Results 5,261-5,280 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (12 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There are nine State Boards under the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and one Commission (the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission). Gender balance at board and senior leadership levels in Irish companies is a policy priority for my Department. The policy approach to date has focused on driving culture change in businesses, supported by voluntary...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (12 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In response to COVID 19, the IDA migrated many of its business development and client engagement activities to digital platforms. The Agency has developed a suite of digital content and put in place an E-Site Visit experience which can be accessed by potential investors. As the Deputy will be aware, regional development is a priority in the IDA's new Strategy to 2024, with the aim of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Development (12 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future commits to consider the potential of the Shannon Estuary in terms of regional economic development across transport and logistics, manufacturing, renewable energy and tourism, and develop a strategy to achieve this potential. I am finalising plans to establish the Taskforce to identify...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (12 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has a dedicated Procurement Co-Ordination Unit, with responsibility at Principal Officer level. The Unit assists internal business units and our Offices on a range of procurement matters, as required, so as to ensure that there is an appropriate focus on procurement best practice. The Department is also guided by various national and international (EU) procurement rules and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Vaccination Programme (12 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There will be practical challenges facing employers, and employees, as more workplaces re-open and workers return to the physical workplace. In relation to the issue of employers determining the vaccination status of their employees the Data Protection Commissioner has made it clear that the matter of checking the vaccination status of an employee would require to be rooted in public health...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Local authorities are responsible for the management of problems associated with coastal change and erosion in their respective areas, but there is a need for a long-term, co-ordinated approach to tackle the issues of coastal change and to provide a framework for key decisions to be taken on how Ireland can best manage its coast, being aware of the future risks and associated planning...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We are keen to get that legislation done as soon as possible. It was delayed in pre-legislative scrutiny in the committee. I spoke to the chairman about that and I understand it may be advancing now. If we can get the Bill to the House in this session, we will. There had been delays in processing permits, but that is improving now. However, there is also a cap on the number of permits...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: 1 o’clock That is a very good idea. I know the location. Many other reservoirs throughout the country are used as amenities as well as being water sources. I will make a point of taking the matter up with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I will let him know it was raised in the Dáil.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I share the Deputy's concerns about the very long waiting lists for some of those assessments and therapies. I will ask the Ministers for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Health to provide a detailed answer on the action being taken to improve the situation.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have to confess I am not sure or certain if that is what happened. There may be different accounts as to what happened with the auctions. It is certainly the case that the auctions were unsuccessful. We cannot afford that to happen again in the new year. We need to ensure that those auctions are successful. That may require a change of approach from EirGrid.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I cannot answer questions on behalf of Institute of Technology Sligo. The institute would have to answer those questions for itself. I am sorry to hear students are still learning mainly online there because the norm throughout the country now is that most activities are happening on campus again. It is very disappointing if it is the case that students of Institute of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: That is a matter for the Minister for Health to determine from his budget. It is something that can arise in the next couple of weeks, once the Estimates are approved by the House. As the Deputy will know, section 39 staff are not public servants, so they are not tied to public sector pay scales, but it is possible for the Government to give section 39 organisations additional funding,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Decisions on access of partners at maternity hospitals are made, implemented and reviewed at hospital level. The decisions are informed by national guidance with due regard to local circumstances, including infrastructure, local rates of community infection and infection rates among members of staff. The HSE has advised that staff are endeavouring to maximise the attendance of partners...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As the House will be aware, businesses are reporting labour shortages across the economy at the moment in retail, hospitality, logistics, agriculture and food. This is a real problem. A number of different things are driving that, ranging from the impact of the pandemic to how it is much harder for people to travel into the country, or at least it was until a few weeks...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and that Bill is on the priority list for publication this session. There were some delays; it involves the transposing of an EU directive and involves the making of some changes both to ComReg and the remit of the Competition Act but it is on the priority list for publication this session and I expect it will be published then.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Can I ask the Deputy to repeat that question, please, as I did not hear him?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We have had some briefings from EirGrid and from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in Ireland, CRU, in recent weeks and they have developed a plan to ensure that we will have enough electricity not just this winter but for the next four or five winters and that we can cater for increased demand for electricity from industry and households over that period. It...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and must confess to not being a technical expert in this area. EirGrid has acknowledged that the past number of auctions were not successful. There will be new auctions in the new year and we have asked it and impress upon it the need to reconsider their approach to these auctions because if these are operated in the same way, they may end up with the same result. That is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and I believe I answered this question already in part to Deputy Cullinane earlier today. We are increasing our bed capacity so that with more beds there will be fewer people on trolleys. We have added more than 800 beds, which are the equivalent of two medium-sized hospitals, since the beginning of the pandemic. That is why we have seen a reduction of the number of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Oct 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy very much. The budget for mental health in Ireland is well over €1 billion a year now and has gone up by over 25% in the past couple of years. I was not aware that some of it had gone unspent but as we are not yet at the end of the year, there is still a way to go before December 31.