misframed. What is it that a housing amendment would...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that a huge number of Deputies have asked important questions. I jotted them down as quickly as I could. Eighteen Deputies asking three questions each comes to nearly 60 questions. I will try to answer as many as I can as best I can in the time available. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of the emergency department in Castlebar, which needs to be extended. I agree with his...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked about shortages of medicines. He acknowledged that these are not unique to Ireland and have happened in the past but it is worse than I have ever seen it, anyway. I am told that alternative treatments are available for every product that is currently in short supply. Shortages of certain paracetamol, Amoxicillin or penicillin products relate to individual...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: No. The ESB works as a State-owned enterprise-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council (28 Feb 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and has a profit remit. I think what we are talking about is a model that was tried in the Soviet Union and places like that, where it did not work out so well. In response to Deputy Haughey's question, like him, I do not support removing unanimity when it comes to sanctions. Unfortunately, there is evidence of circumvention, not particularly by EU countries, to the best of our...