Results 4,121-4,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I have not had a chance to read the report yet but I will certainly get to it, if not over the next few days then over the weekend. As the Deputy will know, at the centre of the Government's response to the housing crisis is an increase in supply. Supply on its own will not solve the problem, but we will not solve the problem without additional supply. It is a fact that 25,000 new homes...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----but it is the biggest part of solving the problem.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am not a big fan of road tolls, and the Deputy will be aware that that toll is in my constituency. Many of my constituents travelling south in the morning and north in the evening have to pay that toll. It would be remiss of me, however, not to acknowledge that in most cases tolls help to pay for the infrastructure in the first place, which has to be paid for.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In other cases that money is used to pay for additional road infrastructure elsewhere, so the money stays with Transport Infrastructure Ireland. To help commuters with the cost of commuting, we have introduced a reduction in excise on petrol and diesel and a very significant reduction in the cost of using public transport, which seems to have been a great success, given the increased numbers...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This matter is not yet finalised. Taking the Deputy's point on board, I would prefer that it is finalised and fully agreed before I make any announcement on it. What I can say, however, is that the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, working with the Ministers, Deputies Michael McGrath and Heather Humphreys, is working very hard on a proposal that would provide State subvention for a number...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I heard with great regret last Monday that PayPal was going to let 307 staff go, 135 from the Dublin office in Blanchardstown in my constituency and 175 from its offices in Dundalk. I spoke to the company's representatives earlier this week and they assured me that they remain committed to their 2,000 other staff and will continue to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can be assured that I will continue to engage on this matter. PayPal has given us the commitment that it will be retaining 2,000 staff in Ireland, which is very significant, and that it will put a good redundancy package in place for the staff who are being let go. The Government will provide the staff who are being let go with whatever support it can provide in respect of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I think he said earlier that language is important and that is right. Perhaps the language used yesterday was not the best language. No parent wants to be told his or her child is being offered a stopgap solution. I particularly do not like the use of the term "autism centre" because it sounds othering. It sounds like children are going to be bussed away to a special...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I spent Monday and Tuesday in Davos representing the country at the World Economic Forum. I was happy to do so. The Taoiseach is there now. It is important we are represented and it gives us an opportunity to tell our story, whether in relation to the protocol, what is happening in Northern Ireland or to our own economy. I flew commercially and stayed in four-star...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Employers who give pay rises often fund them by increasing the prices they charge their customers for the goods and services they produce. If a company with a few hundred employees increases pay by say, 7% or 8%, it will seek to fund that, at least in part, by increasing what it charges ordinary customers and people for the goods and services it produces. That is why we want to try to avoid...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I was interested to hear him cite the US. Many economists, including ones from both left and right, would say one of the reasons the US is facing such high levels of inflation, that are much higher than what we are experiencing here, is at least in part due to the level of spending by government there through the fiscal stimulus and also the extent to which the Federal...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Again, I acknowledge that the cost of living in Ireland is high. It was high before the current inflation crisis, compared with our peers. The cost of living in Ireland is about 30% or 35% higher than it is in similar countries. Our wages and salaries are also about 30% or 35% higher than in similar countries, which is important to bear in mind. While the Deputy's party has given us...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I reiterate the Government is absolutely committed to upholding the right of children with special educational needs to have a good education, a quality education and one that is provided in their community. Our policy is one of integration. If we are going to have an integrated society, we have to start with integrated schools, and as much as possible, children with special or additional...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for the question. At the outset, I acknowledge that Ireland, and the entire world, is facing a cost-of-living crisis driven by inflation, which is largely caused by international factors beyond our control, as the Deputy acknowledged. The cost of everything is going up and the cost of very little is going down. People can see that in their utility bills, when they go to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (24 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland's main objective is to encourage investment into Ireland by foreign owned companies. It works as a strategic partner and provides advice, consultancy and support services including a range of grants for foreign direct investment into Ireland. IDA is not the appropriate support channel for the company referred. Officials in my Department have made enquiries with Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Government Communications (24 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Contact details for my private office and for the offices of the Ministers of State in my Department are available on my Department's website at the following address: enterprise.gov.ie/en/Who-We-Are/Ministers/Contact-the-Minist ers-Offices/.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Investigations (24 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has not commissioned or conducted any such investigations during the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (24 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In 2021, IDA Ireland acquired two landbanks in Co Louth.  The land acquisitions, with a combined total of 149 acres, situated at the townland of Killally, in Dundalk and Mell in Drogheda form part of IDA’s long term strategic plans to position Louth and the wider Mid-East region to compete for FDI investment. Both sets of lands have been added to the IDA marketing database....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I responded to a question on this from Deputy Cian O'Callaghan earlier, so I do not want to expand too much on what I said. I want to reiterate that these are serious allegations, and serious allegations should be investigated seriously. People are entitled to due process and fair procedure, and that will happen. It is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to consider whether...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Leddin for the question. I am a strong supporter of the plans of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, for commuter rail in Limerick and Cork. It could really make a big difference for the cities in terms of the climate, quality of life and future development. The new Shannon task force has just been appointed. One thing I have asked it to do is engage with the three local...