Results 4,141-4,160 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Those are very fair questions that deserve comprehensive answers. I would be afraid to give the Deputy an answer and get it wrong. On foot of that, I will tell the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who is responsible for this area, that he has raised the issue and ask her to come back directly to him with replies.

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. It is useful to put on the record of the House that in the past ten years the number of special classes has increased from approximately 500 to 2,000. We now have almost 20,000 special needs assistants, which is not far off double the number we had ten years ago. New special schools have opened in Cork and Dublin this year. There has been a huge increase in resources...

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

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that this is a significant issue not only in Wexford but across the country. The HSE has considerable resources. Last year was the first in a very long time that it was not in a position to spend all of its budget. The budget has been increased to approximately €22 billion. The difficulty the HSE often has is finding suitable qualified staff. This is a real challenge...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can rest assured that the Government still has a majority in the Dáil and a substantial majority in the Seanad. As he pointed out, there is little or no evidence that the Opposition parties would be able to come together to form an alternative Government. You do not need an election to form an alternative Government. The parties opposite could have formed a left-wing...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about that case. I do not know the details but if the Deputy wishes to pass them to me, I will certainly look into it. It probably relates to a specialist childhood obesity clinic rather than disability services. If the Deputy passes on the details, I will see if there is anything we can do.

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

Leo Varadkar: As measured by the survey on income and living conditions, the official Central Statistics Office statistics indicate much progress in recent years. Living standards have improved, median incomes have gone up, rates of poverty and deprivation are down. Inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has narrowed. That may not be the prevailing narrative but those are the facts. There is...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy might send me the details. If I understand him correctly, the company is seeking a licence for a commercial service and is not looking for a subsidy. I do not see why the NTA would refuse a licence. If it works, it works and if it does not, it does not. If the Deputy sends the details I will see if I can look into it.

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

Leo Varadkar: The treatment benefit scheme is great. People pay their PRSI and get benefits in return, including optical and dental benefits. It is linked to PRSI, as the Deputy knows. I have not heard of qualified adults needing consent. There must be a way around that. I am sure it is not necessary because the Department of Social Protection should have the data already. I can certainly see how...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for raising this important issue. As he will be aware, the Government, the party I lead, and, indeed, the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, who is responsible for planning in this area, support the right of people to build rural housing on land that they own in order that they can live in their communities or live near their parents, as the case may be....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy again for raising the issue. I will take it up with the Minister for Transport and TII. Blanket bans on national secondary roads are too extreme. I am a former Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. National roads are variable. Some are big dual carriageways. Others are quite small and would be classed as regional roads in other countries. Blanket banks are too...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am deeply conscious of the anxiety experienced by many families where there are no appropriate school place available to them. Indeed, this is a hot issue in Dublin 15 in my own constituency, where we need approximately three additional special classes. There was a hot-and-heavy public meeting about the matter this week. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, the Ministers of State, Deputies...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Bacik. I acknowledge that medical scientists are essential to the health service. Patients and members of the public often do not see what they do because they work in laboratories rather than in patient-facing areas. As a medical doctor, I know what they do and I know how important they are to the health service. I would certainly like to see this dispute resolved. My...

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

Leo Varadkar: I will answer them as best I can. I would not have been involved directly in this; it would have been dealt with by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe, Michael McGrath and Darragh O'Brien. Speaking to some construction companies and developers in recent weeks, I am aware that they are not happy with this. This is not the scheme that they would have organised or arranged. They would have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know whether the Secretary of State, Liz Truss, made those remarks or not. It is obviously for her to confirm or deny them. However we all know that Brexit, even with the deal that we have had, has affected people. It has affected businesses adversely with many consequences, although I think without the deal we have it would have been much worse. In respect of legacy, the Irish...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There has been the Smithwick tribunal of which Deputy Tóibín will be aware. I have not seen the Bill on the commission of investigation so we will certainly examine that when we have had a chance to see it. There are a number of files and investigations still open, as the Deputy knows, in regard to offences that occurred in the past, as well as collusion.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There has been an increase in social welfare rates. That occurred in January and was done in response to the fact that we had a return to inflation. There had not been increases in social welfare rates in some previous budgets. Since then, there have been other increases in social welfare. For example, we brought forward changes to the working family payment and we also brought in an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. These are very serious allegations and serious allegations need to be taken seriously and properly investigated, but people are entitled to due process as well. I am sure the Deputy will acknowledge that. His questions are specific and deserve an answer. I might ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to revert to the Deputy with specific answers to his questions...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As regards the scope of the investigation and whether it should be widened, that is a matter for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to consider. Obviously, he will need to see whether the additional allegations have substance and, on foot of that, will need to make a decision as to whether the terms of reference need to be changed or the investigation widened. That is really a matter for the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I acknowledge that we face a cost-of-living crisis, that inflation is at levels not seen in a very long time and that people are feeling the pinch and more than a pinch. Many are struggling to make ends meet. It is affecting households and families, as well as businesses in terms of the cost of energy. People see it when they fill their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Broadband Infrastructure (19 May 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputy is saying and he has made some very valid points. I meet and engage with many multinational companies all the time. Believe you me, they know what they want and they are very clear about it. Generally it is to build their own campus. They want to be very near an international airport with major conductivity. They want to be near several universities. They want to...