Results 5,121-5,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It will no longer be an office of the Department; it will be an independent agency under the remit of the Department. The new authority will have all the necessary human resources required, both civil servants and members of An Garda Síochána, to fulfil its mandate. The budget for the ODCE has been increased by 20% since 2018 and the Department has sanctioned 14 additional staff...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is fair to say that when commissions of investigation were established and that legislation came through the House - I remember it well during my first or second Dáil term - the view at the time was that they would replace tribunals and would be much less costly. They have certainly been less costly but the view was that they would happen more quickly, which has not been the case....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Company Registration (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland has a reputation for being a well regulated and business-friendly country in which to establish and operate a business. Company law has an important role to play in that regard. At the end of 2020, there were more than 500,000 companies on the register of companies in Ireland and more than 600,000 business names on the register of business names. This resulted in more than 131,000...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Company Registration (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As regards fake or bogus companies, the position is that once a company has been incorporated, it is subject to the provisions of company law and other legislation. This includes filing obligations with the CRO when company circumstances change and the filing of annual returns. In addition, newly incorporated companies have reporting obligations to the Revenue Commissioners and under...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Legislation to establish the new corporate enforcement authority is currently before the Houses. The Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2021 was published on 3 September. Second and Committee Stages have been completed in the Dáil, and Report Stage is scheduled for 10 November. Operational arrangements for the transition to an agency continue to advance in parallel, with...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. It is important to say at the outset that the vaccines do reduce transmission. They do not eliminate it, but they do reduce it. It is one of the reasons why it is in people's interest to get vaccinated. It will reduce the risk of them transmitting the virus to other people, as well as considerably reducing the risk of them being hospitalised, needing intensive care or...

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

Leo Varadkar: A lot of work is underway on the issue of the well-being index. I will ensure that Deputy Ryan receives an update on that. The Gini co-efficient, which is a measure of income inequality, is produced every year by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, with the survey on income and living conditions. Despite a lot of claims to the contrary and a lot of misinformation, in Ireland as a country,...

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

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly look into the issue and come back to the Deputy on it. My understanding is that an unlimited number of people can engage in indoor sports if they are fully vaccinated, while if they are not fully vaccinated it has to be done in pods, but this does not apply to children under 12. I will check that out and revert to the Deputy with a more detailed reply.

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

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is absolutely correct. It is in our interest as a food-producing country, as well as being in the interests of Irish farmers and the food industry, to embrace the climate and sustainability agenda, and I know very many, if not the vast majority, want to do exactly that. As things change in the coming couple of decades, banks and financial institutions will only lend money to...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Deputy O'Dea raised this issue earlier. I will follow up on it. It has come up in my conversations with constituents too. We do need to get clarity. My understanding is the restriction does not apply to those under 12 and that unvaccinated people or those with mixed vaccination status can train in pods. I acknowledge that may not always be practical, particularly for...

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

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland is committed to building a second new advance technology building in Tralee. I know both Deputy Griffin and Councillor Jim Finucane have been working on the matter for quite some time. The site selection process is under way. Securing planning permission and the construction of the building will be the next step after that. It is intended the facility will be built during the...

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

Leo Varadkar: The power stations at Lanesborough and Shannonbridge were not closed as a consequence of a Government decision. It is important to emphasise that. I know the Deputy is aware of it already. These were decisions by An Bord Pleanála and the courts. What the ESB wanted to do and what the Government wanted it to do was to convert those stations to biomass, such that they would use a mix...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge that legislation on assisted human reproduction and international surrogacy is long overdue. Many Members have been lobbied in respect of this issue in recent weeks. It is complex. There are complex legal and ethical questions that arise in respect of for-profit surrogacy services, children being moved from other countries to this...

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

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge the difficulties we have had and the delays people have experienced in getting a new passport or having their passport renewed. I am sure we all have had an unprecedented number of queries in our constituency offices about this. I certainly have. It is related to issues concerning the pandemic in that a backlog built up. Also, the staff are not fully back in the passport...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I am afraid I am not across the detail of it but it came up in conversation with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and others when I had the opportunity to visit both Sligo and Leitrim quite recently. I expect to see the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on Thursday, if not tomorrow, and I will let him know the Deputy raised the matter today and ask him to...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I cannot make a commitment on that on the floor of the House right now, but I know it is being examined by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. I will let the Ministers know that the matter has been raised here and I will ask that a more detailed response is sent to the Deputy.

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

Leo Varadkar: Rent caps or rent freezes of any nature are not going to work if they are not enforced. This is acknowledged by the Government. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien has spoken on this in recent weeks and is working on proposals.

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

Leo Varadkar: As somebody who worked in the public health service for seven years, as somebody who represents a constituency just like the Deputy does, and as somebody who has friends and family working in the health service, I very much understand the recruitment and retention challenges the Irish health services face. I understand such challenges are far from unique to Ireland. It is a problem faced by...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Government acknowledges that the cost of living is rising and that a lot of bills have increased in the past few weeks and months and may rise again into the new year. The Deputy will acknowledge that many of these cost increases are driven by international factors, not Government decisions, and involve prices set by commercial entities rather than the Government. The Government...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Nov 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We are happy to have a debate on that matter. It would obviously have to be scheduled by the Business Committee. We are happy to have a debate on climate issues and the impact on agriculture and other sectors. If it cannot be accommodated this week, it will be next week when Members will have the benefit of considering the Government's climate action plan. Let me be clear: there will not...