Results 781-800 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We do not have a date for it at this stage but it remains Government policy and it remains a Government commitment to do exactly that during this term in office of this Government. The Minister is reviewing the steps needed to allow the optional protocol to be ratified. We will not wait for an optional protocol to the UN Convention to be ratified to make improvements in the lives of people...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The consequences are an investigation that is being carried out by the International Criminal Court, a body we support and to which we have provided additional funding as a meaningful action, precisely so that it can carry out the investigation it wants to carry out into activities in the occupied territories, by Israel, of course, but also by other militant groups, like Hamas, that may also...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue once again in the Dáil. The Government's position, and the position of Ireland, is clear. We are calling for a ceasefire that will allow humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, including food, fuel, medicine or whatever is needed. We are calling for the hostages to be released and we believe a ceasefire can facilitate that. We are...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies Haughey, Smith and others who raised the Northern Ireland Troubles legacy Act. Once again I state the Government believes this is the wrong approach to legacy and reconciliation. It is not supported by any of the major parties in Northern Ireland, which is significant. We have received legal advice from the Attorney General. This is an essential contribution to our...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Trade Missions (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Pacific strategy, which Deputy Haughey mentioned, was launched by the Tánaiste quite recently. Our relationship in the region is flourishing, including at political level. We have already exceeded our target of €100 billion in two-way trade with the region. The world around us has been transformed in recent years, not just by the pandemic but by geopolitical developments....

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland was reconstituted as one of ten Cabinet committees established in January 2023. The Cabinet committee is intended to oversee the implementation of the programme for Government commitments regarding Brexit, Northern Ireland and ongoing related developments. Northern Ireland...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have explained earlier on a number of occasions the Government's position on the ICC and also about the need to keep diplomatic relations open with Israel through its embassador. Deputy Alan Farrell spoke about what we can do at an EU level. It is fair to say that the European Union is not united when it comes to the conflict in Israel and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Trade Missions (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I travelled to the Republic of Korea between 1 and 3 November, to participate in the team Ireland trade mission week, with the Ministers, Deputies Coveney, Harris, and McConalogue. This was the first team Ireland trade mission under the Government’s new trade and investment strategy and is a part of the Government’s commitment under the global Ireland strategy to increasing...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of Scoil Mhuire. I do not have an up-to-date note on the matter, but I will be speaking to the Minister, Deputy Foley, during the week and will make sure she knows he has raised it again. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I recently attended the Paris international humanitarian conference on Gaza convened by President Macron. The conference brought together leaders from the EU and leaders from the wider Middle East region, along with high-level representatives of UN agencies and NGOs active on the ground in Gaza, to consider the humanitarian crisis and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have a date for the Deputy. I will make inquiries of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, as to when that is being done. I am familiar with the legislation; I remember us working together on it. I am not as up to date on it as I would have been then. I will certainly make inquiries with the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and ask him to come back to the Deputy directly.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will need to double-check on the high-tech drugs. My understanding is that anybody who is receiving them will continue to do so. I will double-check on that. We have a serious issue with medicine shortages across the world at the moment; production just has not kept up with demand. It is not unique to Ireland; it is very much a European and international problem. It has always been a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I very much agree with the Deputy. The recent flooding events in Midleton in Cork and around the country reminded us, if we needed to be, that we need to accelerate climate action but also particularly need to accelerate adaptation. Climate change is a global problem that we can only make a very small contribution to changing, unfortunately. However, adaptation is entirely within our hands...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is working with officials on this at the moment. The last time I checked with him, he anticipated he would be able to make an announcement before the end of the year. We would very much like to see a second round happening during the term of this Government but, of course, that will depend on how long the term of the Government lasts.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has asked a very valid question. I join her in expressing my deep concern about what is happening around Al-Shifa Hospital at the moment. I was encouraged to hear President Biden in particular speaking on this issue. We maintain diplomatic contacts with Israel for a number of reasons. Diplomatic relations do not, of course, mean that we are necessarily friends or allies....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There are many aspects to road safety. The condition of our roads is one of them, but much more important are driver behaviour, enforcement, safety of vehicles and so on. We need to attack the issue of road safety from all different angles. I will be chairing a ministerial meeting on road safety tomorrow. I think it is the first time any Taoiseach has chaired a meeting of Ministers on...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy very much for his question. I have the Housing for All action plan update to hand. The graph on page 3 tells a great story. We went from building fewer than 7,000 new homes in 2011 to building just under 30,000 last year. We will build well over 30,000 next year, meaning more than a quadrupling of the number of new homes built in the past ten years. We need to do even...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I commend the Deputy on his ongoing and consistent interest in rare diseases and orphan drugs. He always makes sure these matters do not slip off the agenda. He asked some very specific questions to which I do not have answers but I will make sure he gets the information he needs in the coming days.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Stanley for raising this important issue. Many members of the LGBT community living in rural areas or outside the big cities can often feel very isolated and therefore need support from the Government. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Fleming, who is sitting beside me, has advised me he is on the case, as is Deputy Stanley. The Minister for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It is important that we as a Government encourage young farmers, so I am not sure why the restrictions are in place. I will make inquiries today with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and revert to Deputy Dillon with a more detailed reply.