Results 7,501-7,520 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am afraid I do not know the details of the issue he has raised, but I will take it up with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Daragh O'Brien, and ask him to reply to the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly mention the fact that the Deputy raised this matter to the Minister when I see him later. However, we generally prefer that social housing, particularly housing held by AHBs, not to be sold off. That stock should remain as public housing for reasons the Deputy will understand. Selling off public housing stock will leave less for people in need of it. However, I appreciate...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I will have to ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to contact him directly on this issue. The Deputy will be as familiar as I am with the refurbishment of big housing schemes in Dublin city. The issues are not always just about money, particularly if the schemes are to be retained rather than being demolished or rebuilt. If they are listed or...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I would love to give people certainty, but the only certainty we can give people is that this virus makes a mockery of our plans all the time. Nobody wants a third period of restrictions in January or February but the projections of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, present that possibility. As we ease restrictions in the coming weeks, cases will rise and that may require us...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: We appreciate that there is a lot of work to do in the next few years to improve our water quality. It has improved a lot in recent years, but big investment by Irish Water is required to make it better. The budget for 2021 includes increased capital spending and a bigger capital budget for Irish Water, which will allow the company to make some real improvements throughout the country.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy can provide me with the details, I will check out the legality of that example. It may already be against the law. We are now under level 5 restrictions. We hope to move to level 3 next week. At level 3, inter-county travel is allowed for work, education and essential purposes such as medical appointments or caring for elderly relatives or children who cannot be cared for by...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. The report issued by the EPA in recent days highlights how much work we all need to do to improve air quality. As he rightly pointed out, air quality has a direct impact on health, particularly for those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. It is linked to higher mortality. This is a life-and-death health...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I know that Tipperary town needs help. It is a town that needs to be reinvigorated and revitalised. The Deputy has raised this with me many times, as have Deputies Lowry and Cahill and Senator Ahearne. Going back to my time in Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, there was funding for a one-way system to the town which did not get approval. Now there is talk of a ring road. ...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised that legislation will be ready at the end of December, that is, in the next few weeks. There is an unfairness in the fair deal scheme and how it treats farm assets and the assets of small business. We want to make that change and make the fair deal fairer for those who own a business or farm. I appreciate this new legislation has been promised for a very long time. I know the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that the shortage of secondary school places in east Cork is a burning issue, as it also is in my constituency. It is a feature in several parts of the country where it is not always possible to provide a child with a place in their school of first choice, but it is always possible to provide a place in a school not too far away. I do not know the details of the particular...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I think we all agree that prisoners should be treated humanely, especially those who suffer from mental illness. I do not know the answer to the Deputy's question about the task force but I will certainly raise it with the Minister for Justice and ask her to provide him with a written response.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I have also received some complaints on the same matter. It is more one for the council than central government. I think everyone appreciates why the cycle lanes have been put in place. We want people to cycle more and, at a time public transport is advised against for public health reasons, we want to facilitate more people to cycle. However, there must be proper consultation with local...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: This is a long-running issue and sore. It ongoing for 15 years by now. I would also love to see a resolution. It is the case that CE supervisors are entitled to the State contributory pension, as everyone else is, but they are not entitled to a public service pension. The reason for that is, first, they are not public servants, they are not employees of the State even though the body that...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: We all appreciate the extra work student nurses have done during the pandemic to help us increase our health service capacity. In recognition of that, many student nurses were taken on as healthcare assistants during the first wave and were paid for that purpose. It is important to acknowledge that generally, students are not paid across the public service. Medical students, trainee...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Our objective is to ensure that people who are homeless receive wraparound supports, regardless of whether they are accommodated in hostels provided by NGOs or by private providers. Those supports are obviously easier to provide in accommodation provided by an NGO or a charity than in private accommodation. When these private providers are used, it is probably out of necessity because there...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Everyone who works in our health service puts themselves at risk of contracting Covid because of their work, as do many people beyond it. It is not just nurses but also doctors, cleaners, caterers and anyone working in a hospital, including therapists. Many people who do not work in hospitals do so as well, such as people who work in retail and transport. We need to acknowledge that many...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There will be a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid today and a Cabinet meeting tomorrow. After that, we will be able to make a decision on what can and cannot reopen in December. No decisions have yet been made about restaurants, pubs or hotels at this stage. Whatever happens, we will make sure financial supports like the employment wage subsidy scheme and the Covid restrictions...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Like her, I thins there will always be a role to play for nursing homes. We want more home care and more people being able to stay in their homes for longer and that is the plan and the direction of travel. This is why so much additional funding has been provided for home care in recent years with a 40% increase in the past couple of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government acknowledges that nursing homes have been badly affected by Covid, that income is down and that costs are up. In response to that, we established a Covid-19 temporary assistance payment scheme. That was set up back in April. Applications opened on 17 April. The core concept of the scheme is that the State will provide additional funding to nursing homes that require it to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: For my own part, there are not any more records other than those that have been put in the public domain already and have been flashed all over the Internet. I provided any records that I have. Any records that are held by the Department of Health or the Department of the Taoiseach I do not hold. It is normal practice that when Ministers leave Departments, they do not take their records...