Results 741-760 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I lost my train of thought in that regard.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: What is clear is that what the Palestinian people have faced for 75 years is dispossession, the loss of their lands and being made into refugees. They have not got the level of support that they should have from the international community to date. The most important thing now is that we secure a ceasefire so that the violence and killing stops, aid can get into Gaza and hostages can get...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----need to be viable and need to be secure. With regard to Irish citizens who are in Gaza, almost all who want to leave and their dependants are now out, or at least the majority are. We are working on a few further cases. We engage with the Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian authorities, and others, on this. I know there are people who want us to expel the Israeli ambassador. Being...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Social Dialogue (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 13 together. The social dialogue unit, part of the economic division of the Department, co-ordinates and assists the Government's overall approach to social dialogue. This includes the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, which engages with representatives of employers and trade unions on economic and employment issues insofar as they affect the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Please do. The condition of the seawater at Seapoint and Dún Laoghaire in Dublin Bay after heavy rain has not been discussed at Cabinet subcommittee level, but I will bring it to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. My understanding is that the Poolbeg upgrade is supposed to deal with that. I hope it will. I will seek further information on it. I did not have...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination generally meets in advance of Government meetings. Its next meeting is scheduled for Monday, 27 November. I am a member of the committee alongside the Tánaiste, the leader of the Green Party, the Secretary General to the Government, my chief of staff and the chief of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. Deputy Dillon asked a question on energy security and gas security. The Government's view, which I endorse strongly, is that long-term gas security is secured through the development of green hydrogen and biogas, and biomethane in particular. In the medium term, our security comes from the Corrib field and the interconnectors with the UK. There will also be a need...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. The committee has met four times in 2023 and its next meeting will take place on 27 November. The climate action unit within the Department of the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to clarify the matter. The HSE will be able to hire an additional 2,000 staff in 2024, so it will be able to replace any staff who have resigned or retired and hire an additional 2,000 staff. We cannot have what has been happening in previous years. We have had a recruitment surge, with 20,000 extra people hired by the health service since this Government came to office but not...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry to hear about the experiences the Deputy is having with Clare County Council. The council and its executives are not accountable to me. They are accountable to the elected members of Clare County Council but I will certainly let the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, know that the matter was raised and perhaps he will have some suggestions as to how it can be brought forward.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know a lot of progress has been made on it. There was a memorandum to Cabinet only in the past few weeks. I think it is on schedule to be done before the end of the year and, if not, certainly within the next few months. I will double-check with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and come back to the Deputy if I am incorrect on that but...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly transmit those suggestions to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. In the round, the national childcare scheme is working well. Parents have seen a big reduction in fees and will see another big reduction in fees in September. We are seeing terms and conditions improve for staff and we are seeing improvements in quality. Like any new scheme, however, there will be teething...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of the western rail corridor. I will have to double-check with the Minister for Transport, but my understanding is the draft of the all-Ireland rail review has been published. It is now out to public consultation and a final draft will follow. I will double-check on the current state of play and revert to the Deputy directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will definitely follow up on that and revert to the Deputy with a proper answer as soon as I get one. Some people will probably speculate that it is linked to the recruitment restrictions in the HSE at the moment. I do not know whether that is or is not the case. Approved posts can still go ahead. Next year, the HSE is authorised to take on an additional 2,000 staff. I am sure it can...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I can and I will. A sum of €250 million has been set aside in the budget for a cost of business scheme which the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is currently developing. That is double the amount that was drawn down from TBESS. We thought there would be a bigger drawdown from TBESS but it appears that energy bills did not go up as much as we thought they would. Many people had fixed...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I am not familiar at all with the case. I do not know how much money the gentleman owes or why, and I am not familiar with the company the Deputy has mentioned in the House. I certainly encourage anyone who has unpaid debts to get legal advice and get good advice from a solicitor or financial planner. It is important that if people have debts, they should pay back those debts....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As I do not know enough about the case, I cannot comment on it.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, he has always made the case in favour of bypasses because bypasses relieve towns of traffic and allow for improvements in air quality and for more pedestrian space and space for cyclists and so on. There was very positive news today that the Government has given the Minister, Deputy Ryan, approval to press ahead with the Adare bypass, a 7 km roadway....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Our objective in all cities, including this city and Limerick, is to make sure that shelter is available to everyone who needs it. That is not always the case but, generally speaking, it is the case. I will be speaking to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, during the week and will let him know the Deputy has raised the particular issue of people not having shelter in Limerick. Emergency funding...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I know the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is very committed to doing everything we can to eliminate violence against women, as well as gender-based and domestic violence in general. I am not sure if she is giving consideration to the particular matter the Deputy has raised but I will let her know it was brought up and ask her to respond to Deputy Costello directly.