Results 5,021-5,040 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I saw reports on the television news a few months ago about this adventure centre in County Wicklow closing. I had not heard that it has been able to secure insurance and can now reopen. That is really good news and very welcome. Having reopened, we want it stay opened, and having affordable and available insurance is going to be part of that. The first and biggest step in terms of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I certainly will raise this matter with the Minister for Health, whom I will see today or tomorrow when we discuss the new advice from NPHET. I really welcome the fact that Deputy Devlin used the term "third dose". I really think we should stop using the term "booster dose". It is increasingly clear that this is a three-course primary vaccination, as is the case with many other vaccines....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am not sure if legislation or a statutory instrument is pending, but I will ask the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to contact the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of it, but I have not yet had an opportunity to read it from cover to cover as it is about 60 pages long. The argument is that it could be legally possible for the State to purchase that land by CPO. I do not doubt that. I have said in this House previously that compulsory purchase of the land is an option, but it is an option that has consequences. It could delay the project...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is considering this matter at the moment. Deputies Carey and McHugh and others have made a similar case to that being made now by Deputy Pringle in regard to the sliding scale. The whole idea of having a cap per square foot, in terms of cost, is a sensible one so that we can contain costs and make sure the money is spent most efficiently. It is based...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The local improvement scheme is an important transport scheme. It provides for the improvement of roads all over the country which are not formally taken in charge by the local authority but which, were they in urban areas, probably would be because they access multiple households and, in some cases, multiple farms and businesses. A total of €10.5 million was...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There was a prolonged period during the recession when the LIS was suspended. Things have changed and the budget last year was €10 million, with an additional €10 million. It was probably the highest budget for the LIS in many years. I am not sure why Kerry did not get more roads done. I do not know the intricacies and details of that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is important that local authorities make submissions for additional money. There will be a budget for the LIS next year. It is important that the work gets started in the spring or summer and is not left until the end of the year when sometimes it is too late. I envisage through the course of 2022 that if we see there are underspends in particular Departments and those Departments are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. This is an important issue in my constituency as well as his. Many people, particularly living in apartments and high-density developments, face enormous bills which they often cannot afford to repair their homes and are stuck in a terrible limbo, even leaving aside the safety issues. The inability to sell on or move on until these defects are fixed is a huge problem...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will follow that up with the Minister for Health during the day. The point behind mandatory hotel quarantine, of which I am not a big fan, is that people are quarantined for ten to 14 days because they may be carrying a new variant of the virus. Unfortunately, while testing is very accurate, it is not 100%. That is the purpose of mandatory hotel quarantine and, for that reason, the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Canney for raising the important issue of LEADER programmes. All of us in this House are fully aware of the value and impact of the LEADER programme in towns, villages and parishes across Ireland and especially rural Ireland. Having had the opportunity to travel to most parts of the country, from Caherlistrane to Cahersiveen, I have seen first-hand the positive impact LEADER...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Some €70 million has been allocated to the transitional programme for LEADER for 2021-22. This transitional funding is in place due to delays at EU level in agreeing the new regulations for the CAP period running to 2027 and it has been ensured there is no gap in LEADER funding or provision due to the delay in agreeing the new CAP. An additional indicative indication of €180...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her questions. As she knows, NPHET will meet today. It will formulate its advice after that meeting and a letter will be written to the Minister for Health. Once the Government has received advice from NPHET, it will consider it and make a decision on its implementation. As part of those considerations, we will have to make decisions regarding the pandemic...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to give that commitment to the Deputy today. How we realise that commitment and what form it takes will depend on the advice we receive today from NPHET. It did not make sense to the Government to announce a set of financial supports for businesses on Tuesday, only to receive advice from NPHET on Thursday and then change supports again on Friday. It made sense to wait to see...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am afraid I have not had a chance to see the report yet. I have seen some media coverage of it but I have not read it myself. It is not my practice to comment on a report until I have had a chance to read it or at least read the executive summary, which I have not at this stage. It seems the premise of the Deputy's question is the report must be correct and therefore...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Government investment in housing happens in many different ways. There is investment in forms of public housing like, for example, cost rental, which the Deputy did not mention in his remarks. That is now a reality and a scheme people can avail of. We need much more of that. The Deputy will see affordable housing schemes led by Government being rolled out across the country over the next...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Given the data being requested spans the past five years across the Department and each of its Offices, it is not possible to provide the full information to the Deputy in the timeframe provided to meet the deadline set by the Parliamentary Questions Office. I will arrange for the provision of the requested material to be provided to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity over the coming...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Properties (2 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Accommodation for my Department and its Offices is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. Typically, the Department and its Offices are in shared accommodation, either with other Government Departments, public bodies and/or the private sector. The Department and its Offices are located in 11 locations...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate this is a difficult period for businesses operating in the play and leisure sector. The Government has worked to support businesses through these challenging times with a wide range of measures for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, grants, COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the Brexit Loan Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate this is a difficult period for businesses operating in the play and leisure sector. The Government has worked to support businesses through these challenging times with a wide range of measures for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, grants, COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the Brexit Loan Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future Growth...