Results 601-620 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Sorry, I am just going to stop now because I am effectively being accused by Deputy Barry of somehow being responsible for what is happening in Gaza.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am going to sit down, Deputy. I think it is bang out of order. I am sorry.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: May I answer the other questions without being interrupted or shouted down?

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is beyond the pale in this House for those kinds of accusations to be made.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On the question from Deputy Haughey, as to whether there is a collective view from the Arab countries that I engage with, I do not think it would be correct to say there is a collective view. There are different emphases from Egypt to Jordan to Qatar, for example. I think there is a majority view that there should be a permanent ceasefire; that there should be no expulsions of Palestinians...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: They might not like the fact that the Palestinian Authority has decided not to-----

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is the case that the Palestinian Authority has not decided to take, or at least my advice is that it has not taken, a case as an injured party.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: If I am incorrect on that, I am happy to clarify. Again, there are interruptions when uncomfortable facts are put across.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Just on genocide, I think, or at least I hope, we all agree in this House that the Holocaust, the Shoah, was a genocide.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Hitler killed 6 million people and he would have killed another 3 million to 6 million people if he could have. Deputy Boyd Barrett takes the view that the killing of 15,000 people in Gaza is a genocide, and it would appear that they intend to kill many more. I will ask this question, however, and I think it is a reasonable one to ask. Is what Hamas has done to Israel not also genocidal?

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Hamas went into Israel, killed 1,400 people, including women and children, and took people hostage. They would have killed many more if they had the chance. I have no doubt that Hamas would kill as many people in Israel as it possibly could if it was given the chance and had the weapons. Why is that not a genocide? Is 1,400 people not enough?

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We do not when it comes to An Bord Pleanála and that is the whole point. To respond to Deputy Conway-Walsh, I cannot and will not be answering questions on behalf of Mr. Watt. What I can say is that the health budget for 2024 will be the highest ever. Waiting lists are down 20% from their post-pandemic peak. Health outcomes are improving and life expectancy in Ireland has never...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Middle East (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 20, inclusive, together. I met with a group of resident Arab ambassadors and representatives of countries from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Government Buildings on Tuesday, 21 November to discuss the situation in the Middle East, and in particular the ongoing conflict between Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups and Israel, and the...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Dillon raised the important issue of mental health and deficits in CAMHS. We have real difficulties there, as Deputies will know, in securing skilled and qualified staff for those teams, but I assure the Deputy and the House that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is committed to making all the reforms necessary and possible to improve...

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Programme for Government (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh 1 go 14, le chéile. The Government is making good progress in implementing the programme for Government. We led Ireland through the pandemic, saving lives and livelihoods. Over 500,000 more people are at work today than on the day the Government took office, and we are now at full employment. We are implementing far-reaching reforms like sick...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Medical cards in Ireland are means-tested, so it is in almost all cases based on income. Medical cards are given to people who have a terminal illness. There are about 180,000 discretionary medical cards for other reasons. We did much work on this when I was Minister for Health. It is a detailed report and it is worth reading. It is over 100 pages along and was done by all the medical...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for the various issues they raised. Deputy Moynihan mentioned the ongoing issue of boil water notices in Cork North-West. I agree that is not satisfactory. I will alert the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to the issue once again and ask him to engage with Irish Water on it. On Deputy O'Reilly's question about X, formerly known as Twitter, the Minister, Deputy McEntee,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have looked into that. The advice is as follows. Ireland is party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as are Israel and Palestine. All contracting parties to the convention undertake to prevent and punish genocide. If a party to the convention considers that another party is failing to meet its obligations, the injured party should initiate a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There is no legislation promised on this matter but I appreciate that it is an important issue and I will ask the Minister for Health to reply to the Deputy in writing.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Energy independence and all of the benefits that arise from that are our moonshot for the 21st century. That involves offshore wind, onshore wind, solar energy, interconnection, battery storage and all of those things put together. It makes sense to do this in a plan-led way, doing what is cheapest and quickest first and then doing what is most expensive and hardest to do thereafter. That...