Results 8,461-8,480 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Deputies opposite can try to shout us down as much as they like but we are going to re-establish democracy in this House. This means that every Deputy is equal, every Deputy should have an equal right to speaking time and there should be no preferential arrangements for Independent Deputies or micro parties.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I understand officials from the Department were in Cahersiveen yesterday trying to resolve this issue. We do, of course, want it resolved but before somebody can be moved to alternative appropriate accommodation, we have to find that accommodation. There is a difficulty in this regard and I think everyone appreciates that. The Deputy named somebody who is not a Member of the House and made...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I share their sentiments. I too would like to see pubs and bars open on 10 August if it is possible for them to do so within the public health guidelines. I hope we will be able to make that decision in the affirmative next Tuesday but I cannot guarantee it at this stage. I totally agree that pubs offer significant employment...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: We are very keen to see disability services reopening as soon as possible. We want it to be done in a way that is safe for the staff and the service users. Many families are now at their wits' end. This has gone on for so long, since the pandemic started in March. In some cases, service users are regressing and going backwards, which is a matter of worry and concern for all of us. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Calleary, will make an announcement on GLAS when he is ready to do so. He will want to make that announcement as soon as he can. I do not know the details but the Minister may need Commission approval or other things to continue the scheme but I am sure he will be keen to make that announcement as soon as he can and as soon as it is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet will meet on Tuesday next week to make a decision on whether we can move to phase 4 or something like it. We do not have the formal advice from NPHET on that yet. That depends on two things, first, the numbers of new cases of the virus over the last couple of days and the next couple of days and, second, any particular bespoke arrangements or guidelines that might be put in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There is no mystery and no conspiracy here and the Deputy can exaggerate it and all the rest. I am happy to be very clear about this. There are particular security protocols when it comes to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade travelling to Northern Ireland. When that Minister, whoever he or she may be, travels to Northern Ireland, that person has to have a Garda car and Garda...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of job losses and employment in Kerry. As a result of what has happened to the economy due to this pandemic, we have all seen a major increase in unemployment in recent months. Thankfully, it is falling, and people have seen that the number of people on the pandemic unemployment payment, which peaked at more than 600,000, is now below 300,000 and is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can be assured that the Government will do the best we can and work might and main to find an alternative employer or investor for the facility. It would be a shame to see it go unused. The company says it will work with us on this, but it would be a new company coming in and probably producing something different. I was talking to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Farmers and the farming community have been among the unsung heroes of the pandemic. One of the real worries we had at the start of the pandemic was distribution, supply and getting food into shops, onto tables and into and out of the island. Between the farming sector, our hauliers and our logistics industry, we made sure this was never a problem. We appreciate their role in that, not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Naughten for raising the important issue of the establishment of an early intervention ASD class in St. Teresa's special school, Ballinasloe. The Deputy has a long-standing interest in disability and looks out for the special educational needs of children in his constituency and beyond. The former Senator, Maura Hopkins, has spoken to me about this issue as well. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There has been a phenomenal investment in special education in recent years. The budget is now almost €2 billion. One in every five euro we spend on education is for special education, roughly the same as we spend on higher education. In the last ten years the number of special classes has trebled. There will be an extra 1,000 special needs assistants for schools this year and an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I formally congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on her recent election. I know she will do a fabulous job. I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this important question. All of us know from our personal lives, people we know or constituents who come to us with their problems and difficulties how big an issue this is. Children are waiting for too long to get an assessment. We know that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I cannot possibly comment on court cases on which I have no information. Even if I had information, I probably could not comment on them either. Certainly anybody is entitled to take a case to court but we all appreciate this issue will not be resolved in the courts. It would not be right to give preference to people who go to court as opposed to those who do not....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee Scheme (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme will facilitate lending up to €2 billion to SMEs, primary producers and small mid-caps (i.e. companies under 500 employees).  This credit is urgently needed by enterprises seeking to react to the changed economic landscape and the need to restock and change business practices in response.  It will ensure that SMEs, primary producers and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: This Government is providing a range of liquidity assistance to businesses, through guarantees to the banks for their on-lending and through MFI to assist microenterprises. MFI lending was paused on 6th July, as their funding position had become constrained. The Microenterprise Loan Fund Amendment Act 2020, which was signed by the President on 10thJuly, will allow MFI to immediately resume...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On 23 July the Government announced the July Stimulus Package, a substantial financial package to stimulate our economy worth more than €5 billion, with an additional €2 billion in loan guarantees. It is bigger in scale than most budgets and will be deployed at speed. The July Stimulus package is designed to help businesses to open, to help those that are already open to stay...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government previously introduced a package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment for the self-employed, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow among SMEs. Full details on all COVID-19 supports for business are available...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Communications (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As set out in my Department's internal ICT Usage Policy, Ministers and staff in my Department are provided with email accounts for official use. It is the practice that communication of Departmental issues be conducted through Departmental email accounts and not through private email.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Meetings (30 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The details of the meetings excluding Government and Cabinet Committee Meetings held by myself and the Ministers of State in my Department since the formation of the Government are outlined in the following table.  2020-07-30_pq93-30-07-20_en.docx">Table of Meetings