Results 6,201-6,220 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Certainly, the approach in my constituency is always to facilitate each other and allow each other to speak.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy O'Dea is quite right. This was an unintended consequence. An unintended consequence we want to avoid is a reduction in supply by banning forms of private investment but I am sure we can find a solution that gets the balance right. I cannot give the Deputy a timeline on it at present but I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I would be happy to have a debate on this issue in Government time. Deputy Griffin will talk to Deputy Creed about organising that. It is already the case that being fully vaccinated exempts people from mandatory hotel quarantine. That makes sense and the vast majority of people agree with that. It is the intention of the Government to opt in to the green digital certificate being...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, the announcement from the US yesterday is very significant and has caused the EU and other developed countries to reassess their position on this matter. This pandemic is raging across the world. Records are being broken every day in terms of the number of new cases. If we are going to get the virus under control, we need to get it under control everywhere. That...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that the Deputy raised this matter with me previously. Deputy O'Dowd also raised it with me. Drogheda is a town of more than 40,000 people and I can see that there is a very strong case for having a vaccination centre there as well as in Dundalk. I will raise it with the HSE. As the Deputy knows, I do not have the authority to instruct the HSE on matters like this but I will...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand there is nothing on the legislative programme as yet on this matter. It is the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and I understand he is of the view that those lands in Dublin 8 would be best used for regeneration with a mixed development, including housing, business and other uses. The best thing for me to do is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that this is a burning issue. People need to get on the road, particularly younger people in rural Ireland but also in urban Ireland, to go to college and take up employment opportunities. We need to get on top of the backlog that was created by the pandemic. I am not 100% across the announcement yesterday but I understand that some services will reopen and an additional 40...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have heard and understand there may be different policies being operated in different maternity hospitals, but I agree that a standard approach would be better and favourable. I will take it up with the Department of Health and with the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, in the next couple of days.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, this matter is an EU competence. Ireland does not have a seat at the WTO. We are represented by the EU. There are no Covid vaccines made or developed in Ireland and, to my knowledge, the intellectual property is not held here. The statement by Ms Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, and the decision of the US Administration is very significant and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: -----is to involve the pharmaceutical companies, scientists and universities in a solution that will allow more vaccines to be made, and particularly in the global south.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The President of the Commission made a statement on this this morning and made it clear that the European Union is open to discussions on this matter. We want a practical solution that actually means that more vaccines will be produced in the global south and that needs to go beyond a TRIPS waiver. The EU position is we are committed and open to trying to reach an agreement with all members...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: This would be achieved not only by waiving patent rights but also by facilitating technology transfer within the framework of multilateral rules.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Traditional main streets and traditional shopping streets are really under pressure around Ireland. Whether it is in small towns and rural towns around the country or whether it is in places such as Henry Street here in Dublin, we now see a growing issue of vacancy on main streets and on traditional shopping streets. That is really for two reasons. One is the move...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly look into it. If the Deputy wants to send me on some more information or some examples, I will take it up with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the regulator. I think I know what the response will be. The response will be that standing charges are there to pay for the infrastructure. They are there to pay for the pipes, the pylons and the wires.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Even when they are not being used, they have to be paid for. I would be happy to look into it further.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with the issue of mica in Donegal and in Mayo and I have been in houses in Donegal that have been affected. Unfortunately, I am not up to date on where we are in terms of the scheme and the working group. I will be talking to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, either today or tomorrow. I will let him know that the Deputy raised it here and ask him to respond...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have not changed my mind on this since last year. I still think it is a weakness that our Defence Forces do not have an aircraft available at all times that could get our troops out of Lebanon in a hurry if we had to, carry out a major evacuation of Irish citizens from somewhere in the world if we had to, or to have an aircraft available that could, for example, bring supplies such as...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will definitely raise it with the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney. As I said earlier, my mind has not changed on this matter but I appreciate that funds are limited and there may be other higher priorities, such as, for example, maritime patrol, search and rescue and the modernisation and replacement of existing equipment. Having read the report, although it was a year ago, I do not...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I have to say the Government and I, personally, were deeply alarmed by reports we read about the possibility the British Government may consider providing an amnesty or putting in place a statute of limitations on offences that occurred during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This would fly in the face of the Stormont House...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I know it is of enormous interest to many people in the House. I will check up on this. My understanding was that partners could attend for the birth of their child and we were to revise the guidelines so that they could attend other appointments as well, such as the 20-week scan and some antenatal appointments.