Results 6,941-6,960 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Can Ms Brennan take that question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: At the moment the ODCE is an office of my Department. It is very much part of the Civil Service and the Civil Service structure. We believe that becoming an independent agency in its own right will make it easier for the office to hire staff more quickly and hire and retain particular expertise. Generally, this has been the model. A specialist agency is more equipped to do this, whether...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Just to give an idea of budgets, the budget for this year is just over €6 million and that will increase to €6.3 million next year. In terms of what we have planned for staffing levels, the current complement for the ODCE is just under 47 staff. We would plan to increase that and scale it up to 69 so quite a big increase. On the civilian side, that is going from 39.8 staff...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with the Deputy's observations in the round. It is worth putting on record that when it comes to the ODCE's role in investigations relating to the Anglo Irish Bank debacle or saga, five separate investigations resulted in four trials, all of which resulted in persons being convicted on indictment of criminal offences. While there is a strong focus on the Seán FitzPatrick case,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Ministers of State, Deputies English and Troy, and I are developing a proposal for a scheme similar to the Covid restrictions support scheme, with a monthly payment that would go to businesses that are in the predicament that the Deputy refers to, with a premises and fixed costs that have to be met, but do not currently qualify for the Covid restrictions support scheme because they do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We will do a project on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The increase of €360,000 probably is on the small side so I imagine when it comes to negotiating a budget for next year, should we get this legislation passed, I will look for more than that, since 22 extra staff will cost more than that. I will be looking for a larger increase than that next year, assuming we get the legislation through. I will provide an outline of the proposed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There are no plans to move of which I am aware. I might ask Ms Brennan to address that question. In the world of home working, new agencies' need for big, new offices is less than it used to be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have not seen or received the ODCE's request. Will Ms Brennan speak on this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure exactly how that works,-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: -----but I do not believe that requires my approval.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The eight gardaí will be working on cases, as will the digital forensics assistant principal officer, the enforcement lawyer and the ICT manager. These numbers comprise five clerical officers, two executive officers, one higher executive officer, three assistant principal officers and two principal officers. I do not believe there is a straightforward division between people who are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (29 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is not well enough resourced at the moment, which is why we have this plan to increase the staff considerably. The budget figures may be a little misleading because there is a €1.5 million underspend. The new agency had probably not got up and running. I am not familiar with the report from which the Senator quoted but I highly doubt the €2.5 billion relates to company law...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that the Deputy has raised this matter before. Unfortunately, I do not have any up-to-date information on it. I will make sure that the Minister is aware of the Deputy's suggestion.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I believe the review was published just before Christmas. Much to the disappointment of a lot of people it did not recommend a change. Many people had expected a change to a two-year rule rather than a one-year rule, but for various reasons it was not recommended. I will definitely check up on it to see if I can get more information to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about that case and what that lady is experiencing. I recall that under the last Government we did change the law to give victims of domestic violence much stronger legal rights in situations like this so it is the perpetrator and abuser who has to leave the home, not the victim of the abuse or violence. Perhaps there is a legal remedy in this case that she may be...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There is a greater role for antigen testing in our response to Covid. We do need to be very much guided by the advice of our scientists and our public health doctors in this regard. They have concerns about the accuracy of antigen testing. It has been introduced at Dublin Airport and in Gorey for hauliers going to France. It is a requirement of the French Government, which accepts antigen...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the water problems at Enfield and Ballivor. The Minister of State, Deputy English, has also informed me of the problems in those areas. It is of course a decision for Irish Water as to whether it can go ahead with the necessary project, but I will certainly check out the situation for the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid that I do not know the answer to the Deputy's question, but the situation he has described certainly seems inconsistent, namely, that people already on the programme would not reimbursed while new entrants would be. All I can do is to make the Minister for Health aware that the Deputy has raised this issue. I will try to get a written answer provided to Deputy Collins.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (28 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this important issue, which I know is of real concern to families in Dublin 4, 6 and 6W. I will let the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, know it has been raised and ask her to furnish Deputy Andrews with a written response.