Results 40,001-40,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 199: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of representatives of small and medium sized businesses represented on the boards of FÁS and Enterprise Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25522/07]

Written Answers — Fee-Paying Secondary Schools: Fee-Paying Secondary Schools (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 221: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of students currently attending fee-paying secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25518/07]

Written Answers — Fee-Paying Secondary Schools: Fee-Paying Secondary Schools (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 223: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the estimate of the amount of money saved to the State in capitation fees and other school supports with respect to pupils who attend fee-paying second level schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25520/07]

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 222: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 425 of 2 October 2007, if her attention has been drawn to the fact that no letter has been received by the legal representatives of the owners of the adjacent property as was stated in her reply; when they can expect to receive such a letter; and if she will make a statement on the matter....

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 224: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 435 of 2 October 2007, if her attention has been drawn to the fact that her Department was the only Department which refused to answer this question; the reason she did not answer this question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25521/07]

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: My question particularly related to recent court decisions in the Airspace versus Powertech case and the Panabridge case where essentially Ms Justice Laffoy, in her wisdom, decided perhaps that it is no longer appropriate for companies to seek actions, under sections 150 and 160 of the Companies Act, to have a company reinstated. The effect of that decision is that it falls entirely on the...

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Initially I had included another line in the question I tabled.

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I accept that.

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: In that regard, is the Minister aware of those judgments and of the fact that the courts are taking the view that it is the role of the Director of Corporate Enforcement to pursue the thousands of companies that were involuntarily struck off the register? Is it the Minister's view that the Director of Corporate Enforcement should take on that role? If so, should he be resourced to do so and...

Job Creation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I have two questions. I preface my remarks by saying that nobody holds the Minister responsible for the problems that Amgen may have getting Arnest recognised by the FDA. In the period between April and June, did the Minister or IDA Ireland receive any early warning, were there suggestions the project could be scuppered or was the company put on a hot list? In regard to ownership of the...

Public Holidays. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I share the Minister's scepticism in this regard. I would be interested to know if the Department has ever carried out an assessment in respect of the cost to business and the public sector pay bill of an additional public holiday.

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 74: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will implement the single recommendation of the business regulation forum that he established in 2005 to introduce a standard cost model as used in Denmark and the Netherlands to objectively assess the administrative cost for businesses to comply with new and current regulations; and if he will make a statement on...

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Minister and look forward to our engagements. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the report in front of me, but my understanding is that five recommendations were made and among those was the use of the standard cost model in assessing regulatory impact. Will the Minister introduce this model and if not, why not? Will he follow the example of the Netherlands by setting a real...

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I understand what the Taoiseach has said to be somewhat different. He stated Ireland will play its part in reducing the cost of regulation. That is what one says when there is no plan to do anything. Has the Government formally signed up to a 25% reduction target and if not, when is it intended to do so? I accept the Minister's statement on not implementing the standard cost model in the...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Question 76: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action he will take to tackle the projected rise in unemployment in 2008; his views on the ESRI forecast in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25673/07]

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I am prepared to deal with the questions out of sequence.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Another Minister had a similar problem last week. However, I understand Amgen is now making a tablet to help people overcome these difficulties.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I was shocked by the statistics contained in the pre-budget outlook and the ESRI report. Unemployment has risen from 3.7% in 2001 when it bottomed out to 4.7% today. The Government seems to have thrown in the towel when it comes to employment and has clearly admitted that unemployment will rise to 5.5% next year. The latter will mean that there will be in the region of 200,000 on the live...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister's words are very nice and if I did not know better, I would be re-assured by them. However, like everything else, it is lip-service. The Minister suggests the economy is robust and the Minister for Finance suggests that it has not been stronger for ten years. In reality, we see that the Minister's own Government accepts that unemployment is going to increase, tax receipts are...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Leo Varadkar: I accept that France, which is a country with a long history of structural socialism, and we all know what that does, has a higher rate of unemployment. I will cite some other examples. Does the Minister accept that the UK has an unemployment rate of 5.4%, the US has an unemployment rate of 4.6%, Australia has an unemployment rate of 4.3%, South Korea has an unemployment rate of 3.7% and...