Results 3,081-3,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Appointment of Ministers of State (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, remains responsible until the transfer order is done.

Appointment of Ministers of State (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister has recused himself from making any decisions with regard to SIPO or ethics policy. He can, of course, answer questions about it as can I or anyone. The transfer of functions, of responsibilities, is a legal document which has to be prepared and signed. The Attorney General is working on that now.

Appointment of Ministers of State (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to announce, for the information of the Dáil, that having informed the President that Dáil Éireann had approved my nomination of Deputies to be members of the Government, the President, on 17 December 2022, appointed them accordingly; that, on the same date, I nominated Deputy Micheál Martin to be the Tánaiste and assigned the Department of Foreign Affairs and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, the Minister for Health is with us this afternoon and will certainly speak on it later. We will work together to do anything we can to speed up increasing capacity in Portiuncula University Hospital, which is all the more necessary since the reconfiguring of Roscommon University Hospital and given the fact that Galway University Hospital is so congested. ...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: When it comes to that €50 million figure, I wonder is that a gross wealth figure or is it a net wealth figure and how did Oxfam know how much people owe, what their debts are and what their assets are.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I would wonder about the accuracy of that and whether or not it is gross wealth or net wealth. One thing the Deputy is right about is we have seen a major increase in corporate profits around the world and Ireland in recent years and as a consequence of that, we in Ireland have benefited from massive receipts in corporation profit tax from those companies.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On a per-head basis, we get more in in corporation profit tax than almost any other country in Europe. Only Luxembourg is maybe up there, with one or two others. Our low-tax regime on corporations means that we taken in billions of euro more than other countries do. That is money we use to help people, such as the people the Deputy mentioned, with the €600 energy credit that the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----the reductions in income tax kicking in this month and the 25% reduction in childcare costs kicking in this month.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I could go on. Provided we continue to encourage enterprise and tax it, we will have the funds to do more.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I want to say at the outset how very sorry I am to hear about Mary's experience of our health service. For most people, their experience of our health service is very good - that is what they tell us in patient experience surveys - but I know for some people it is very bad. Mary, sadly, is just one example of many others that all of us could recount to this House. It...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry to disappoint the Deputy, but I will not be spending a few days in Davos. I will be there maybe for a day and a half. I have my responsibilities here and they take precedence. I will, therefore, only be there for about a day and a half. There is a busy programme of meetings and media engagements. The advantage of Davos, quite frankly, is that there are so many politicians,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Of course, what the former Minister of State, Deputy English, did in respect of his planning application 14 years ago is not acceptable - not to my party, not to this Government or not to anyone. That is why he resigned.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: He resigned and no longer holds office in this Government. Party matters are separate. We have a party disciplinary process. That is not a matter for this Chamber.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to SIPO and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe's, explanation of affairs, he has agreed to answer questions in the Dáil this afternoon. If SIPO carries out an inquiry and asks him to produce any evidence, he will have to do that. He accepts that the delay in putting his affairs in order was a mistake. He acknowledges and apologises for that. He should have made changes to his...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to state, as a matter of fact, that the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is not yet under investigation by the standards commission. A complaint has been received. That body will consider the complaint. It will then decide whether there should be a preliminary inquiry and, on foot of that, it will decide whether there should be an investigation. It is important that people do not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will give a small example. During election campaigns, we have all seen taxi drivers bringing people to polling stations. As a taxi is a commercial vehicle, was that declared? There are many things that need to be figured out in this instance. That needs to be taken into regard. If somebody from another jurisdiction helped out for a day or two, and was given a few bob by a third or...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, it is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We need to bear-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----all of that in mind.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Jan 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On the lobbying Act and the legislation that was brought in, I acknowledge the Labour Party's contribution to making reforms in this area. During all of that period, it was in government with my party. We brought in the lobbying Act, an effective ban on corporate donations, a freedom of information Act, and whistleblowers' legislation which is now being strengthened by this Government....