Results 4,061-4,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We are not going to abolish inheritance tax. As I said earlier, we think it appropriate that if we tax earned income for which people have worked, it is, therefore, also appropriate that we tax unearned income that people receive by means of inheritance, capital gains or other means but I agree that we should increase the thresholds over time. That threshold of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I would argue we have already introduced an emergency budget. Some €1 billion worth of budget measures kicked in only in January. Since then, we have approved a further €1.4 billion in additional emergency measures after the budget, including the reduction in VAT, the reduction in excise on petrol and diesel, the €200 discount on electricity bills for every household...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Listening to the Deputy's contribution, somebody would be forgiven for thinking we had done nothing at all this year. We have taken a lot of action this year, including increases in the State pension, weekly welfare payments and the minimum wage. We are currently in negotiations with public servants about pay increases for them. A lot of pay increases are happening in the private sector at...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Looking at the facts and statistics, and the data are produced by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, so it is not my opinion; they are just facts, for the past few years up to this year, average earnings have risen faster than inflation. That is true in respect of the minimum wage, public sector pay and pay generally. This year is different. We are seeing unprecedented inflation and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and reducing the cost of public transport, as we have done. We have to see it as a package in the round. That is the way the Government is approaching it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: That was another cheap shot-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and a very personal shot, which says a lot about the Deputy and the character of the kind of person he is. It is particularly strange coming from him because he was prosecuted. He abused and mistreated a member of An Garda Síochána. He was prosecuted for that and found guilty. He got away without a conviction because of his age at the time but he was actually prosecuted....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The courts will decide, as they decided on Deputy Doherty. He was prosecuted and taken to court.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: What I acknowledged yesterday is that the very real housing crisis we face in this country is a disaster for many people. It may not be for the 60% or 70% of us who are lucky enough to own our own homes, whether through a mortgage or outright, but it is certainly a disaster for people who cannot afford to buy a home and really want to and for people who are paying very significant...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There is one point on which I agree with the Deputy, which is that the housing crisis affects a great number of people in society in different ways, whether it is people experiencing homelessness, people paying unaffordable rents, people who want to buy their first home but cannot or people who own their own home but who still have adult children living with them, which they find very...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. That was a cheap shot. I hosted a dinner last night to thank colleagues for their years of service. There was no public money involved. Sinn Féin hosts dinners in America, charging people €1,000 per plate to attend, and the party leader flies first class to get there. That is what Sinn Féin does in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. I believe she...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and that is one of the biggest landlords in the State, owning 50 properties-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----and from a person who operates his constituency office using public money from some sort of republican company. Cheap shots from Deputy Doherty should be seen for what they are by the Irish people.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I want to deal with the issue, having responded to the cheap shot. The ESRI report is stark. I do not think it is surprising to anyone in this House. We all know the extent to which petrol and diesel prices have soared in the past year. You only have to fill your tank or go into the forecourt to see that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We all know the extent to which the cost of electricity and gas has gone up. You only have to look at your utility bill to know that. People are feeling the squeeze. Some families are really struggling and having to make very difficult decisions about what they spend their money on because of the increase in the cost of living. These are largely driven by international factors, including...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We cannot go any lower. I have confirmation on that in relation to diesel from the Minister for Finance today. We have reduced VAT on electricity and gas to 9%, which is the lowest it has ever been. We have taken €200 off people's electricity bills and introduced a targeted measure giving people on fuel allowance an additional €100. That is what has been done so far. We...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Reports (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I welcome the findings published in the report, which provide further evidence that remote working will, on balance, change Ireland for the better. The research was conducted in line with the goals set out in Making Remote Work, Ireland’s National Remote Work Strategy, which I launched in January 2021, and the publication of this report is just one of the many actions that have been...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 153 together. Protecting the health, safety and welfare of all staff and visitors to the premises occupied by the Department is of paramount importance. Depending on the specific circumstances, matters pertaining to assault and/or sexual harassment would likely require the direct involvement of An Garda Síochána. There are various...

Seanad: Sick Leave Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am very pleased to introduce the Sick Leave Bill to the Seanad today. The Bill has completed its passage through the Dáil, and I am keen to have it enacted before the summer recess. This Bill creates a new workers' right in Ireland. For the first time, employees will be entitled to statutory sick pay from their employers. It is one of five new workers' rights I am establishing this...

Seanad: Sick Leave Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Jun 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senators for their contributions, which are very welcome. Senator Dolan asked whether we could review the impact of this in a few years' time. This would be good practice. We had intended to do so anyway. The first or second year might be too soon but perhaps it could be done in the third or fourth year. I am happy to make that commitment. I thank Senator Craughwell for his...