Results 861-880 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Government's position on this has been very clear. There should be a humanitarian ceasefire immediately so that aid can go into Gaza and EU citizens and other citizens can leave. Hamas should free all of the hostages it is holding without any conditions and should lay down its arms because it is a terrorist organisation. We need a new peace initiative in the Middle East, desperately...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There is also a young Irish-Israeli girl who may well be being held in Gaza as a hostage of Hamas as well. Let us not be just one sided about this. Our priority, no matter who is holding them, is for Irish citizens to be able to get out and get to safety. That means we need to be able to engage with the Israeli Government and the Israeli ambassador. At some point we also want to be able...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It would not cause Israel to change course. Second, it would hamper our efforts to get the hostages out and to get citizens out and also to potentially have some sort of role in future peacebuilding and peacemaking in the area.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Our advice and understanding is that we do not need to make a referral for an investigation to take place. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has said that he believes jurisdiction applies to the occupied territories but I will seek further information and advice on that. There are roughly 8,000 EU and foreign nationals in Gaza. Only a handful have been allowed to leave so...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We can all agree that there are a number of entities that bear responsibility for this - builders in some cases and other professionals involved in the construction business. The State also has a degree of responsibility, particularly pre-2014 when building regulations were not what they are now and were not enforced in the way they are now. Ultimately, while the State will pick up the bill...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this important issue. We can all agree, on all sides of the House, how valuable home care is. Most important, it provides older people and younger people who need care with the dignity they deserve in life. Crucially, it enables people to get out of hospital quicker, which frees up beds for patients who need them and enables people to avoid going into...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We have never had more people working in our health service or public service than we have today. We have full employment in Ireland. That is a great thing but there are downsides to it, one of which is the fact that recruitment and retention are a challenge everywhere. That includes the public and private sectors, urban and rural areas, big and small companies-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and well-paid and poorly paid jobs. It is an across-the-board issue when there is full employment and that is a challenge we face. It is a challenge I would rather face than unemployment, which affected this country for a long time. The new tender rate, which was backdated to July, is a core rate of €31 per hour for providers, which works out at an average rate of €34...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue, which affects tens of thousands of people around the country, including people in the Deputy's constituency and my own. As I have disclosed previously, I am personally affected, as are other members of the Cabinet. We appreciate that Government intervention is required. In some cases, people are able to pay the levy and in other...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will let the Minister for Justice know the case was raised in the Dáil again today.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----a response on an emotional basis but it will not help the hostages or our citizens get out and it will not help bring peace and reconciliation any closer. I will come back to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan regarding day services and transport in his constituency. I do not have an update on that. I agree with Deputy Brendan Smith on the need for the Government to help councils in...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Schemes for farmers operate on a case-by-case basis. A scheme for a particular area was approved by Cabinet today. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, either has announced or will announce that scheme. I do not want to go into the details. It can be done but it is done on a case-by-case basis.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The only ongoing commission of investigation for which I am the specified Minister is the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, commission of investigation. As with all such commissions, it is fully independent in its investigations. The commission was established in June 2017, following consultations with Oireachtas parties, to investigate the sale by NAMA of its Northern Ireland...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for their contributions. On the forthcoming inquiry into abuse in the Defence Forces, the Tánaiste has consulted the Attorney General on the establishment of the inquiry and its terms of reference. He has engaged with stakeholders, including the Women of Honour group, other groups such as the Men and Women of Honour group, PDFORRA and RACO and individuals. Draft terms...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I join with Deputy Boyd Barrett in recognising the life of Andrew St. Ledger and extend my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. I did not know him well but I think we met once or twice in the context of environmental meetings. I would have to check what the exact mandate of Coillte is in legislation but when I had the chance to meet it last year, it set out a mandate that...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----in the midlands. It will not be connected to the electricity grid so this data centre will have no impact on electricity transmission-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and, of course, it can be fuelled by biogas, which is a sustainable form of gas. Another company is turning the old peat-powered power station infrastructure in Shannonbridge to battery storage, so we can store excess wind energy when we have it and put it back into the grid. When it comes to beef, it is not necessarily about increasing production. We are seeing herd stabilisation...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I answered that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 13, inclusive, together. The Department's annual report for 2022 was published on gov.ieand laid before the Houses in September. The report sets out the work of the Department in 2022 to achieve the strategic priorities set out in the Department’s three-year Statement of Strategy 2021-2023. The Department is working to ensure that all Departments'...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. Deputy Tóibín asked about King Charles's speech in Westminster today. I have not had a chance to read it but I do know the UK Government is working very hard on securing agreement from the DUP to return to government in Northern Ireland to deal with many of the issues that need to be dealt with and that have been mentioned by Deputies, ranging from flooding...