Results 7,521-7,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: It is important to say at the outset that people have a responsibility to repay their debts. If people borrow money, they have a responsibility to pay it back. That is true for mortgage holders, farmers and business people. If people do not pay back their debts, they are causing social harm. Farmers not paying back their debts means that is harder for other farmers to get credit and that...

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

Leo Varadkar: Regulations and protections are in place. Perhaps those regulations are not strict enough or those protections strong enough, but we are of course always open to hearing proposals that might strengthen protections for borrowers or the regulation of financial institutions. We have done that in the past and it is something we remain open-minded about into the future. It must be borne in mind...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. This is something that has been on the minds of many people in our country in recent weeks and months, including parents who are worried about their children and individuals who are worried about their reputations. It is true that social media has been a great innovation. Like all technologies, it comes with positives and negatives....

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

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is spot on. Public figures, whether in media, sport, politics or business, have to have a thick skin. Public figures put themselves out there and have to accept that they are going to be criticised in a way that average or everyday people would not be, but there is a limit to that. Cyberbullying, whether of children, adults or public figures, is wrong. The best thing we can do...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. I was very saddened to hear of the deaths of those two men in recent days. At any time of year, although particularly in the run-up to Christmas, the deaths of people who are homeless fills us all with sorrow. As I understand it, there have been media reports concerning the deaths of two individuals in Dublin between the evening...

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

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly raise the issue at Cabinet. It is discussed in Cabinet meetings in the ordinary course of events but I will raise it again when Cabinet meets on Friday or Tuesday. As we know, the number of people who are homeless has fallen by approximately 20% in the past year. Now, that is only 20%. It means for every five people who were homeless there are now four. It is going in...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Judicial Appointments (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There is no such correspondence.

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Employment Rights (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 sets out the key parameters around the taking of annual leave and payment of same. The terms and conditions of individual employment contracts may provide additional specifics within those parameters such as stipulations in relation to the entitlement to extra days' leave above what is statutorily required by the Act. Section 19 of the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: State Bodies (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Since the start of the pandemic, my Department and agencies have swiftly put in place measures to keep businesses informed of supports available to them through call centres and complemented by comprehensive up-to-date information on dedicated web-pages provided on the websites. As a direct response my Department established the COVID-19 Business Supports Call Centre in March. Through a...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that businesses are making a massive sacrifice to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. My Department and its agencies have been focused on coming up with solutions to help businesses overcome the difficulties caused by COVID-19. Details of the wide range of supports available are...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant was introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to provide a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers. It closed for applications on 31 October 2020. Budget 2021 provides a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Pharmaceutical Sector (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am informed by the IDA that Roche remains the owner of the site and buildings at Clarecastle. Following the decision to close the facility in 2015, the company is now focusing on remediation and decommissioning of the site. The company is awaiting a planning decision from Clare County Council which I understand is due in January 2021, after which an application will be made for an EPA...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (26 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open. S.I. No. 448 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 clearly sets out the temporary restrictions under Level 5 of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID. A list of essential services can be found at and the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open. S.I. No. 448 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 clearly sets out the temporary restrictions under Level 5 of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID. A list of essential services can be found at and the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I announced the introduction of the Micro Enterprise Assistance Fund scheme on the 14thof September. The scheme is aimed at Micro-Enterprises who are not eligible for the COVID-19 Restart/Restart Plus Grant or similar COVID-19 business restart grants. The Micro Enterprise Assistance Fund provided eligible businesses with a voucher of between €500 and €1,000 in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The range of policy areas which come under the heading of social considerations is very broad and includes, for example, environmental sustainability, disability access, training for young or disadvantaged people and labour standards amongst a host of other areas. Bearing in mind the broad scope of the question and its reference to any State bodies who are provided with public funding under...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The eligibility criteria set out by my Department determine how Restart Grant Plus applications are processed by the Local Authorities on its behalf. In this context it is important to note that for the purposes of the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus Schemes, each Local Authority is the decision maker in relation to initial applications and appeals. The Department has no role in...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Labour Market (25 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Economic or labour migration policy is essentially the framework within which the State's employment permit system operates. It is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time. The system is not...

Covid-19: Statements (24 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: It has been some time since I have given my views on Covid and I welcome the opportunity to share some of my thinking with the House today. As we all know, the Government faces a difficult decision in the week ahead. As we approach the end of six weeks of level 5 restrictions, we sail between Scylla and Charybdis in trying to set the right course. In doing so, we know for certain that...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Trade Agreements (24 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, in June 2019, the EU reached political agreement in their trade negotiations with the Mercosur region (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay). The EU-Mercosur Agreement is the EU’s largest trade deal to date. The Agreement covers a population of over 770 million with trade in goods and services valued at €122 billion. It aims to reduce and, in...