Results 3,661-3,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We can do that. I am aware of the campaign but do not want to give an incorrect answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am told the Department has been going through a consultation phase with regard to the ratification process. It was between 5 September and 26 September. The information is published on the Department's website. That is to do with the convention rather than White Ribbon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I should say I had the privilege of being able to appoint four Members to the Seanad as Taoiseach's nominees in 2020 and all four were female. I also had the privilege to nominate the Leader of the Seanad, who is female, so I do have to promote men the odd time as well. Certainly, on the Seanad side at least, I think my record is okay in that regard. On the referendum, we considered this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The proposal is that within the 40 years, a person can count 15 or 20 years of care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: On the final question, we have secured an additional €8 million for staff next year. Given they will not all be hired on 1 January, the figure is higher because those additional staff will be hired throughout the course of the year, but that will have to be divided among the Department and all our agencies, including the Health and Safety Authority, the Workplace Relations Commission,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It would be appropriate and right for all Government bodies to adopt the national living wage, which is 60% of median earnings. There are many different voluntary groups and independent bodies that will say what they think the living wage should be. Deputy Cronin and I could set up a group tomorrow and determine what we think the living wage should be. When the UK established a national...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure what "general consensus" means. It might just be the people to whom the Deputy is speaking. The proposal is for four years, with 2023 being year one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The proposal-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I think it would be risky in the current economy. The Low Pay Commission has recommended four years, with 2023 being year one. I know the Deputy feels, as many people might, that the increase in the minimum wage of 7.6% is inadequate. I am hearing from many small employers that they are worried about their ability to pay it, particularly at a time of waning consumer confidence and rising...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I definitely am.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: They are not at the point they go to Cabinet because Cabinet memos are confidential.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: They are open to freedom of information, FOI, requests afterwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: To be honest, those gender analyses are perhaps not as thorough as I would like and the Deputy would expect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We have achieved a lot when it comes to balance on boards and we have done so through voluntary action. That includes State boards, which are reasonably gender balanced, and we have seen a lot of progress on those Irish Stock Exchange, ISEQ, big company boards. Having gone from 18% to 34% in only a few years I imagine we could get to 50% in a few more years but we need accelerators and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We could incentivise them with additional funding, yes. Something along those lines was done before, either by the Minster of State, Deputy Peter Burke, or the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, when there was a kind of top-up. Additional funding to reward parties that have gender-balanced tickets might be a good way to do it. The reason I like it as an idea is the stream of councillors...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is. I cannot remember which side the Senator was on in the referendum but I was in favour of abolition. A small country could get by just fine with one Chamber but I accept that the people have spoken on that, it is a settled issue now and the Seanad is here to stay. One of the views I had at the time was that I was sceptical as to whether we would get consensus on Seanad reform....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I know but the terms of reference were confined by the Constitution so absent a constitutional referendum we have to keep these five panels, which derive from a papal encyclical in the 1930s and do not reflect the modern world in my view. We need another referendum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is strange that a papal encyclical from the 1930s has created these panels that are locked into our Constitution. If this is where you were starting, you would not start there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have an answer to the budgetary question so I will mention it to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, today and we will reply by email. On the right to maternity leave for local councillors, that is being done. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, has the legislation for that ready. I am not sure whether it has been approved by Cabinet yet; it is hard to remember with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I agree. The point I am making is the payment is not the hard problem to solve. It is a relatively straightforward solution. More complicated is the replacement issue. Who fills in for you, whether you are a Deputy, Senator or councillor? In countries with list systems, it is straightforward: the next person on the list fills in. In the European Parliament, where a B-list is elected on...