Results 7,181-7,200 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. At present, when it comes to swimming, sports, gymnastics and dance, only individual classes or individual tuition is allowed. This is based on the view from our public health experts that where there are classes, whether a group of six or 12, people will congregate and may interact before and after. They may also be brought there by parents or guardians who may then...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There was a bailout of the banks 12 years ago. The Taoiseach misspoke yesterday. He said that himself this morning. In fairness, he corrected himself quickly in the Dáil yesterday. What he meant to say was that the banks' owners, the banks' shareholders, were not bailed out. Those who owned the banks and those who had shares in the banks lost all, or almost all, of their money....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: That is the point the Taoiseach was trying to make.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised this Bill will be taken next term. I look forward to working with the Deputy to ensure that the legislation becomes law in 2021.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Clonmel Garda station. He has raised it with me several times before, as has Senator Garrett Ahearn and Deputy Cahill. I do not have a date for the beginning of the project but I will certainly let the Minister, Deputy McEntee, know that the Deputy raised it this morning. We will try to get him an answer as soon as possible.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to check into that matter for the Deputy. The Coast Guard search and rescue service is based in Sligo Airport. I cannot imagine it could be moved anywhere else. It is essential, therefore, that the airport continues to operate for the Coast Guard. Perhaps it could be moved to Knock but I doubt it. Sligo Airport will have to be provided funding, if it needs it, to keep that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is right and we need to deal with that.If I recall correctly, the plan was to reform the junior cycle first, get that done and move on to reforming the senior cycle. I am not sure if the two can be done concurrently. Perhaps they can. The leaving certificate as an exam has served us well. I have spoken to a lot of fifth year and sixth year students who now say to me they would...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the trend across the world when it comes to specialty services, such as complex cancer surgery or primary PCI, is to reduce the number of centres in order to have a smaller number of centres with a large number of staff able to sustain a 24-7 rota permanently, and a large patient load to achieve a certain level of standard. The Deputy mentions that there are two...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: None of this relates to promised legislation. The Deputy is missing out on one key detail. That appointment was not brought to the Cabinet on 6 July.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The appointment was not brought to the Cabinet on 6 July. It was not brought until several weeks later. During that time, the Minister had ample time to consider all the names and also to discuss the matter with me, the Taoiseach, the leader of the Green Party and the Attorney General, which she did.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that it is anticipated now that the European Medicines Agency will meet on Monday and will approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and that will allow the first people in EU countries to receive the vaccine on 27, 28 and 29 December.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot say exactly which date will be the case in Ireland but we expect that the first people in Ireland will be vaccinated before the new year. I cannot give the Deputy an exact date. They will be given evidence of the fact that they have had the vaccine but at present I cannot tell the House exactly what the format will be.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There are 200 countries in the world and Ireland is probably in the top 20 in terms of wealth and living standards. That is not because we have fabulous oil wealth or gas or diamonds. We have to pay our way in the world. That means we have to produce goods and services and we have to trade them internationally. That is why we are a relatively wealthy and prosperous country. There is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy rightly said, that was a pressurised period. There was a rush on to procure personal protective equipment, PPE, and ventilators and we were seeing what was happening around the world with countries short on PPE and staff getting the virus and dying from it in some cases. We also saw what was happening around the world with a shortage of ventilators and what that meant in New...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: What was the question again?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not but again I would have to check my records from the time.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I will raise this with the Minister for Health. I do not personally recall any contact with that company but as I said at the time, we were inundated with people who were offering to help out. We got some legitimate offers and some quite suspect offers. We even set up a website at the time to which people could submit their offers and so on. I imagine that anything provided to anybody in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I know this issue has been a contentious one and is a matter of real importance to the people of Waterford and of the south east more broadly and has been for a long time. The programme for Government commits to the provision of a second cath lab in University Hospital Waterford. As set out in the HSE's options appraisal, the preferred option for a second cath lab and associated 12-day ward...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I am not in position to answer the Deputy's questions. I have not seen these documents. The Deputy said there are 300 of them. I understand none of them relates to me or communications involving me. It is difficult to answer a question about documents I have not seen and do not contain any communications involving me. From the documents and what I have read in the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Again, these are questions that do not involve me directly so they are difficult and impossible for me to answer. What I do know is that the memorandum was not taken to the Cabinet meeting on 6 July. It was two or three Cabinet meetings later that the memo was taken. At that point, the Minister for Justice had, of course, spoken to the Attorney General and all the party leaders, and came...