Results 321-340 of 16,693 for speaker:Leo Varadkar in 'Dáil debates'

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Even for something like Garda numbers, if we had not closed Templemore there would be 1,000 more gardaí today. These things have real consequences but they were difficult decisions. It was never a case of choosing between the right option and the wrong option. It was choosing between options A, B and C, all of which had pros and cons.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Often those decisions were finely balanced. The public health advice more often than not was for deeper, longer, stricter lockdowns. That was often the view of the Opposition, too, indeed some even flirted with the bizarre zero Covid policy which has proven to be among the worst options when we see the effects that occurred, or certainly not a sustainable option as it was abandoned by all...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: That is definitely not a model that we will be following. In the election we will be encouraging people not to vote for Sinn Féin or for left wing parties precisely because that is what they want to do in Ireland. It is not a good thing. On long Covid, early in the pandemic the HSE identified a need for a national service for long Covid and to set up a multidisciplinary team to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I will be consulting with the Opposition parties on Thursday and am happy to go through it all then.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Economic Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: -----work out what the effective amount would be and make sure we are very careful about any unintended consequences, which often happen in tax policy. Artificial intelligence is a really important topic to which we need to give a lot of consideration. It was the main topic of discussion in Davos last week. It is a powerful technology with potentially enormous benefits for society and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Economic Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, to revert to the Deputy on that issue.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 10, inclusive, together. A comprehensive evaluation of how the country managed Covid-19 will provide an opportunity to learn lessons from our experiences in dealing with the 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...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Economic Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Boyd Barrett is quite right to say that wealth is generated by workers, but there are different forms of workers and different forms of wealth. A lot of wealth is generated by innovation and creating new things. We need to always bear that in mind. There is a lot of research showing that 75% of all new global growth in recent decades has...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I concur with him. Regeneration is happening in Dublin city. It is, of course, a matter for Dublin City Council primarily, but it is not happening fast enough. It is not just the Oliver Bond complex. It is also Dolphin House, Donore Avenue and so many other projects that seem to take an inordinate amount of time to progress. Even the O'Devaney Gardens project, which...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I know this is a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. From talking to my own Deputies and going around the country, I know the delays in getting a driver test are hugely frustrating, especially for young people and those who need the car to get to work or to college. We are hiring more testers and we believe this will help us to get on top of the backlog...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As I think I said earlier in reply to another Deputy, the Government appreciates that a lot of businesses are under pressure from rising costs, particularly those in the hospitality sector. There is help on the way in terms of a €250 million in grants that the Government will be pumping into small businesses before the end of March to help with bills and cash...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Economic Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos 1 to 7, inclusive, together. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council published its annual competitiveness challenge report in September 2023. The council's report outlined 19 priority recommendations across a broad range of areas for Government consideration. These include enabling stronger productivity growth through research, development...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: Thanks, Deputy. I am going to have to ask the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to come back to him directly on that particular query, but this is an issue that I have taken an interest in personally. I have met the fishing organisations a few times. I think we had a good outcome in relation to mackerel not too long ago. On this particular negotiation, though, I am not across the detail, so I...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this important issue again. I will have to speak to the Minister for Justice about it. Either a review or a report was done but not an inquiry. I will follow up on the matter with the Deputy directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. If she passes me the details, I will check the matter out with the Minister, Deputy McEntee. Straightforward cases should not take that long. If somebody comes to the country legally and is working, making a contribution and paying their taxes, usually that person's case can be decided within months, and certainly less than 19 months in my experience. Sometimes there...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: The Government defends the right of people to protest and do so peacefully. That includes pro-Palestinian protests, and it includes protests against antisemitism and protests against terrorism. I do not know the details of the case raised by the Deputy. There may be more to it than I know or the Deputy knows. We have no plans to bring in any restrictions on pro-Palestine protests.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not believe this is just about electricity prices, which as the Deputy will know are now falling and falling rapidly for businesses. It is also about lead and zinc prices, which ultimately determine how much the company gets for what it produces. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Simon Coveney and his team, alongside our enterprise agencies,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to seek an update from TII on this. I do not have the details to hand. We are continuing a considerable investment in our roads. The focus, of course, is on maintaining and strengthening existing roads, on safety, on international commitments, and on bypasses of towns in particular.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: My understanding is that early pregnancy loss and fertility treatments can be covered under the statutory sick pay scheme, which is new. It just requires a doctor's cert to that effect. However, I appreciate and am sympathetic to the calls for dedicated leave for the reasons outlined. Some employers offer it on a voluntary basis. To pick up on what many Deputies said earlier about rising...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jan 2024)

Leo Varadkar: If I stick to that, I can do this very quickly.